New Hampshire Professional Engineer Renewal
New Hampshire professional engineers complete 30 professional development hours of qualifying engineering-related education during each biennial renewal period.
Authority: New Hampshire Board of Professional Engineers and OPLC | Reviewed: August 3, 2026
Complete 30 PDH every two years. Up to 15 excess hours may carry into the next renewal period. New Hampshire does not prescribe a separate ethics-hour minimum, but qualifying education may include technical, ethical, or managerial content relevant to engineering practice. Keep supporting records for at least four years.
Core Requirement
| Requirement | New Hampshire PE rule |
|---|---|
| Total education | At least 30 professional development hours of approved continuing-education courses during each two-year renewal period. |
| Course subject | Activities must be relevant to engineering practice and may include technical, ethical, or managerial content. |
| Ethics | The PE continuing-professional-development rules do not establish a separate minimum number of ethics hours. |
| Program structure | Content must be well organized and presented sequentially, with individual participant registration that supplies the information needed for recordkeeping and reporting. |
| Carryover | Up to 15 excess PDH may be carried forward into the immediately subsequent renewal period. |
| Renewal certification | The renewal applicant attests under penalty of unsworn falsification that the required hours were completed and lists the basis for each claimed credit. |
| Repeat courses | Credit is not recognized for a repeat program previously attended or completed. |
Acceptable Activities
New Hampshire recognizes formal coursework, professional programs, teaching, publishing, patents, and certain professional-service activities. The licensee remains responsible for selecting relevant education and preserving evidence supporting every claimed hour.
Online and Self-Paced Education
Eng 403 does not impose a separate numerical limit on online or self-paced coursework. An online program should meet the same substantive standards as other education: relevance to engineering practice, organized and sequential content, individual participant registration, and verifiable completion.
A structured online course can potentially qualify when it addresses technical, ethical, or managerial material relevant to engineering practice and produces records identifying the participant, program, provider, completion date, and awarded hours.
Because New Hampshire does not separately pre-classify every course or provider in its rules, licensees should make a professional judgment about relevance and keep enough information to demonstrate the course’s educational substance during an audit.
Exemptions and Special Situations
A new licensee is exempt from obtaining professional development hours for the first biennial renewal period.
A licensee serving more than 120 consecutive days of temporary active duty in the United States Armed Forces during a year is exempt from the hours required for that year.
A licensee who reports a retired occupation on the OPLC renewal form and certifies that professional engineering services are no longer being provided is exempt.
A waiver petition based on serious accident, illness, or another circumstance beyond the licensee’s control must generally be filed at least 30 days before the biennial deadline, supported by relevant evidence and a specific completion timetable.
Documentation and Audit
Each licensee must maintain a log identifying the activity type, sponsoring organization, location, instructor or speaker, and PDH earned. Attendance must be supported by completion certificates or other acceptable evidence, such as signed attendance receipts, a paid receipt with the course agenda, or a provider-signed attendee list.
The OPLC randomly selects at least 3% of licensees each year for compliance review. Records must be supplied for audit or verification when requested, and failure to provide documentation supporting claimed hours can lead to disciplinary action.
Official Sources