Texas 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 licenses and firm registrations renew every two years on a board-assigned date. Under SB 681 (2025), TBPELS is moving all of them to expire at the end of January or July during the 2026 renewal cycle. Checked against 22 TAC 137.7(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 Texas’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. Two-year renewal period ending on the license expiration date assigned by the board (22 TAC 137.7). From the 2026 renewal cycle, TBPELS is moving every license to expire at the end of January or July. Licenses on a one-year transition renewal keep the old one-year requirement. Checked against 22 TAC 137.17(c), September 27, 2026
• Ethics: Professional ethics, roles and responsibilities of professional engineering, or review of the Texas Engineering Practice Act and Board Rules (137.17(d)). Checked against 22 TAC 137.17(d), September 27, 2026
• Limits on some activities: self-directed study (at most 10), professional society leadership (at most 10) and educational outreach (at most 6) hours.
• Carryover: No carryover: "A license holder may not carry forward PDH units into the subsequent renewal period" (22 TAC 137.17(e), as amended eff. Jan. 7, 2026). The board's CEP FAQ page (CEPInfo.htm) still shows the old one-year wording (15 hours, 1 ethics). Whether any old-rule carryover (14 PDH) applies to hours earned before Jan. 7, 2026 or during a transition term is not addressed in the rule or the two-year FAQ: couldn't confirm. Checked against 22 TAC 137.17(e), September 27, 2026
• New licensees: License holders are exempt prior to their first renewal (137.17(n)(1)). The board's CEP FAQ words this more narrowly: exempt for the first renewal if the licensing exam was taken within one calendar year of the issue date. Sources disagree: use the rule text and confirm with the board. Checked against 22 TAC 137.17(n)(1), September 27, 2026
• Reporting: Licensee certifies at renewal; records are subject to audit. Do not send certificates with the renewal. Not yet confirmed
• Records: 4 years, kept by the license holder (137.17(l)). Checked against 22 TAC 137.17(l), September 27, 2026

Firm rule

A firm offering engineering in Texas needs its own credential from the board: engineering firm registration (certificate of registration). Any business entity, including a sole proprietorship, must be registered with TBPELS (a certificate of registration) before it offers or performs engineering in Texas (Occ. Code 1001.405(a)-(b); 22 TAC 137.77(a), (d)).

Firm renewal: Every two years on the board-assigned date (22 TAC 137.75(a)), moving to end of January or July. 2026 firm renewals go to (current expiration -> next expiration, fee paid): Jan 2026 -> Jan 2027 (one year); Feb, Mar, Apr 2026 -> Jul 2027 (one year); May, Jun, Jul 2026 -> Jul 2028 (two years); Aug, Sep, Oct 2026 -> Jan 2028 (one year); Nov, Dec 2026 -> Jan 2029 (two years); Jan 2027 -> Jan 2029 and Jul 2027 -> Jul 2029 (two years).

Checked against official sources, September 29, 2026 Texas Occupations Code 1001.405 (business entity registration) and 1001.351 (term not less than two years; SB 681, 2025), in the TBPELS Acts and Rules effective June 18, 2026; 22 TAC 135.3, 137.73 (30-day change notice), 137.75 (two-year renewal), 137.77 (firm compliance), in the TBPELS Acts and Rules effective June 18, 2026; TBPELS FAQ: License and Registration Renewal Dates (SB 681 schedule for engineering firms and PEs).

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

What changed recently

• Sep 1, 2025: SB 681 took effect, requiring a PE license term of at least two years.
• Jan 7, 2026: TBPELS rules (22 TAC 137.7 and 137.17) moved PE licenses to two-year terms with 30 PDH per period, at least 2 in ethics, and no carryover. A license on a one-year transition term keeps the old 15 PDH with at least 1 in ethics.
• 2026 renewal cycle: TBPELS is moving every PE license and firm registration to an end-of-January or end-of-July expiration.