Continuing Education

Continuing Education Requirements by State

Find the CE hours, HSW hours, and renewal cycle for every U.S. jurisdiction, and link straight to your state licensing board.

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Continuing education rules differ in every state: total hours, how many must be Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW), the renewal cycle, and special topics. Use this guide to see what your jurisdiction requires, then click your state to reach its licensing board. Licensed in more than one state? The ALA CEU Tracker keeps a separate running total for each.

Last reviewed September 29, 2026. Requirements change and can vary by license type, residency, and renewal cycle. Use this as a planning guide, then click your jurisdiction to open its state licensing board, the official source, and confirm the current rules before completing courses or renewing.

Jump to your state or jurisdiction

Jurisdiction & board	Total hrs	HSW hrs	CE cycle	Renewal deadline	Key notes
Alabama	12	12	Annual, due Dec 31	Annual, due Dec 31	None
Alaska	24	None listed	Biennial, odd years	Dec 31, odd years	None
Arizona	None	None	No state CE requirement	Triennial from initial licensure	No continuing education required. Registration renews every three years, counted from the end of the calendar quarter in which you were first registered.
Arkansas	12	12	Annual	Annual, due Jul 31 CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	Hours are counted by calendar year. The July renewal reports the prior calendar year.
California	10	See notes	Biennial	Birth month or issue month (every two years)	5 hrs disability access + 5 hrs zero-net-carbon design. Licenses issued before 2025 expire the last day of the birth month. Licenses issued since expire the last day of the issue month.
Colorado	12/yr	12	Annual (renew biennial)	Oct 31, odd years CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	12 hrs each calendar year, in HSW subjects. Odd year hours may be earned through December 31.
Connecticut	12	12	Annual	Annual, due Jul 31 CE hours due: Apr 30 each year	Hours must be earned May 1 to April 30, three months before the July 31 renewal.
Delaware	24	24	Biennial, even years	Jan 31, even years CE hours due: Dec 31, odd years	Min. 8 hrs each calendar year. Hours must be earned in the two calendar years before the January 31 renewal.
District of Columbia	24	24	Biennial, even years	Apr 30, even years	None
Florida	24	24	Biennial, odd years	Feb 28, odd years CE hours due: Dec 31, even years	All 24 hours must be HSW. 2 of the 24 must be the Florida Building Code Advanced course. Hours must be earned by December 31 of the even year, before the February 28 renewal.
Georgia	24	16	Biennial, odd years	Jun 30, odd years	None
Guam	None	None	No state CE requirement	Annual, due Apr 30	No continuing education required today. The Board has discussed adding a requirement.
Hawaii	16	16	Biennial, even years	Apr 30, even years	None
Idaho	12	12	Biennial	Birthday (year follows your birth year)	Idaho moved to two year licenses in July 2025 and has not published the hour count for the full period. Confirm with the Division.
Illinois	24	16	Biennial, even years	Nov 30, even years	Includes 1 hr sexual-harassment prevention + 1 hr high winds / natural disasters.
Indiana	24	16	Biennial, odd years	Dec 31, odd years	None
Iowa	24	24	Biennial	Jun 30 (last names A to K even years, L to Z odd years)	Up to 12 hours may carry over.
Kansas	30	24	Biennial	Jun 30 (A-L even, M-Z odd)	None
Kentucky	12	12	Annual	Annual, due Jun 30 CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	Hours are earned in the calendar year before the June 30 renewal.
Louisiana	12	12	Annual	Annual, due Dec 31	None
Maine	12	12	Annual	Annual, due Jun 30	New in 2026 under Maine law (32 MRS 224-B) and Board rule Chapter 19. 12 HSW hours each year, earned July 1 through June 30. Hours cannot be carried forward. Courses must be NCARB, AIA or Board approved. The same course may not be repeated within a renewal cycle.
Maryland	12/yr	12	Annual (renew biennial)	Set by your license (every two years) CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	12 HSW hours in each of the two calendar years before the year your license expires. The regulation also allows 24 hours across the two year term.
Massachusetts	12	12	Annual	Annual, due Aug 31 CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	12 HSW hours each calendar year under 231 CMR 3.06. The Board FAQ still describes a September 1 to August 31 period. The tracker uses the calendar year.
Michigan	24	24	Biennial	Set by your license (every two years)	24 hours must be earned in the two years before your license expires. The State does not publish one renewal date for all architects.
Minnesota	24	None listed	Biennial, even years	Jun 30, even years	Includes 2 hrs professional ethics.
