Maryland Professional Engineer Renewal
Maryland professional engineers complete 16 professional development hours during each two-year license term, including at least one PDH addressing ethics, standards of practice or care, or Maryland engineering laws and regulations.
Authority: Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers | Reviewed: August 3, 2026
Complete 16 PDH per biennial license term. At least 1 PDH must address qualifying ethics, professional conduct, standards of practice or care, or Maryland engineering laws and regulations. Up to 8 excess PDH may carry into the next term.
Core Requirement
| Requirement | Maryland PE rule |
|---|---|
| Total education | 16 PDH from qualifying programs during each two-year individual license term. |
| Special content | At least 1 PDH must address ethical concerns or conflicts, the professional-engineer code of conduct, standards of practice or care, or laws and regulations applicable to Maryland engineering practice. |
| Remaining credit | The other PDH may address qualifying technical, research, analytical, design, engineering-computer, management, risk, emergency-management, ethics, standards, or similar relevant topics. |
| Carryover | Up to 8 PDH earned beyond the 16-PDH requirement may be carried into the next license term. |
| First renewal | The CPC requirement does not apply to the first renewal after initial Maryland licensure. |
| Final authority | The Board determines whether an activity qualifies and may review the value and documentation supporting the credit. |
Programs and Providers
A qualifying program must maintain and enhance professional competency and foster improvement, advancement, or extension of engineering skills and knowledge. The standard route is successful completion of a program offered by a preauthorized or Board-authorized provider.
Online and Self-Directed Education
Maryland classifies correspondence, online, televised, videotaped, and audiotaped learning without a face-to-face direct experience as self-directed activity. In addition to meeting the normal content requirements, the activity must provide a clear outcome measure.
The outcome may be a test, narrative, report, study, research paper, or another appropriate method. The regulation does not impose a separate numerical limit on qualifying self-directed PDH.
Exceptions and License Status
A licensee granted an initial Maryland license may renew for the next full term without completing the CPC requirement when the regulatory criteria are met.
A one-time compliance exception may be requested for physical disability, illness, or another extenuating circumstance. The request must be filed at least 30 days before license expiration.
An exception request must include acceptable documentation and a detailed plan to complete the requirement no later than six months after the license-expiration date.
A retired-status licensee is exempt. Reactivation requires at least 16 PDH through qualifying programs, along with the other applicable requirements.
Reporting and Audit
The licensee attests at renewal that all applicable CPC requirements were completed before license expiration. The Board may audit licensees and require additional documentation supporting each claim.
Records must be retained for at least four years from the date the qualifying program was completed. Because carryover extends into a later term, keep all documents long enough to support both the original credit and its later use.
Official Sources