CEU Requirements for Louisiana Professional Engineers

Louisiana engineers contact us asking – What are the continuing education requirement for Louisiana professional engineers?

Professional engineers in Louisiana need to amass 30 professional development hours every two years through continuing education courses and activities. Up to 15 PDH earned in excess of the required 30 PDH can be carried forward into the next biennial renewal cycle. Engineers working in Building and Building Systems must complete a minimum of 8 PDH in Building Code, Life Safety Code, Building Code and/or Accessibility Guidelines for the Americans with Disabilities Act and one PDH a year in ethics. The renewal dates are March 31 as well as September 30 depending on the year the engineer initially got their license.

For a complete list of all license renewal requirements check out our Louisiana PE renewal page.

Louisiana PDH Credits

The Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying (LAPELS) issues engineering licenses for the State of Louisiana.

PEs in Louisiana must complete 30 PDH in continuing education courses and other activities biennially. The continuing education courses must include at least 2 PDH in Ethics and 8 or more in Building Code, Life Safety Code and the Accessibility Guidelines for the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying board must pre-approve all providers and the continuing education courses they offer for PDH. Certificates of completion don’t have to be submitted to the LAPELS board during biennial professional engineering license renewal. However, the PEs must keep the certificates of completion for 6 years and be prepared to provide copies to the LAPELS board should they request it for verification purposes at any time. License renewal can be done both by mail and electronically online.

Louisiana License Renewal Dates

In Louisiana, the license renewal dates for PEs are March 31 and September 30 depending on the year they initially got their license. The PE must keep the continuing education PDH course completion records for 6 years and present them to the board on demand for course participation verification.

Engineering Ethics and Professional Conduct

Each calendar year PEs in Louisiana must complete 1 PDH in professional ethics. Rule 3105(A)(1) is the state board rule that outlines this requirement. The purpose of this rule is to ensure engineers understand the Louisiana engineering board’s canon of ethics and the responsibility expected of a professional engineer.

Records Keeping Requirements for Engineers

The LAPELS board mandates PEs in Louisiana retain completion certificates verifying they have fulfilled the required 30 PDH in continuing education for license renewal for 6 years. Copies of these certificates are to be presented to the LAPELS board upon request.

Continuing Education Activities Accepted by the Board

For continuing education courses and activities to be accepted by the LAPELS board they must cover technical subject matter or address professional ethics, quality assurance, business management practices, codes or other topics which help increase the knowledge level and improve the skills of professional engineers or land surveyor and help them safeguard the public’s life, health and welfare. The acceptable activities include:

1. Successfully completing continuing education, college or correspondence courses
2. Successfully completing acceptable courses awarded continuing education units(CEU)
3. Attending acceptable short courses, seminars and tutorials
4. Attending acceptable in-house programs corporations and other organizations sponsor
5. Attending acceptable workshops as well as technical presentations at engineering- related technical or professional conventions and meetings
6. Instructing or teaching courses mentioned above courses or seminars, or doing presentations at courses or activities mentioned in 1 – 5
7. Membership in professional and technical societies or associations
8. authoring and publishing articles and papers that are peer and non-peer reviewed
9. Obtaining patents
10. Documented, formal, NCEES or state exams preparation for professional
11. Serving as the thesis director for engineering students pursuing masters or doctoral degrees
12. Serving on technical committees

There are no limits on the amount of PDH PEs can earn from online courses, live webinars and Self-Study or Self-Directed courses as long as they meet the guidelines outlined above.

Pre-Approval of Continuing Education Activities

The LABELS board requires pre-approval for PDH for providers as well as specific continuing education courses and activities in Louisiana. It’s the responsibility of PEs to get the providers and continuing education courses and activities they plan to use for the 15 annual and 30 biennial PDH for their license renewal pre-approved by the LABELS board before taking them to fulfill their PDH.

Sources of Free Continuing Education Courses

PEs in Louisiana can gain access to free continuing education courses to fulfill their PDH from a number of sources. By visiting the following websites they can complete all 30 of their biennial professional development hours without having to spend any money. Those websites are:

Louisiana Engineering Licensing

In order to become a licensed professional engineer in Louisiana, a person has to take four important steps. They must complete a four-year engineering degree at a college or university program that’s Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited.

The candidate must then successfully complete the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) written exam. Next, they must spend at least 4 years working in the field under a professional engineer’s supervision. Once that’s completed, the engineer must then pass the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) administered Principles and Practice in Engineering (PE) examination.

Once an engineer in Louisiana has completed all four steps, they can officially be called a professional engineer.

All-In-One Engineering Packages for Louisiana

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Engineering Discipline Restrictions

The LAPELS board does not restrict or limit the continuing education courses a professional engineer can take to complete their 30 biennial professional development hours to renew their license because of the type of engineering license they have once they get the classes pre-approved.

A Better Professional Engineer

The mandatory 30 of professional development hours through continuing education courses professional engineers in Louisiana must complete to renew their licenses biennially makes them better engineers. The pre-approved classes and mandatory courses in Ethics, Life Safety Code and Americans with Disabilities Accessibility Act guidelines help to make them better professional engineers with the enhanced ability to protect the safety and welfare of the public.