As more and more states establish mandatory continuing education (CE) requirements for licensed landscape architects, it can be a challenge to keep up with the standards for each state. States use different methods to compute credits, and the types of activities that qualify vary widely. Twenty states have mandatory CE requirements, and Mississippi has a voluntary program. Four additional states (Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and West Virginia) have been authorized to set up requirements but have not hammered out the details. And right now, legislatures across the nation are debating proposed legislation to establish new requirements in states like Idaho, Indiana, and Hawaii.

ASLA has produced a state-by-state summary of the CE requirements designed to highlight the following aspects:

• Definitions and basic information: The summary begins with a definition of how each state defines a CE credit. This section also includes information on how many credits may be carried over to a subsequent reporting period and the specific parameters for activities including the need for public health, safety, and welfare courses or when specific courses are required.
• Administration: This section outlines the state administration of the program. For states looking to develop a CE program, this section outlines the administrative responsibilities of the state boards and the various methods for implementing a program.
• Activities: This section lists the types of work that can be used to satisfy CE requirements, such as college courses, writing for publication, teaching courses, online and similar courses, and tours. Where specified by the state, the amount of credit available for each type of activity is included.
• Record keeping: A short summary of recrudescing requirements for the licensee is available in this section. Most states require the record to be submitted with the renewal application and require each licensee to maintain detailed records that are available upon request if an audit is performed. The number of years the record must be maintained varies, and this information is included in the summary.
• Reciprocity: The laws and regulations of many states do not provide reciprocity for licensure requirements. States that allow licensees to get credit for CE requirements fulfilled in other states are noted in the summary.
• Exemptions: Most states exempt certain classes of licensees from fulfilling the CE mandate. The exemptions for each state are listed in the summary. The most common exclusions are for first-time licensees, hardship cases, and in military service.

The analysis is available to members in the Public and Government Affairs section of ASLAOnline (Licensure) at https://www.asla.org/Members/govtaffairs/licensure/licensure_toc.html. If you have any questions regarding the analysis of state laws, please contact Julia Lent at jlent@asla.org.

This article originally appeared in Land Online, a publication of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and is reprinted with their permission. It was written by Julia Lent, ASLA’s manager of state government affairs.

States requiring continuing education for licensed landscape architects:

Alabama
Arkansas
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Minnesota
Mississippi (voluntary program)
Nebraska
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Wyoming

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