Nebraska Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
Nebraska registers professional land surveyors through the Nebraska Board of Examiners for Land Surveyors (NBELS) — a dedicated board separate from the state board that licenses professional engineers. As a condition of renewal, actively registered surveyors must complete 30 hours of professional development within the preceding 2 calendar years.
At least 2 of those hours must be in an ethics course or a course on the Nebraska Land Surveyors Regulation Act each renewal. Hours count only if earned while your registration was active, and several activity types are capped — for example, professional-society membership counts for up to 4 PDH and authored papers up to 15 PDH per renewal period.
Over-earning can help next cycle: excess beyond 30 hours may be carried to the next biennium, not to exceed 15 hours — but only if you request the carry-over in your renewal application, which the Board confirms by the following April 15. NBELS randomly audits a share of renewals each biennium.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional ethics or Nebraska Land Surveyors Regulation Act | 2 | Every renewal | A minimum of 2 hours of professional development in an ethics course, or a course on the Nebraska Land Surveyors Regulation Act, is required for each renewal period. |
How You Can Complete Your CE
Nebraska CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Nebraska that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — Excess professional development beyond 30 hours in the preceding two calendar years may be carried to the next biennium, not to exceed 15 hours. The registrant must request carry-over in the renewal application; the Secretary of the Examining Board confirms the action on or before the following April 15.
- The 30 PDH are measured over the preceding 2 calendar years, and PDHs count only if earned while the registration was active.
- At least 2 of the hours each renewal must be in an ethics course or a course on the Nebraska Land Surveyors Regulation Act.
- Several activity categories are capped per renewal period — e.g., college coursework 6 PDH, professional-society membership 4 PDH, authored papers 15 PDH, and non-interactive/pre-recorded short courses 15 PDH.
- To apply excess hours to the next biennium, request carry-over in the renewal application; the Board confirms by the following April 15.
- The Examining Board randomly audits a percentage of renewal registrants each biennium.
Tips for Nebraska PLSs
- Reserve 2 hours each renewal for ethics or a course on the Nebraska Land Surveyors Regulation Act — a general technical course will not satisfy this piece.
- Carry-over is not automatic: to apply excess hours (up to 15) to the next biennium, you must state the request in your renewal application, and the Board confirms it by April 15.
- Watch the per-category caps — professional-society membership tops out at 4 PDH, authored papers at 15 PDH, and non-interactive/pre-recorded short courses at 15 PDH per renewal period.
- Make sure hours are earned while your registration is active; PDHs earned during an inactive period do not count toward renewal.
- Remember Nebraska surveyors answer to NBELS, not the engineers' board — verify course acceptance and deadlines with NBELS directly.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Nebraska Board of Examiners for Land Surveyors (NBELS)'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.