Oklahoma Professional Engineer Renewal
Oklahoma professional engineers complete 30 professional development hours during each biennial renewal period through relevant technical, ethical, or professional business education.
Complete 30 PDH during each two-year renewal period. Under the standard method, up to 15 excess hours may carry forward. Oklahoma also offers a calendar-year method requiring 15 PDH each year with no carryover. Relevant synchronous, asynchronous, internet, and correspondence education may qualify.
Core Requirement
| Requirement | Oklahoma PE rule |
|---|---|
| Standard method | Complete 30 PDH within the 24-month renewal period. Up to 15 excess hours may carry into the next biennium. |
| Calendar-year method | Complete at least 15 PDH in each calendar year, totaling 30 PDH per renewal period. No carryover is allowed under this method. |
| Subject matter | Activities must be relevant to engineering practice and may contain technical, ethical, or qualifying business content that maintains, improves, or expands professional knowledge and skills. |
| Ethics | Ethical content may qualify, but Oklahoma does not establish a separate ethics-hour minimum for professional engineers. |
| PDH duration | One PDH is a contact hour containing at least 50 minutes of instruction or presentation. |
| Course acceptance | Activities must satisfy the Board’s criteria. The Board retains final authority over course acceptability, credit, and PDH value. |
| Land surveying requirement | Professional land surveyors and dual PE/PLS licensees must earn 2 PDH covering the Oklahoma Minimum Standards for the Practice of Land Surveying during each biennial period. |
Acceptable Activities
Each activity should be preplanned, sequentially presented, taught by a person qualified through education or experience, and supported by individual participant registration and appropriate records.
Online and Distance Education
Oklahoma recognizes continuing-education courses, short courses, tutorials, webinars, and distance-education courses offered through independent or group study. Permitted delivery methods include live, correspondence, archival, internet, synchronous, and asynchronous formats.
The rules do not impose a separate numerical cap on qualifying online hours. A properly structured online course may supply the full PE requirement when its content is relevant, it provides at least 50 minutes of instruction per PDH, and acceptable documentation substantiates the learner’s participation and completion.
Oklahoma does not impose a separate timed-and-monitored requirement specifically for online education. However, records submitted during an audit must support evidence of actual attendance or participation.
Exemptions and Special Situations
New licensees by examination or comity are exempt for their first prorated renewal period and first full two-year renewal period. Hours earned during the exemption cannot carry into the first nonexempt period.
Qualifying deployment or extended active-duty service may support an exemption when the rule’s conditions are met and any required waiver request is submitted.
The Board may approve an exemption for physical disability, illness, or another extenuating circumstance after reviewing supporting documentation.
A licensee who elects retired status is exempt. Before returning to active engineering or surveying practice, the individual must earn 30 PDH.
Documentation and Audit
The licensee is responsible for maintaining a PDH log and acceptable attendance-verification records for five years. The Board’s Continuing Education Committee conducts audits annually.
Completion certificates or other approved records must identify the licensee, activity title, sponsoring organization, activity date, and PDH earned. Documentation that does not support evidence of actual attendance will not be accepted for audit.
Official Sources