Oregon Professional Engineer Renewal
Oregon professional engineers complete 30 professional development hours during each biennial registration period through activities relevant to their registration and field of practice.
Authority: Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying | Reviewed: August 3, 2026
Complete 30 PDH every two years and retain supporting records for five years. Up to 15 excess hours may carry forward. Oregon recognizes qualifying correspondence and web-based courses without a separate numerical cap, but self-study is limited to 6 PDH per biennium.
Core Requirement
| Requirement | Oregon PE rule |
|---|---|
| Total education | Complete 30 PDH during every biennial registration period as a condition of renewal. |
| Relevance | Each qualifying activity must have a clear purpose and objective that improves or expands knowledge and skills relevant to the registrant’s field of practice. |
| Ethics | Oregon’s continuing-professional-development rule does not establish a separate ethics-hour minimum for professional engineers. |
| Carryover | Up to 15 excess PDH from qualifying courses or activities may carry into the next registration period. |
| Course providers | OSBEELS does not maintain an official list of approved providers, courses, or conferences. Credit determination is initially the registrant’s responsibility and remains subject to Board review. |
| Out-of-state licensees | A licensee whose other jurisdiction has a smaller requirement or no requirement must still satisfy Oregon’s 30-PDH requirement. |
| Multiple registrations | A person registered in any combination of engineering, surveying, or photogrammetry completes 30 total PDH per registration period. |
Acceptable Activities
One PDH may generally be claimed for each contact hour of instruction or presentation. Unless a specific limit is stated, Oregon does not cap the amount earned through a qualifying activity category.
Online, Correspondence, and Self-Study
OAR 820-010-0635 separately lists successful completion of short courses, tutorials, correspondence courses, web-based courses, televised courses, and recorded courses as qualifying sources. Because this category has no stated maximum, a qualifying online course may provide all 30 required hours.
A web-based course should have a clear professional objective, contain actual instruction relevant to the engineer’s field of practice, and provide evidence of successful completion.
The rule separately limits self-study to 6 PDH per biennium. Self-study generally refers to independent professional reading, research, or similar learning that does not have the organized instructional and completion structure of a course.
Oregon does not impose a live, timed-and-monitored, or instructor-interaction requirement on every web-based course. Nevertheless, claimed hours must represent supportable instructional contact time, and enrollment without attendance does not qualify.
New Licensees and Status Changes
A registrant licensed for less than six months of a registration period is not required to obtain PDH for that period, provided the registration is not under discipline.
A registrant licensed for part of a registration period lasting six months or longer must complete a prorated PDH requirement. The Board can confirm the applicable individual calculation.
Inactive and retired registrants are not authorized to practice. Reinstatement requirements depend on the registration status and elapsed time and should be confirmed before returning to active practice.
Eligible registrants may request active-military status and provide a copy of their current military orders. Separate reinstatement rules apply when returning to active registration.
Documentation and Audit
Registrants report their PDH with renewal and must preserve supporting evidence for five years. Documentation must be submitted in English or accompanied by an English translation when requested.
OSBEELS states that 3% of active registrants in each regulated discipline are randomly selected following each June and December renewal period. An audited registrant is notified by email and generally has one month to submit the prior biennium’s supporting records.
Official Sources