Alaska PE and architect license renewal: what firms need to track

Last checked Sep 28, 2026. Not yet confirmed with the Alaska State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors (AELS). Confirm anything you act on with the board. Not legal advice.

If your firm has engineers or architects licensed in Alaska, you track three kinds of dates: each person’s license expiration, the end of each person’s CE period, and the firm’s own registration. One board, the Alaska State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors (AELS), licenses both engineers and architects in Alaska. Worth knowing up front: some structural work needs a structural engineer license.

PE license renewal in Alaska

Registrations and firm authorizations are renewed every two years and expire December 31 of odd-numbered years. The next deadline in our data is December 31, 2027.

The board: Alaska State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors (AELS). Look up each engineer’s current expiration date on the board’s license lookup rather than trusting the date on an old spreadsheet.

License numbers: Board prefix "AEL" + discipline letter (C civil, E electrical, M mechanical, etc.) + digits. Keep the prefix; firms often drop it and write digits only. This is how SealBench reads the numbers on an imported roster; it isn’t a board rule.

PE continuing education (PDH)

• Hours: 24 PDH every two years. Fixed statewide biennium. Registrations run January 1 of an even year through December 31 of the next odd year, and the 24 PDH must be earned in the 24 months before the new registration period (12 AAC 36.510(c); renewal form lists January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025).
• Also required: Ethics or business-related courses (codes of conduct, standards of practice, project and risk management, business practice): up to 8 PDH per biennium. This is a cap, not a requirement.
• Limits on some activities: self-directed study (at most 8) hours.
• Carryover: No carryover. The Board repealed the 12-hour carry-forward in 12 AAC 36.510(e) effective October 15, 2023. Carry-forward already claimed on the 2022-2023 renewal could still be counted in the next cycle.
• New licensees: Exempt for the first biennial renewal after the registration is first issued (12 AAC 36.530(a)). This applies to any initial Alaska registration, including comity.
• Records: Keep a CE log and supporting records for at least 4 years from completion of each activity (12 AAC 36.540(b)).
• Reporting: Licensee certifies CE compliance on the renewal form and sends no documents unless asked. The Board may request proof at any time (30 days to respond) and audits under 12 AAC 02.960 (12 AAC 36.510(b), 36.540(c)-(d)).

Architect license renewal and CE in Alaska

The architect rules on this page come from our rule tables and haven’t been checked against the architecture board’s rules yet. Check with the board before you rely on them.

Individual registration is biennial and expires December 31 of odd-numbered years regardless of issue date. The firm Certificate of Authorization follows the same biennial December 31 odd-year cycle. No grace period; practicing on a lapsed registration is illegal. CE extension to January 31 is available but the registration is inactive until done. The board: Alaska State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors (AELS); each architect’s date is on the license lookup.

• Hours: 24 hours every two years. Biennium January 1 (even year) through December 31 (odd year), matching the registration period.
• Also required: Up to 8 PDH for ethics or business-related courses.
• Also required: No more than 12 PDH on a single calendar day.
• Limits on some activities: self-directed study (at most 4) and professional service (at most 8) hours.
• Carryover: The old 12-hour carry-forward rule (12 AAC 36.510(e)) was repealed effective 10/15/2023. Older board CE instructions (rev. 2018) still mention it.
• New licensees: Exempt for the first biennial renewal after initial registration (12 AAC 36.530(a)). Registrants with 30+ years registered in an NCARB-recognized jurisdiction need only 8 PDH per biennium (12 AAC 36.530(e)).
• Records: At least four years from the date the activity was completed (12 AAC 36.540(b)). Records due within 30 days of a board request.
• Units: An AIA learning unit (LU) is one hour.

Firm registration (COA) and qualifier rules

Engineering firms

A firm offering engineering in Alaska needs a firm credential from the board: Certificate of Authorization (corporation, LLC, LLP, or LP authorization). Corporations, LLCs, LLPs and LPs need a Certificate of Authorization. Sole proprietors and general partnerships are not named in the statute (not yet confirmed). The entity must file a board resolution naming an Alaska registrant in responsible charge of each major branch it offers, with full authority for engineering decisions. A change in that person must be filed within 30 days. No full-time or residency rule was found (not yet confirmed).

