New Hampshire Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 32 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
The New Hampshire Board of Land Surveyors (under the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) measures continuing education in CEUs, not the PDH used by most states. Rule Lan 403.01 sets a minimum of 8 CEUs per biennium, and defines 1 CEU as 4 hours of actual activity — so the requirement equals 32 contact hours across the two-year renewal cycle.
The renewal cycle is biennial, expiring on the biennial anniversary of your birth month. Excess surveying-related credit can be carried forward, but no more than 4 CEUs (16 contact hours) per biennium.
New Hampshire's rule sets no specific mandatory subject hours (such as ethics) for land surveyors, but you must retain attendance verification records for at least four years in case of audit.
Exemptions
- Active Military Duty — A licensee serving on temporary active duty in the U.S. Armed forces for a period exceeding 120 consecutive days in a year is exempt from the required hours during that year.
- Disability, Illness, Or Extenuating Circumstances — A licensee prevented from completing the required hours by disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances may apply in writing to the board for a specific exemption, furnishing supporting documentation.
How You Can Complete Your CE
New Hampshire CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to New Hampshire that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — Carry-over is limited to courses or seminars related to land surveying, not to exceed 4 CEUs (equivalent to 16 contact hours) per biennium.
- New Hampshire states the requirement in continuing education units (CEUs): 8 CEUs per biennium, where 1 CEU equals 4 hours of activity (Lan 403.01). That is equivalent to 32 contact hours over the two-year renewal cycle.
- The renewal cycle is biennial, keyed to the last day of the biennial anniversary of the licensee's birth month (Lan 401.01).
- Carry-over is capped at 4 CEUs (16 contact hours) per biennium and must be for courses or seminars related to land surveying (Lan 403.03).
- Licensees must retain attendance verification records for at least 4 years (Lan 403.02). Confirm acceptable course formats and current reporting (e.g., CE Broker) with the OPLC Board of Land Surveyors.
Tips for New Hampshire PLSs
- Convert before you plan: New Hampshire counts CEUs, not PDH. Eight CEUs sounds small, but at 4 hours each it means 32 contact hours over two years — budget accordingly.
- Your renewal is keyed to your birth month, not a calendar year-end. Confirm your exact biennial expiration date with the OPLC so you don't miscount the two-year window.
- Carry-over is limited to 4 CEUs (16 hours) and only for surveying-related courses or seminars — general professional development won't roll forward.
- Keep attendance verification records for at least four years; New Hampshire can require documentation on audit, and now tracks CE through CE Broker.
- Because the rule lists no mandatory ethics or standards hours for surveyors, confirm which course formats (including online/self-study) the Board accepts before assuming a course qualifies.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the New Hampshire Board of Land Surveyors (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification)'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.