South Carolina State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors
Jan Simpson - Administrator
PO Box 11597
Columbia, S.C. 29211-1597
803 896-4422
803 896-4427 FAX
engls@llr.sc.gov

Completion Requirements
30 PDH biennially.

Please Note: Effective July 1, 2002, each licensee is required to obtain 30 PDH each biennial renewal period.

Dual License: Dual license holders are required to obtain 15 PDH annually. However, at least 1/3 of the units shall be obtained separately for each profession.

The South Carolina Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors does not pre-approve courses or course sponsors. The decision of what course of activity is used for credit is up to the judgment of the licensee.

Renewal Date
renewal occurs June 30 even years

Statutes
Tile 245, Subchapter 11

Special Designations or Stipulations
A licensee may bring an inactive license to active status by obtaining all delinquent PDH units, provided other provisions of the statutes are met.

If the total number of PDH units required to become current exceeds 30, then 30 shall be the maximum number of PDH units required.

Audit Potential
random

Allowable Carryover Hours
15 PDH per renewal period

Applicable Course of Study
PDH units may be earned are as follows:
(l) Successful completion of college courses.
(2) Successful completion of continuing education courses.
(3) Successful completion of correspondence, televised, videotaped, and other short courses or tutorials.
(4) Attending qualifying seminars, in-house courses, workshops, or professional or technical presentations made at meetings, conventions, or conferences.
(5) Teaching or instructing in (l) through (4) above.
(6) Authoring published papers, articles, or books.
(7) Active participation in professional or technical societies.
(8) Successful application for patents.

Credit for college or community college approved courses will be based upon course credit established by the college.

Credit for qualifying seminars and workshops will be based on one PDH unit for each hour of attendance.

Attendance at qualifying programs presented at professional and/or technical society meetings will earn PDH units for the actual contact time of each program.

Credit determination for activities for which PDH credit is awarded is the responsibility of the licensee, subject to review as required by the Board.

Credit for active participation in professional and technical societies is limited to 2 PDH units per organization, with a maximum of 4 PDH units per year, and requires that a licensee serve as an officer, or actively participate in a committee of the organization, or have at least a 50% documented attendance at meetings held not less than eight times per year. PDH credits for participation in a professional or technical society are not earned until the end of the administrative year of the society.

Teaching credit is valid for teaching a course or seminar for the first time only. Teaching credit does not apply to full-time faculty.

The conversion of other credit to PDH units is as follows:
(1) 1 College or unit semester hour = 45 PDH
(2) 1 College or unit quarter hour = 30 PDH
(3) 1 Continuing Education Unit = 10 PDH
(4) 1 Hour of professional development for attendance in course work, seminars, or professional or technical presentations made at meetings, conventions, or conferences = 1 PDH
(5) For teaching = PDH Credits are doubled
(6) Each published technical or professional paper, article or book = 10 PDH
(7) Active participation in a professional and technical society = 2 PDH
(8) Each patent = 10 PDH

Proof of Compliance
The responsibility for maintaining records used to support credits claimed is that of the licensee.

Records required include, but are not limited to:
(1) A log showing the type of activity claimed, sponsoring organization, location, duration, instructor's or speaker's name, and PDH credits earned;
(2) Attendance verification records in the form of completion certificates or other documents supporting evidence of attendance, or;
(3) Records as maintained by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Professional Development Registry for Engineers and Surveyors (PDRES), or other recognized repositories for such records.

These records must be maintained for a minimum period of three years during which copies may be requested by the Board for audit verification purposes.

All renewal applications will require the completion of a continuing education form specified by the Board. The licensee must supply, as applicable, course date, sponsoring organization, location, activity title, brief description and PDHs claimed.

The licensee must certify and sign the continuing education form, and submit the form with the renewal application and fee.

Non-Compliance Penalties
If, upon review or audit by the Board, any or all PDH units claimed by the license holders are disallowed, the license holder will be allowed a twelve-month period during which such deficiencies must be remedied.

Disallowed Credits
The Board has final authority with respect to approval of courses, credit, PDH value for courses and other methods of earning credit.

Exceptions and Exemptions
A licensee may be exempt from the professional development educational requirements for one or more of the following reasons:
(1) New licensees by way of examination or comity shall be exempt for their first renewal period.
(2) A licensee serving on temporary active duty in the armed forces of the United States for a period of time exceeding one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days in a year shall be exempt from obtaining professional development hours required during that year.
(3) Licensees experiencing physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances as reviewed and approved by the Board may be exempt. Supporting documentation must be furnished with any such exemption request made to the Board.
(4) Licensees who list their occupation as "Retired" on the Board approved renewal form and who further certify that they are no longer receiving any remuneration from providing professional engineering or land surveying services shall be exempt from requirements for professional development hours. In the event such a person elects to return to the active practice of professional engineering or land surveying, professional development hours must be earned, before returning, for each year exempted, not to exceed the annual requirement for two years.

Did you find outdated or incorrect information? Let us know by sending an email to cent@csinet.org

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