Mississippi	12/yr	12	Annual (renew biennial)	Nov 30, odd years CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	12 hours each calendar year. The license expires November 30 of odd years.
Missouri	24	16	Biennial	Dec 31 (per initial licensure)	None
Montana	12	12	Annual	Annual, due Jun 30 CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	Hours are earned in the calendar year before the June 30 renewal.
Nebraska	24	None listed	Biennial	Dec 31 (A-K odd, L-Z even)	Includes 1 hr ethics of practice. No more than 10 hours count in one calendar day.
Nevada	8	8	Annual	Annual, due Dec 31	Includes 2 hrs on building codes.
New Hampshire	24	24	Biennial	Two years from your issue date (set by your license)	12 hours in each year of the two year license. Up to 12 hours may carry over.
New Jersey	24	16	Biennial, odd years	Jul 31, odd years	8 HSW hours per year or 16 across the two years. Up to 12 hours may carry over.
New Mexico	12/yr	12	Annual (renew biennial)	Dec 31 (even birth years renew in even years, odd in odd) CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	12 HSW hours each calendar year. The Board charges a fee for each missing hour.
New York	36	24	Triennial	Last day of the month before your birth month (every three years)	Up to 6 hours may carry over. When a registration period is shorter than 36 months, one hour per month is owed.
North Carolina	12	12	Annual	Annual, due Jun 30 CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	Hours are earned in the calendar year before the June 30 renewal.
North Dakota	None	None	No state CE requirement	Biennial, due Jun 30 in odd years	No continuing education required. A first certificate expires June 30 of the year after it is issued, then renews every two years.
Northern Mariana Islands	None	None	No state CE requirement	Biennial from initial licensure	No continuing education required.
Ohio	12/yr	12	Annual (renew biennial)	Dec 31, odd years CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	12 HSW hours each calendar year. No carryover between years. The license renews in December of odd years.
Oklahoma	24	24	Biennial, odd years	Jun 30, odd years	Hours must be earned in the two years before the renewal date. The rule in effect from August 2026 lists no carryover.
Oregon	24	24	Biennial	Dec 31 (by registration no.)	None
Pennsylvania	24	24	Biennial, odd years	Jun 30, odd years	CE is new under Act 144 of 2024. The Board has not yet published CE regulations. Office management and practice building courses do not count. Confirm with the Board before you renew.
Puerto Rico	12	12	Annual	Set by your license (term up to five years) CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	Hours are counted by calendar year. Certify the prior year to the Board by January 31.
Rhode Island	12	12	Annual (renew biennial)	Dec 31, odd years CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	None
South Carolina	24	24	Biennial, odd years	Jun 30, odd years	None
South Dakota	30	See notes	Biennial	Date of initial licensure	30 PDH per two years. At least 20 in technical subjects, no more than 10 in management or ethics. Up to 15 may carry over.
Tennessee	24	24	Biennial	Month of initial licensure	All 24 hours must be in HSW subjects. The rule also allows 12 HSW hours per calendar year as an alternative. First renewal needs 12 hours, all HSW.
Texas	12	12	Annual	Birth month CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	1 hr sustainable/energy + 1 hr barrier-free + 8 hrs structured; max 4 hrs self-directed. Hours are counted by calendar year. Up to 12 hours may carry over.
Utah	24	24	Biennial, even years	May 31, even years CE hours due: Dec 31, odd years	The CE period ends December 31 of odd years. The license renews May 31 of even years. The rule advises at least 12 hours each year.
Vermont	24	24	Biennial, odd years	Jan 31, odd years	None
Virgin Islands	None	None	No state CE requirement	Annual, due Aug 31	No continuing education is listed for renewal. The Board lists licenses as running September 1 to August 31.
Virginia	16	None stated	Biennial	Month of initial licensure	16 hours per two years on topics related to practice.
Washington	24	16	Biennial	Birth date	None
West Virginia	12	12	Annual	Annual, due Jun 30 CE hours due: Dec 31 each year	Hours are earned in the calendar year before the June 30 renewal.
Wisconsin	24	16	Biennial, even years	Jul 31, even years	Hours must be earned in the two years ending July 31 of even years.
Wyoming	24	24	Biennial	Dec 31 (per initial licensure)	None

“Total hrs” is per renewal cycle unless noted. “None” means the jurisdiction currently lists no state CE requirement. Click any jurisdiction name to visit its licensing board and verify.

Track every requirement in one place

Log a course once and the CEU Tracker applies it to each state on your record, with a monthly reminder of where you stand.

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