Professional Engineer
A PE renews without a continuing-education attestation or PDH log under the current BRPELS renewal instructions.
Washington Professional Engineer Renewal
Washington PE Continuing Education Requirements
Washington does not currently require Professional Engineers to complete continuing-education or PDH hours as a condition of license renewal.
Do not apply the land-surveyor requirement to a PE license
Washington's professional-development requirement applies to Professional Land Surveyors and certain on-site wastewater professionals, not to Professional Engineers. A person holding both PE and PLS licenses must still satisfy the PLS requirement for the surveying credential.
0 PDHRequired for PE renewal
2 YearsProfessional license cycle
BirthdayIndividual expiration date
120 DaysRenewal opens before expiration
Current PE Requirement
No mandatory continuing education for Washington PEs
| Item | Current Washington rule |
|---|---|
| PE continuing education | No PDH, CE, ethics, or HSW hours are currently required to renew a Washington Professional Engineer license. |
| Course or provider approval | Because PE renewal does not depend on continuing education, Washington does not require a PE to use a Board-approved CE provider for renewal credit. |
| PE CE records | No PE-specific course log, certificate-retention period, or continuing-education audit submission is currently prescribed for renewal. |
| Ethics or law course | Washington does not currently require PEs to complete an ethics, laws-and-rules, or HSW course for regular license renewal. |
| Voluntary education | Engineers may take technical, ethics, code, safety, and management courses voluntarily or to meet employer, client, certification, or another jurisdiction's requirements. |
| Professional competence | The absence of a PDH quota does not remove an engineer's duty to practice competently and only within qualified areas. |
License Distinction
Washington regulates several credentials differently
Professional Land Surveyor
A PLS is subject to continuing professional development. The current renewal guidance directs land surveyors to maintain documentation using the Board's Professional Development Log.
Dual PE and PLS licensee
A dual licensee cannot use the absence of a PE requirement to avoid the separate professional-development requirement attached to the PLS credential.
On-site wastewater credential
On-site wastewater designers have separate continuing-education rules and should not rely on this PE-only summary.
Common source of error: Chapter 196-16 WAC and references to 30 PDH concern Professional Land Surveyors. They should not be presented as Washington PE requirements.
License Renewal
Renew every two years by the licensee's birthday
BRPELS states that professional licenses expire every two years on the licensee's birthday and may be renewed beginning 120 days before expiration. Renewal is available through the state's online licensing service or by mail.
A professional license expired for more than five years requires the licensee to pass the Washington Law Review for the applicable profession before renewal.
The Washington Law Review associated with long-expired licensure is not a recurring PDH or ethics course required for active PE renewal.
Multistate Practice
Other licenses may still require PDH
A Washington PE who is also licensed in another jurisdiction must independently satisfy that board's renewal requirements. Courses completed for another state may remain useful professional development even though Washington does not require them for PE renewal.
Using Online-PDH courses
Online-PDH courses are not needed to meet a Washington PE-hour quota because no such quota currently exists. They may still be used for voluntary professional development or another jurisdiction when that board accepts the course content, format, provider, assessment, and certificate.
Watch for Changes
Check current Board rules before each renewal
Washington enacted amendments to Chapter 18.43 RCW effective June 11, 2026. The current statute continues to apply the professional-development renewal condition to Professional Land Surveyors rather than Professional Engineers.
Chapter 196-12 WAC, governing registered Professional Engineers, currently contains no general PE continuing-education requirement. Future rulemaking could change licensing procedures or professional-development requirements.
Use adopted law, not draft proposals: Committee materials and proposed language are not enforceable requirements until properly adopted and effective. Verify the current RCW, WAC, and BRPELS renewal page before publishing a future update.
Official Sources
Verify Washington's current requirements
- Washington BRPELS — License Renewals
- RCW 18.43.080 — Renewals and Continuing Professional Development
- Chapter 196-12 WAC — Registered Professional Engineers
- Chapter 196-16 WAC — Professional Land Surveyor Development Requirements
- Washington BRPELS — Rulemaking Activity
- Washington BRPELS — Current Laws and Rules
Informational notice: This summary applies only to Washington Professional Engineer renewal and is provided for general informational purposes. BRPELS is the final authority. Licensees holding PLS, on-site wastewater, or out-of-state credentials must review those separate requirements.