Ohio PE license renewal and CE requirements

Last checked September 29, 2026. Facts marked “checked against” were read in the rule text on that date. The rest come from the same rule tables and aren’t yet confirmed with the board. Confirm anything you act on with the board. Not legal advice.

Renewal cycle and late renewal

PE registrations expire December 31 every two years following initial registration or renewal (ORC 4733.15(A)); firm COAs expire every two years on June 30 (ORC 4733.15(B)). Checked against ORC 4733.15(A); ORC 4733.151(A), September 27, 2026

Look up each engineer’s current expiration date on the board’s license lookup rather than trusting an old spreadsheet. Our tables don’t record Ohio’s late-renewal or reinstatement rules, so check them with the board before a date passes.

Continuing education (PDH)

• Hours: 30 PDH every two years. Biennial. A registration expires on the last day of December, every two years, following initial registration or renewal (ORC 4733.15(A)). Hours are owed in the two-year period immediately before that expiration date (ORC 4733.151(A)). Licensees fall in odd-year or even-year cycles by their own dates. Checked against ORC 4733.151(A), September 27, 2026
• Ethics: At least 2 of the 30 hours on professional ethics OR rules relevant to engineering or surveying (either one counts). Checked against ORC 4733.151(C)(2), September 27, 2026
• Carryover: Up to 15 excess hours may carry to the next biennial period, and up to 2 excess ethics or rules hours may be part of that 15 (ORC 4733.151(E)). Checked against ORC 4733.151(E)(1), September 27, 2026
• New licensees: Partial only. A registrant is exempt during the first calendar year of registration, not for the whole first renewal period (ORC 4733.151(D)). The statute does not say how many hours are owed at the first renewal; ask the board (not yet confirmed). Checked against ORC 4733.151(D), September 27, 2026
• Reporting: The registrant certifies completion at renewal (ORC 4733.15(A)). Records may be audited at any time; a deficient registrant gets 6 months to fix it (ORC 4733.151(G)). Checked against ORC 4733.15(A); ORC 4733.151(G), September 27, 2026
• Records: For 4 calendar years beyond the year in which the registrant certifies completion. Keep a log and certificates of completion (ORC 4733.151(F)). Checked against ORC 4733.151(F), September 27, 2026

Firm rule

A firm offering engineering in Ohio needs its own credential from the board: Certificate of Authorization (COA). Any firm, partnership, association, LLC or corporation needs a Certificate of Authorization to provide engineering in Ohio, to hold itself out as doing so, or to use "engineer" or "engineering" in its name (ORC 4733.16(B)); this includes entities organized in another state or country (4733.16(H)). Exempt: a corporation chartered before August 7, 1943 to provide engineering or surveying in Ohio, or one otherwise lawfully providing engineering in Ohio before November 15, 1982.

Firm renewal: From issuance to the second following June 30, then every two years on June 30 (ORC 4733.15(B)). Which even or odd year a given firm falls in was not confirmed from an official page.

Checked against official sources, September 29, 2026 ORC 4733.16: Certificate of authorization (full-time partners, managers, members, officers or directors in responsible charge); OAC 4733-39-04: COA biennial filing by June 30; changes within 90 days; OAC 4733-35-03: Responsibility to the public (practice only when qualified).

See the Ohio guide’s firm section for qualifier and A/E rules, and what to do when your qualifying engineer gives notice.

What changed recently

Nothing recorded in our tables as of September 29, 2026. Boards change rules, so check the board’s news page before each renewal.