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

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

If your firm has engineers or architects licensed in Idaho, 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 Idaho Board of Licensure of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (IPELS). Architects answer to the Idaho Board of Architects and Landscape Architects (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses).

PE license renewal in Idaho

PE licenses renew every two years by the last day of the licensee's birth month (odd or even cycle set by birth year); firm COAs renew every year on the last day of the month they were first issued.

The board: Idaho Board of Licensure of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (IPELS). 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: 24 PDH every two years. Biennial. Each PE renews by his or her birthday every two years (even state fiscal years for those born in even calendar years, odd fiscal years for those born in odd years). The 24 PDH are owed per biennium, which ends at that renewal.
• Carryover: Up to 30 hours of excess CE may be carried forward per renewal period (IDAPA 24.32.01.100.05). The carryover limit is larger than the 24 PDH requirement; that is what the rule says.
• New licensees: Exempt at the first renewal: the Board voted that new licensees are exempt during the first license period before the first renewal, because it is not a full two-year period. This comes from the Board FAQ, not the rule text (not yet confirmed).
• Records: The current rule states no retention period. The Board FAQ says attendance records must be produced if audited. Keep the log and certificates at least through the next renewal after the period they support (not yet confirmed).
• Reporting: Licensee does not submit the PDH log at renewal. The Board runs random log checks and audits; an audit asks for the log and attendance records. Courses that meet the NCEES CPC Guidelines are acceptable.

Architect license renewal and CE in Idaho

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.

Expires on the licensee's birthday. Statute now sets a 24-month term (54-312, amended 2024). DOPL moved licensees to 2-year terms starting July 1, 2025 (odd birth years first, even in 2026). The board: Idaho Board of Architects and Landscape Architects (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses); each architect’s date is on the license lookup.

• Hours: 12 hours each renewal period, all in health, safety and welfare (HSW) topics. The 'prior licensure period' before the birthday expiry. Period length is changing from 12 to 24 months (2025-2026 transition).
• Carryover: Up to 6 hours may carry over to the next year's requirement (IDAPA 24.01.01.100.01.c.i).
• New licensees: CE starts with the second year of licensure (rule text: 'Beginning the second year of licensure').
• Records: Licensee must retain proof; no period stated in the current rule.
• Units: An AIA learning unit (LU) is one hour.

Firm registration (COA) and qualifier rules

Engineering firms

A firm offering engineering in Idaho needs a firm credential from the board: Certificate of authorization (COA). Every business entity that practices engineering needs a certificate of authorization. Sole proprietorships are not business entities under the law, so they are exempt. The firm must name one or more Idaho-licensed engineers in responsible charge. A person who gives only occasional, part-time or consulting services cannot be named. A change in the person in responsible charge must be filed in writing within 30 days. No officer, ownership or residency rule was found.

Architecture firms

Our data shows no separate architecture firm registration in Idaho. No architecture firm registration was found in Idaho Code 54-301 to 54-316 or IDAPA 24.01.01. The only firm rule is naming: a firm name may include only licensed architects, or retired/deceased ones if disclosed (IDAPA 24.01.01.200.02). No ownership or responsible-architect rule for firms was found. Residences up to 3 units or 3 stories and farm buildings are exempt (54-306). Engineering practice is exempt from the architecture chapter.

Firms that offer both

No architecture firm registration. The engineering board (Idaho Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, separate) has its own firm rules; not researched here.

Firm numbers: Digits.

Who can seal drawings in Idaho

Idaho issues a PE license without limiting it by discipline; engineers seal only work within their competence, which your firm judges. Idaho has no separate SE license; a PE competent in structural work may practice it, and passing the NCEES SE exam only marks the engineer as especially qualified (not yet confirmed).

Our data doesn’t record whether an engineer may seal architectural sheets in Idaho, so ask the architecture board. 54-306 exempts 'the practice of engineering' from the architecture chapter, but the architecture chapter does not say whether engineering practice includes building design. No architect needed for residences up to 3 units or 3 stories, or farm buildings (54-306).

Before a set goes out, every sheet has to pass four checks: a Idaho license, the right discipline, a license still active on the issue date, and the firm’s registration. Compare Idaho 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 (COA). In Idaho 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 Idaho, so ask the board. See what to do the day someone gives notice.
• Assuming every engineer renews on the same date. Idaho doesn’t use one statewide date for everyone. PE licenses renew every two years by the last day of the licensee's birth month (odd or even cycle set by birth year); firm COAs renew every year on the last day of the month they were first issued. Read each person’s date from the board’s lookup.

Where to file

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

• Idaho Board of Licensure of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (IPELS) (engineers and engineering firms)
• Idaho engineer license lookup
• Idaho Board of Architects and Landscape Architects (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) (architects and architecture firms)
• Idaho architect 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 Idaho’s rules, and Set Check shows who can seal each sheet in a Idaho permit set, and why anyone can’t. One license is free to track; see pricing.