Missouri PE CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
Missouri sets no mandatory topics under Board Rule 20 CSR 2030-11.015; the 30 PDHs may span technical, managerial (business), or ethical subjects at the licensee's discretion. The Board offers an optional free 2-hour rules/ethics course reviewing Chapter 327, RSMo, but does not require it.
Webinars, video courses, correspondence courses, and in-house programs qualify with no online cap (correspondence courses need a final graded test). Notably, general self-study is listed as a non-qualifying activity, so unstructured reading does not count. The Board pre-approves no courses or providers.
Up to 15 PDHs may carry forward; claiming them requires submitting the prior period's Summary Log and all attendance verification records. A licensee electing inactive status owes no PDHs but cannot practice. Retain records for four years.
Renewal Pathways
Exemptions
- Active Military Duty — Licensees serving honorably on full-time active duty in the U.S. Armed forces may renew without completing the PDH requirement for the renewal period during which they served.
- Initial Registration (First Renewal) — A PE licensed in Missouri for less than twelve (12) months from the date of initial licensure is not required to report PDH hours at the first license renewal.
- Inactive Status — A licensee who elects inactive status at renewal does not have to show completion of any PDHs, but cannot practice and must still submit the renewal form and fee.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Missouri CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Missouri that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — A maximum of 15 qualifying PDHs may be carried forward to the subsequent renewal period. If a PE claims carry-over PDHs from the prior period, the Summary Log of Professional Development Hours and all Attendance Verification Records for that prior period must also be submitted.
- Total requirement: 30 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) per two-year (biennial) renewal period. Renewal is due December 31; PEs originally licensed in an even year renew in even years, those licensed in an odd year renew in odd years.
- No mandatory topics. PDHs may cover technical, managerial (business), or ethical fields; ethics/management courses relevant to engineering qualify but are NOT required. The Board offers a free 2-hour course covering its rules/ethics (review of Chapter 327, RSMo plus online exam), which is optional.
- Governing rule: Board Rule 20 CSR 2030-11.015 (Continuing Professional Competency for Professional Engineers). Out-of-state CEUs are accepted if content meets this rule.
- PDH definition: one nominal contact hour = 1 PDH; PDHs cannot exceed actual contact clock hours. Round to nearest half-hour; no activity under 30 minutes is accepted (30–49 min = 0.5 PDH; 50–60 min = 1.0 PDH). Conversions: 1 semester hour = 30 PDH; 1 quarter hour = 20 PDH; 1 CEU = 10 PDH.
- Credit sub-limits within the 30 PDH total: published papers/articles/books max 5 PDH each and max 10 PDH per renewal period; active participation as officer/committee member of a technical or professional society max 2 PDH annually per organization; teaching credit is twice the participant rate but only for the first occurrence of a course per renewal period (faculty may not claim regular curriculum courses).
- Record keeping: the licensee must maintain records (Summary Log of Professional Development Hours plus attendance verification such as completion certificates) for a minimum of four (4) years for audit purposes. Audits are randomly conducted each renewal period.
- Audit shortfall remedy: if the Board rejects a claimed PDH, the licensee has three months from the license renewal date to substantiate the original claim or earn replacement credits.
- Self-study is listed as a TYPICAL NON-QUALIFYING activity, as are regular employment, personal/financial planning, non-technical software courses, equipment/trade-show demonstrations, and topics not relevant to the licensee's profession.
- Failure to either certify PDH completion or elect inactive status results in automatic expiration of the license.
- Note on the 'Missouri = no PE CE' claim: This is FALSE per the official board. The APEPLSPLA fact sheet clearly imposes 30 PDHs every two years. Requirement_status recorded as 'required'.
Provider Requirements
The Board does not pre-approve courses, activities, or providers. The licensee determines whether an activity qualifies under Board Rule 20 CSR 2030-11.015; the Board retains final approval of PDH credit.
Tips for Missouri PEs
- Do not rely on self-study—Missouri lists it as non-qualifying, so choose structured seminars, webinars, or courses instead.
- No topic is mandatory, but the Board's free 2-hour Chapter 327 rules/ethics course is an easy way to bank PDHs.
- Correspondence courses only count if they include a final graded test showing evidence of achievement.
- If you will not practice this cycle, elect inactive status at renewal to skip PDHs (the form and fee are still due by December 31).
- Keep your Summary Log and attendance records for four years; audits are conducted randomly each renewal period.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Professional Landscape Architects'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.