Montana Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
The Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, part of the Department of Labor & Industry, requires every licensee to obtain 30 PDH units during the two-year renewal period under Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 24.183.2105. Licenses renew biennially in even-numbered years (the renewal window runs May 30 to June 30).
Montana does not require a specific professional-ethics hour for surveyors, but it does limit self-study to a maximum of 10 PDH per renewal cycle — so at least 20 of your 30 hours must come from other activities such as courses, seminars, workshops, teaching, publishing, or technical society work. If you over-earn, up to 15 PDH may be carried into the next renewal period.
There is no board pre-approval of courses or providers: you are responsible for judging whether an activity qualifies, and for keeping records to support claimed credits for three years in case of audit.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Montana CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Montana that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — A maximum of 15 PDH units may be carried forward into the subsequent renewal period when a licensee exceeds the requirement.
- No more than 10 of the 30 PDH may be earned through self-study per renewal cycle.
- There is no board pre-approval of continuing education courses or providers; licensees are responsible for determining course eligibility.
- Licenses renew biennially in even-numbered years (renewal window May 30 to June 30); licensees found in noncompliance may face administrative suspension.
- Dual engineer-surveyor licensees must still obtain 30 PDH, with at least one-third earned in each profession.
- Maintain records supporting claimed credits for three years; the board may request copies for audit.
Tips for Montana PLSs
- Keep self-study to 10 PDH or less per cycle — Montana caps it, so the remaining 20+ hours must come from courses, seminars, teaching, publishing, or society activity.
- Because Montana does not pre-approve courses or providers, vet each activity yourself against the rule before counting it.
- Carry up to 15 excess PDH into the next two-year period if you over-earn, but not more.
- Renewal is biennial in even-numbered years (May 30-June 30 window); plan your 30 hours to land before that deadline.
- Hold both PE and PLS licenses? You still need 30 PDH total, with at least one-third earned in each profession. Retain your records for three years.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors's official rules and continuing-education sources and recorded with the exact source excerpt. Last verified Jul 2026. Read how we compile and verify this data.