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

Last checked Sep 28, 2026. Not yet confirmed with the DC boards. Confirm anything you act on with the board. Not legal advice.

If your firm has engineers or architects licensed in the District of Columbia, 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. Engineers answer to the District of Columbia Board of Professional Engineering (DLCP). Architects answer to the District of Columbia Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture (DLCP).

PE license renewal in the District of Columbia

Licenses are valid for two years and expire August 31 of each even-numbered year. The next deadline in our data is August 31, 2028.

The board: District of Columbia Board of Professional Engineering (DLCP). Look up each engineer’s current expiration date on the board’s license lookup rather than trusting the date on an old spreadsheet.

PE continuing education (PDH)

• Hours: 20 PDH every two years. Fixed statewide two-year term. All licenses expire August 31 of each even-numbered year, and the 20 hours must be completed during the term of the license (17 DCMR 1513.1, 1526.3).
• Ethics: At least 1 hour on professional ethics during the license term.
• Also required: Completing an undergraduate or graduate course at an accredited college or university: up to 6 hours. The Board "may grant up to six (6) hours" for each listed activity. It is not clear whether 6 is per activity type per term or per instance (not yet confirmed).
• Limits on some activities: teaching (at most 6), papers and publications (at most 6) and committee and task-force service (at most 6) hours.
• Carryover: No carryover provision. Hours must be earned during the license term, and hours earned after expiration to cure a late renewal cannot be reused for the next term (17 DCMR 1526.3, 1526.8).
• New licensees: Exempt only at the first renewal of a license granted by examination. Licensees by reciprocity or endorsement owe the full 20 hours at their first renewal (17 DCMR 1526.1).
• Records: Keep course documentation for 4 years after completing each activity (17 DCMR 1528.2).
• Reporting: Licensee attests at renewal and reports each program (sponsor, title, dates, hours) with the renewal. The Board may audit active licensees; proof is due within 30 days of notice (17 DCMR 1526.6, 1528.3-1528.4).

Architect license renewal and CE in the District of Columbia

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.

Biennial. Architect licenses expire April 30 of even years. Late renewal within 60 days with a fee. The board: District of Columbia Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture (DLCP); each architect’s date is on the license lookup.

• Hours: 24 hours every two years, all in health, safety and welfare (HSW) topics. The license term: May 1 of an even year to April 30 of the next even year.
• Carryover: No carryover provision found in 3414-3416. Hours are earned 'during the term of the license'.
• New licensees: First renewal after licensure by examination is exempt (3414.1).
• Records: 6 years after completing the program (17 DCMR 3416).
• Units: An AIA learning unit (LU) is one hour.

Firm registration (COA) and qualifier rules

Engineering firms

Our data shows no separate firm authorization from the DC engineering board. No firm certificate or firm registration requirement was found in the DC engineering statute or Board rules (not yet confirmed; ask the board). Only individual engineers are licensed. A general DC business license from DLCP may still apply to the company (not yet confirmed).

Architecture firms

A firm offering architecture needs a firm credential: Professional Design Firm license. Any firm, franchise, partnership, association or corporation offering architecture, interior design or landscape architecture needs a Professional Design Firm license (D.C. Code 47-2853.65). At least one partner, officer, shareholder, member or manager must be a DC-licensed architect, interior designer or landscape architect. All design services must be under the responsible charge of a DC-licensed supervising professional. The firm must notify the Board within 30 days of a member or shareholder joining or leaving. No small-building or residence exemption was found in the architect rules. Sole-proprietor treatment is not stated.

Ownership: No ownership percentage. At least one partner, officer, shareholder, member or manager must be a DC-licensed architect, interior designer or landscape architect; every member who performs design services in DC must be DC-licensed (47-2853.65).

Architect in charge: All professional design services must be under the responsible charge of a supervising architect, interior designer or landscape architect licensed in DC (47-2853.65; responsible charge defined in 47-2853.64).

Firm renewal: Biennial. DLCP page says Professional Design Firm licenses expire April 30 of odd years.

Firms that offer both

DC licenses Professional Design Firms (architecture, interior design, landscape) only. The engineering statute (Part J, amended by D.C. Law 24-248) sets individual PE rules and no firm license was found. So an A/E firm likely needs only the PDF license for its architecture side. Not confirmed with DLCP.

Who can seal drawings in the District of Columbia

the District of Columbia issues a PE license without limiting it by discipline; engineers seal only work within their competence, which your firm judges. Structural is one of the disciplines a PE may be licensed in, but no rule was found that reserves structural work to it.

Our data doesn’t record whether an engineer may seal architectural sheets in the District of Columbia, so ask the architecture board. Architecture statute says architecture does not include engineering but architects may do incidental engineering (47-2853.61). The engineering scope (47-2853.131) covers buildings and design coordination but does not expressly allow engineers to practice architecture. No residential or small-building exemption appears in 3410.

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

Common mistakes

• Having enough hours but not the required topic. A DC PE needs at least 1 hour in ethics. Extra general hours don’t make up for a missing topic.
• Banking extra PDH for next time. No carryover provision. Hours must be earned during the license term, and hours earned after expiration to cure a late renewal cannot be reused for the next term (17 DCMR 1526.3, 1526.8).
• Forgetting the limit on college course credit. Completing an undergraduate or graduate course at an accredited college or university: up to 6 hours. The Board "may grant up to six (6) hours" for each listed activity. It is not clear whether 6 is per activity type per term or per instance (not yet confirmed).

Where to file

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

• District of Columbia Board of Professional Engineering (DLCP) (engineers and engineering firms)
• DC engineer license lookup
• District of Columbia Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture (DLCP) (architects and architecture firms)

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 the District of Columbia’s rules, and Set Check shows who can seal each sheet in a DC permit set, and why anyone can’t. One license is free to track; see pricing.