Texas Professional Engineer Renewal
Texas Professional Engineers must complete 15 professional development hours before each annual renewal, including at least one hour in professional ethics, roles and responsibilities, or review of the Texas Engineering Practice Act and Board Rules.
Texas allows up to 14 non-ethics PDH to carry from the immediately preceding year, but the required ethics or Act/Rules hour is annual and cannot be carried forward.
Core Requirements
| Requirement | Texas rule |
|---|---|
| Total hours | Complete at least 15 PDH by the annual license-renewal date. |
| Ethics or Act/Rules | At least one hour must address professional ethics, the roles and responsibilities of professional engineers, or review of the Texas Engineering Practice Act and Board Rules. |
| Course subjects | Activities must be relevant to the practice of engineering and may contain educational, technical, ethical, or professional-management content. |
| Carryover | Up to 14 eligible non-ethics PDH from the immediately preceding renewal period may be carried forward. The annual ethics or Act/Rules hour cannot be carried. |
| Provider approval | TBPELS does not preapprove courses, providers, seminars, or activities. The program is self-administered, and the engineer is responsible for determining relevance and retaining proof. |
| Reporting | Certify compliance on the renewal statement. Do not routinely submit logs or certificates unless the Board requests them during an audit. |
| First renewal | Current Rule §137.17 provides an exemption before the license holder's first renewal. Follow the renewal form and Board instructions applicable to the initial license period. |
Qualifying Activities
The activity must relate to engineering practice and contain educational, technical, managerial, or ethical content. Provider documentation is important because it distinguishes a supported online activity from limited self-directed study.
The selected activity should clearly document at least one qualifying hour during the current annual period.
A relevant Online-PDH course supported by defined objectives, study material, an assessment, and a provider-issued completion certificate fits Texas's recognized online-course category. The certificate and course information provide support beyond undocumented self-study.
Self-Directed Study
Texas limits self-directed study to 5 PDH per annual renewal period. The Board describes self-study as professional development not otherwise identified in the rule, such as informal reading, independent research, watching tutorials, or viewing online content without sufficient provider documentation.
These features support classification under the Board's online or continuing-education course categories rather than informal self-study.
Annual limit: No more than 5 PDH may be claimed as self-directed study.
Records and Audit
TBPELS audits a percentage of license holders after renewal. The engineer must preserve records supporting claimed credit for four years and furnish copies if requested.
The Board may require additional PDH when audited activities do not fall within acceptable educational, technical, ethical, or professional-management content related to engineering practice.
Renewal and Exemptions
Texas PE licenses renew annually on an assigned quarterly date: March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31. Use the date shown in the Board's records and renewal notice.
An engineer properly placed on inactive status and not providing professional engineering services in Texas is exempt. Reactivation requires delinquent education, capped at 15 hours for one year or less inactive and 30 hours after more than one year.
A license holder deployed outside the United States for more than 120 consecutive days during a renewal year may claim the rule's military exemption with supporting records if audited.
A substantial disability, illness, or clearly extenuating circumstance may support a partial or full exemption, subject to Board review and documentation during an audit.
Official Sources