Alabama Professional Engineer Renewal
Alabama PE Continuing Education Requirements
Alabama professional engineers generally complete 30 professional
development hours during each biennial renewal period. Courses must
maintain, improve, or expand knowledge and skills relevant to
professional engineering.
Required per biennium
Maximum carryover
Evidence of completion required
Record-retention period
Core Requirement
What an Alabama PE must complete
| Requirement | Alabama PE rule |
|---|---|
| Total education |
30 PDH during a biennial renewal period. The rule also describes the equivalent as 15 PDH for an annual renewal period. |
| Renewal expiration |
Individual licenses expire December 31 of the specified renewal year unless timely renewed. |
| Carryover |
Up to 15 qualifying PDH may be carried into the next renewal period. |
| Required PE subjects |
No separate ethics, Alabama-law, or other subject allocation was identified for PE-only renewal. Education must be relevant to engineering and may include technical, ethical, or managerial content. |
| Provider approval |
The Board does not preapprove or endorse continuing professional competency activities. The licensee must determine whether an activity satisfies Rule 330-X-13-.02. |
| Other-state compliance |
Meeting the continuing education requirement of a home state does not replace Alabama’s requirement. Alabama licensees must meet Alabama’s 30-PDH requirement. |
Qualifying Education
What kinds of activities can qualify?
Every claimed activity must be relevant to professional engineering
and educational in nature. Regular job duties are not qualifying
activities.
Common qualifying activities
- College or university courses
- Continuing education courses and seminars
- Workshops and technical presentations
-
Correspondence, video, audio, or online courses with evidence
of completion -
Teaching, authoring, patents, or professional-society activity
within applicable limits
Activities Alabama excludes
- Unstructured self-study
- Regular employment duties
- Repeatedly teaching unchanged course material
- Service-club meetings or equipment demonstrations
- Enrollment without attendance
-
Activities unrelated to engineering or not educational in
nature
How Alabama defines one PDH
A contact hour consists of at least 50 minutes of instruction or
presentation. The minimum acceptable fraction is 0.5 PDH,
representing 30 minutes of instructional time.
Online and Self-Paced Courses
Online education can qualify
Alabama allows correspondence, video, audio, and online courses
when the course requires the participant to demonstrate evidence
of completion. A structured course with defined educational
content and completion documentation is different from
unverified personal reading or informal self-study.
Online-PDH courses provide course materials, a completion
assessment, an assigned PDH value, and a downloadable
certificate. The licensee should still confirm that the selected
subject is relevant to the licensee’s professional practice.
Exceptions and Status Changes
Exemptions are limited
Potential exemptions
The rule identifies limited circumstances involving qualifying
active military duty, a qualifying work assignment outside the
United States, serious illness or injury supported by
documentation, and an inactive licensee who certifies that the
licensee is not practicing.
New licensees
A new Alabama licensee is awarded 30 PDH toward the first
renewal. The Board’s FAQ describes this as the first-renewal
exemption.
No age exemption
The Alabama Board states that it does not provide a continuing
education exemption based solely on age.
Returning to active practice
Reactivation or reinstatement can require additional PDH and
supporting documentation. Confirm the required amount directly
with the Board before resuming practice.
Documentation and Enforcement
Keep completion records for four years
The licensee is responsible for maintaining documents from the
sponsoring organization showing course completion or
presentation, or completion certificates showing the PDH earned.
Alabama requires these records to be retained for four years.
The Board conducts random audits. If selected, the licensee must
provide the requested documentation. If claimed credit is
disallowed, the licensee must substantiate the original claim or
earn sufficient replacement credit to meet the requirement.
Official Sources