Professional Land Surveyor Renewal Guide
New York Surveyor PDH Requirements
A source-based summary of mandatory continuing education requirements for New York-licensed land surveyors.
New York Renewal Requirements
The following items are expressly stated in New York statutes, Board rules, or current Board guidance unless marked as an interpretation.
Registration cycle and total hours
- Registration cycle Triennial. A New York license is valid for life, but a licensee must register with the State Education Department every three years to practice.
- Required hours A land surveyor must complete at least 24 hours of acceptable continuing education during each triennial registration period. Professional engineers complete 36 hours.
- Ethics At least 1 of the 24 hours must be in professional ethics.
- Carryover No more than 6 continuing education hours completed in one triennial period may be transferred to the next period.
Approved sponsor and measurement
- Approved sponsor required Acceptable courses of learning must be offered by a sponsor approved by the Department; this is a mandatory feature of New York continuing education.
- Hour measurement For courses, a minimum of 50 minutes equals one continuing education hour; one semester-hour of college credit equals 15 hours, one quarter-hour equals 10.
- Mandatory CE fee A $45 mandatory continuing education fee is collected at the beginning of each registration period, in addition to the registration fee.
- No practice without compliance A licensee who has not met the requirement may not practice unless issued a conditional registration.
Online Study and Approval Rules
Online and self-study
Verified status. Structured self-study, including audio, audio-visual, written, and online media provided by an approved sponsor, is an acceptable type of learning activity. Such activity does not include live instruction during which the student may interact with the instructor.
Practical interpretation. A New York surveyor may earn the 24 hours through online coursework, but only if the course is delivered by a Department-approved sponsor. The approved-sponsor requirement, not an online cap, is the key gate for online study.
New York offers an official ethics self-study module that allows a licensee to claim 1 PDH of ethics credit once per triennial period upon scoring 90 percent or higher.
Approved sponsors
Verified requirement. To be acceptable, continuing education generally must be offered by a Department-approved sponsor. Sponsors approved by recognized bodies such as IACET, the Practicing Institute of Engineering, AIA/CES, and certain postsecondary institutions are deemed approved; other organizations must apply for Department review.
Acceptable subjects are courses and activities in architecture, engineering, interior design, land surveying, landscape architecture, and geology that contribute to professional practice as defined in the Education Law.
Other activities. Teaching, authoring peer-reviewed works, technical presentations, patents, educational tours, and qualifying committee service can also earn credit, each with its own limits, such as nine hours per published work or patent.
Records, Reporting, and Lapse in Practice
Record retention
Each licensee must maintain records of completed continuing education, including the type of activity, course title and subject, hours completed, sponsor name and any identifying number, attendance or participation verification, and the date and location. Records must be retained for at least six years from completion and be available to the Department.
At each re-registration, the licensee certifies compliance with the continuing education requirement or eligibility for an exemption or adjustment.
Lapse in practice and conditional registration
A licensee returning after a lapse must complete the requirement applicable to the last registration period plus one hour for each month of lapse, up to a defined maximum, completed in the 12 months before the new registration period.
The Department may issue a one-year conditional registration to a licensee who admits noncompliance, provided the licensee remedies the deficiency and completes ongoing hours at the rate of one per month. A conditional registration cannot be renewed or extended.
Exemptions, Adjustments, and Proration
First registration. A licensee is exempt from the continuing education requirement for the triennial registration period during which they are first licensed in New York, except where first licensed by endorsement of another jurisdiction’s license.
Adjustments for good cause. The Department may adjust the requirement for documented good cause, including poor health certified by a physician, a certified physical or mental disability, extended active military duty, or other good cause beyond the licensee’s control.
Public sector exemption. A narrow exemption exists for certain licensees who, on a defined date, were employed full time by New York State or its subdivisions in a position requiring licensure and represented by a collective bargaining unit or designated managerial or confidential, and who have not otherwise practiced outside that employment.
Proration. For a registration period shorter than three years, the requirement is prorated at one hour of continuing education per month of the registration period.
Primary New York Sources
Board rules control if a summary conflicts with an official requirement. Licensees should verify their own registration date and current instructions through the Office of the Professions.
8 NYCRR 68.14
The Commissioner’s Regulation on continuing education, covering the 24-hour surveyor requirement, the ethics hour, carryover, approved sponsors, records, and conditional registration.
Education Law Section 7211
The statute establishing mandatory continuing education for professional engineers, land surveyors, and professional geologists.
Land Surveying Continuing Education Q&A
The Office of the Professions’ official continuing education questions and answers for land surveyors, including the approved-sponsor and public-sector-exemption details.
Online Registration Renewal
The Office of the Professions’ portal for renewing a New York professional registration.
SurveyorCE offers a growing library of surveyor-focused PDH courses through a simple one-time $135 membership. Visit the homepage to see how the program works and decide whether it fits your renewal needs.
Important Notice
This page is an educational summary, not legal advice or a determination that any particular course will be accepted. New York requires continuing education to be delivered by a Department-approved sponsor, and requirements and procedures can change. The New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, and the State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology are the controlling authorities.