Land Surveyor Continuing Education (PDH) Requirements by State (2026)
Licensed Professional Land Surveyors (PLSs, also called PS, RLS, or LS depending on the state) must complete continuing education — usually measured in Professional Development Hours (PDH) — to renew their license. Requirements are set by each state licensing board, which in most states is the combined board that also licenses professional engineers, and vary widely from annual PDH minimums to no continuing education requirement at all. Compare requirements across all states below.
46
States Covered
15-30 PDH
Typical Hours Range
1-2 years
Most Common Cycle
NCEES
National Body
Disclaimer: Requirements are set by each state's licensing board and may change. Always verify with your state board before making CE decisions.
National Overview
Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) requirements vary significantly by state. Among states that mandate continuing education, totals typically range from 15-30 PDH hours per renewal cycle, and most follow a 1-2 years cycle. The national coordinating body is NCEES. Online CE is widely accepted, though some states impose limits on self-study hours.
All States Comparison
| State | Hours | Cycle | Online? | Key Topics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Professional ethics, Standards of Practice for Surveying in the State of Alabama | View → |
| Alaska | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Arkansas | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Arkansas Standards of Practice No. 1 for Property Boundary Surveys and Plats | View → |
| California | None | — | — | — | View → |
| Colorado | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Delaware | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Florida | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | Florida minimum technical standards or laws affecting surveying and mapping | View → |
| Georgia | 15 | 2 yr | Yes | Minimum Technical Standards (Georgia board rules and surveying laws) | View → |
| Idaho | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Illinois | 20 | 2 yr | Yes | Sexual harassment prevention training, Illinois statutes and rules regulating professional land surveyors and surveys | View → |
| Indiana | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | Mandatory surveying topics (professional conduct, competent-practice standards, retracement/original/route surveys, and legal descriptions) | View → |
| Iowa | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Professional ethics | View → |
| Kansas | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Health, safety, property, and welfare (HSPW), Kansas minimum standards (boundary surveys) | View → |
| Kentucky | 16 | 2 yr | Yes | Standards of practice, professional ethics, and code of professional practice and conduct for professional land surveyors | View → |
| Louisiana | 16 | 2 yr | Yes | Professional ethics, Standards of practice for boundary surveys in Louisiana | View → |
| Maine | 8 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Maryland | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | Ethics, Maryland boundary law, and standards of practice | View → |
| Michigan | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Minnesota | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | Professional ethics | View → |
| Mississippi | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | Professional ethics, Mississippi Standards of Practice | View → |
| Missouri | 20 | 2 yr | Yes | Surveying Standards | View → |
| Montana | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Nebraska | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Professional ethics or Nebraska Land Surveyors Regulation Act | View → |
| Nevada | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Professional ethics, Nevada statutes and regulations (chapter 625 of NRS and NAC) | View → |
| New Hampshire | 32 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| New Jersey | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| New Mexico | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Ethics or business-related subjects | View → |
| New York | 24 | 3 yr | Yes | Professional ethics | View → |
| North Carolina | 15 | 1 yr | Yes | Ethics or Rules of Professional Conduct, Standards of Practice for Land Surveying | View → |
| North Dakota | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Ethics | View → |
| Ohio | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Professional ethics or rules | View → |
| Oklahoma | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Oklahoma Minimum Standards for the Practice of Land Surveying | View → |
| Oregon | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Pennsylvania | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Rhode Island | 20 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| South Carolina | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| South Dakota | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Technical subjects (health, safety, and welfare) | View → |
| Tennessee | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Surveying ethics and standards of practice | View → |
| Texas | 12 | 1 yr | Yes | Professional conduct and ethics (Act/Rules and/or Ethics) | View → |
| Utah | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Vermont | 20 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Virginia | 16 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |
| Washington | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Attestation of reading ch. 58.09 RCW (Survey Recording Act) and ch. 332-130 WAC (minimum standards for land boundary surveys) | View → |
| West Virginia | 8 | 1 yr | Yes | Minimum technical standards, Professional ethics for land surveyors | View → |
| Wisconsin | 20 | 2 yr | Yes | Wisconsin statutes and rules regulating professional land surveyors and surveys, Professional conduct and ethics | View → |
| Wyoming | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | — | View → |