Architecture firms

A firm offering architecture needs a firm credential: Certificate of Authorization (corporate, LLC, LLP, or LP practice). Corporations, LLCs, LLPs and LPs offering architecture need a Certificate of Authorization (AS 08.48.241). The entity files a board/manager resolution naming an Alaska registrant in responsible charge of each major branch it offers, with full authority for final practice decisions. A change in the person in responsible charge must be filed within 30 days after the change. No ownership percentage rule; the application only lists majority owners (12 AAC 36.135). Every office that prepares sealed work must have a registrant assigned there and regularly employed at least 20 hours a week (12 AAC 36.145). Sole proprietors and general partnerships are not named in the COA statute (not yet confirmed). One joint AELS board covers architects and engineers.

Architect in charge: The firm designates, by certified resolution, one or more Alaska registrants in responsible charge of each branch offered (architecture needs an Alaska-registered architect), with full authority over final practice decisions; the designee signs an acknowledgment showing number, expiry, seal and signature (12 AAC 36.135). Each office producing sealed work needs a registrant regularly employed there (20+ hours/week); to offer a discipline the entity must regularly employ at least one registrant in it (12 AAC 36.145). A change in responsible charge must be filed within 30 days (AS 08.48.241(a)(3)) - a filing deadline, not a separate replacement deadline.

Firm renewal: Biennial, expires December 31 of odd-numbered years (current period January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2027). At least one person in responsible charge per field must renew first. Lapsed five years = expired.

Firms that offer both

Architects and engineers share one board (AELS). One Certificate of Authorization lists the fields of practice and a person in responsible charge for each branch (architecture, each engineering branch, etc.). Adding a field is done by amendment (form 08-4409).

Firm numbers: Corporate authorization prefix "AEC" + entity letter + digits.

Who can seal drawings in Alaska

Alaska ties sealing to the discipline on the license, so a sheet’s discipline has to match what the engineer is licensed in. Structural documents for 'significant structures' (hazardous, special occupancy, and larger essential facilities) must be sealed by a registered structural engineer.

On architectural sheets, our data says an engineer may seal architectural work only in limited cases. The statutory definition of engineering may include architectural building design of 'minor importance' but not comprehensive architectural services (AS 08.48.341). 'Design of minor importance' is incidental work within the registrant's experience, not comprehensive design of any building type. Anyone may prepare drawings for: their own single-family residence; farm/ranch buildings; residences for up to 4 families and 2 stories (or 2 families and 3 stories where a local code applies); private garages/workshops under 2,000 sq ft; alterations that do not affect structure or safety (AS 08.48.331). Structural systems of a 'significant structure' must be sealed by a registered structural engineer (12 AAC 36.185(i)).

Before a set goes out, every sheet has to pass four checks: a Alaska license, the right discipline, a license still active on the issue date, and the firm’s registration. Compare Alaska with other states on who can seal drawings, by state.

Common mistakes

• Treating an engineer’s license as the firm’s. A licensed PE can’t make up for a missing Certificate of Authorization (corporation, LLC, LLP, or LP authorization). In Alaska the firm needs its own before it offers engineering, and the four sheet checks fail without it.
• Losing the firm’s qualifying engineer without noticing. If the person the firm’s registration depends on leaves, the registration can be at risk. Our data doesn’t record a replacement deadline for Alaska, so ask the board. See what to do the day someone gives notice.
• Banking extra PDH for next time. No carryover. The Board repealed the 12-hour carry-forward in 12 AAC 36.510(e) effective October 15, 2023. Carry-forward already claimed on the 2022-2023 renewal could still be counted in the next cycle.
• Forgetting the limit on business and other non-technical hours. Ethics or business-related courses (codes of conduct, standards of practice, project and risk management, business practice): up to 8 PDH per biennium. This is a cap, not a requirement.

Where to file

SealBench never files anything with a board for you. Renewals, CE reports and firm registrations go to the board directly:

• Alaska State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors (AELS) (engineers, architects and firms)
• Alaska engineer license lookup

How SealBench helps

SealBench keeps every PE and architect license and every firm registration on your roster in one list, soonest expiration first. Reminders at 90, 60 and 30 days before each date are coming soon. It counts each person’s CE hours and required topics against Alaska’s rules, and Set Check shows who can seal each sheet in a Alaska permit set, and why anyone can’t. One license is free to track; see pricing.