New York Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 24 Hours Every 3 Years
Requirements Overview
New York's State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology (within NYSED's Office of the Professions) requires licensed land surveyors to complete 24 contact hours of continuing education in each three-year (triennial) registration period. This differs from the 36 hours required of professional engineers and geologists, so don't rely on the engineer figure.
At least 1 of the 24 hours must be in professional ethics each period (8 NYCRR §68.14). Excess hours help a little: up to 6 hours may be carried over from one triennium to the next.
Surveyors are exempt during their initial three-year registration period. For shorter periods — a reactivation or a new registrant entering New York — the requirement prorates to 1 hour per month, up to the 24-hour cap. All CE must come from a NYSED-approved sponsor.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional ethics | 1 | Every renewal | At least one of the 24 contact hours must be in professional ethics in each triennial registration period. |
Exemptions
- Initial Registration Period — A land surveyor is not required to complete continuing education during the initial three-year registration period in which they are first licensed in New York State.
- Not In Active Practice — A licensee not engaged in the active practice of land surveying in New York State may attest to that status in lieu of completing the continuing-education hours.
- Adjustment For Good Cause — The Department may grant an adjustment to the requirement for reasons of health as certified by a physician, extended active duty with the U.S. Armed forces, or other good cause acceptable to the Department.
How You Can Complete Your CE
New York CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to New York that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — A maximum of six continuing education hours completed during one triennial registration period may be transferred (carried over) into the next triennial registration period.
- The land-surveyor requirement is 24 contact hours per three-year (triennial) registration period, including at least 1 hour of professional ethics (8 NYCRR §68.14). This differs from the 36-hour requirement for professional engineers and geologists.
- Up to 6 excess CE hours may be carried over from one triennial period to the next.
- Licensees in a registration period shorter than three years (e.g., the first period after the exempt initial triennium, reactivation, or a new registrant entering New York) complete 1 hour of CE per month of the period, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
- All continuing education must be completed through a New York State Education Department (NYSED)-approved sponsor; retain certificates of completion as required for audit.
Tips for New York PLSs
- Use the surveyor number, not the engineer number: land surveyors owe 24 hours per triennium, while engineers owe 36. Vendor pages sometimes conflate them.
- Complete at least 1 ethics hour each registration period — it is a specific §68.14 requirement counted within the 24, not an optional extra.
- You do not owe CE during your first three-year registration period after initial New York licensure; confirm when your first mandatory period begins before buying courses.
- Only up to 6 hours carry from one triennium to the next, so timing a large course near the end of a period has limited benefit.
- Take courses only from NYSED-approved sponsors and keep your certificates — New York accepts approved-sponsor coursework and audits completion.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology'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.