CEU Requirements for Illinois Professional Engineers
Illinois PE continuing education requirements mandate 30 professional development hours every two years. The requirement applies to all licensed PEs in Illinois, regardless of engineering discipline, and includes three mandatory subject-area hours alongside 27 elective hours. This page provides a plain-language overview of the requirement. For the full PDH breakdown by category, visit our Illinois PDH requirements page.
Illinois PE Continuing Education Requirements Overview
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) administers professional engineering licensure in Illinois under the Illinois Professional Engineering Practice Act. Continuing education requirements are governed by Section 1380.325 of the IDFPR administrative rules.
Of the 30 required PDH, three are fixed subject-area hours that apply to every renewal cycle:
- 1 PDH in ethics and professional conduct, required beginning with the November 30, 2023 renewal
- 1 PDH in Illinois statutes and rules, required for all renewals
- 1 PDH in sexual harassment prevention, required for all renewals occurring on or after January 1, 2020, per Public Act 100-0762
The remaining 27 hours are elective and may cover any topic relevant to engineering practice, including technical, managerial, and professional development content. One PDH equals a minimum of 50 minutes of qualifying activity. There is no limit on the number of PDH hours that may be earned through online courses.
Illinois Professional Engineer Continuing Education Requirements: Cycle and Deadlines
All Illinois PE licenses expire on November 30 of odd-numbered years. The 30-hour requirement must be completed in the 24 months preceding the renewal date. Engineers renewing for the first time are not required to complete the PDH obligation for that initial renewal cycle.
Illinois licensed PEs who also practice in another state are required to satisfy all PDH conditions for renewal, regardless of whether that second state has its own CE requirement. Engineers who place their license on inactive status must notify the IDFPR in writing; inactive licensees are not required to pay renewal fees but may not practice engineering while inactive.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of the renewal process, see Illinois PE renewal.
Illinois professional engineer continuing education requirements do not require upfront submission of PDH documentation. Engineers self-certify at renewal that they have completed the required hours. The IDFPR may conduct random audits, at which point engineers must produce full documentation for all claimed hours.
Practicing Within (and Beyond) Your Discipline
As a condition of licensure, Illinois engineers are expected to practice within their area of competency, accepting only projects within their specialization, education, and expertise, and leaving tasks outside that scope to appropriately licensed professionals. This is a professional conduct obligation, not a CE restriction.
The IDFPR takes a different approach when it comes to continuing education for Illinois engineers. Engineers are not restricted to completing CE in their licensed discipline. A civil engineer may earn credit for completing a mechanical or electrical engineering course, and those hours count toward the 30-PDH requirement. The board’s rationale is that engineering projects regularly draw on knowledge across multiple disciplines, and coursework outside an engineer’s primary specialty supports broader professional competence.
This flexibility applies to the 27 elective hours. The three fixed core hours: ethics, statutes and rules, and sexual harassment prevention, must meet their specific subject requirements regardless of discipline.
Records, Audits, and CEU Terminology
Record keeping. Illinois engineer continuing education records must be retained for a minimum of six years. Documentation for each completed activity should include the sponsor’s name and address, PDH logs or transcripts, and any certificates of completion. Engineers selected for an IDFPR audit must produce this documentation on request.
CEU conversion. Some course providers and professional organizations issue continuing education units (CEUs) rather than PDH hours. In Illinois, one Illinois PE CEU equals 10 PDH. To convert, multiply the CEU value by 10: 0.5 CEU equals 5 PDH, and 3.0 CEU equals 30 PDH.
Carryover. Illinois permits engineers to carry forward up to 15 eligible PDH hours to the next renewal cycle, provided those hours were earned between June 1st and November 30th of the renewal year. Hours completed earlier in the cycle do not qualify for carryover. Carryover hours must be documented and maintained on the IDFPR’s official PDH Carryover Form (Form F2476). Consult the form for any restrictions on applying carried-forward credits toward core hour requirements in a future cycle.
How to Complete Your Illinois CE
PDH Pro offers complete 30-PDH renewal packages for Illinois engineers, available in discipline-specific versions for chemical, civil, electrical, environmental, geotechnical, mechanical, and structural engineers. Each package includes all three fixed core hours and is guaranteed to be accepted by IDFPR.
Engineers who prefer to select their own courses can use PDH Pro’s Illinois Build-Your-Own 30 PDH Package, which provides access to the full course library at a package discount. Courses are available immediately after enrollment, and certificates of completion are issued as soon as the course exam is passed.
FAQs
What are the Illinois PE continuing education requirements?
30 PDH every two years, including three fixed core hours.
Does Illinois require ethics PDH hours?
Yes. Effective with the November 30, 2023, renewal, Illinois requires 1 PDH in ethics and professional conduct as a fixed core hour. This replaces the prior practice under which ethics courses were accepted but not required. The statutes and rules hour and sexual harassment prevention hour are also required each cycle, bringing the total fixed core hours to three.
Can Illinois PEs carry forward excess PDH to the next renewal cycle?
Yes, up to 15 eligible PDH hours may be carried forward to the next cycle, provided they were earned between June 1st and November 30th of the renewal year. Completion of those hours must be recorded on the IDFPR’s PDH Carryover Form (Form F2476) and retained with the engineer’s records. Consult the form for any restrictions on applying carried-forward credits toward core hour requirements in a future cycle.
Do Illinois PEs have to report CE to the IDFPR at renewal? 
No upfront submission is required for engineers renewing online during the standard renewal window. Engineers self-certify that they have completed the required 30 PDH at the time of renewal. The IDFPR may conduct random audits, and engineers selected must provide full documentation for all claimed hours. Records must be retained for six years.