California Architects Board details 10 hours of mandatory CE, audits and documentation rules for license renewal

Oscar Diaz, a presenter for the California Architects Board, told licensees in a webinar that state law requires all licensed architects in California to complete 10 hours of continuing education as a condition of license renewal: five hours on 0 net carbon design and five hours on disability-access (ADA) requirements.

Diaz said the requirement comes from the Business and Professions Code and related regulations and that there is no waiver or extension: "This law does not allow for any waiver or extension." He also advised architects to complete the required education before renewing and noted that renewals completed without required CE can be subject to board audit and possible penalties.

Why this matters: the requirement applies to every licensed architect regardless of how long they have held a license, and the board performs random audits of continuing-education records. Diaz said architects must retain documentation for a minimum of two years from the date of renewal and that the board will review course descriptions, certificates and, when necessary, supporting documents during audits.

Key rules and examples

Diaz cited the California Code of Regulations (Title 16) provisions that set course and trainer criteria for each subject: CCR (Title 16) section 165 for disability-access coursework and CCR (Title 16) section 166 for 0 net carbon design coursework. He summarized several operational points the regulations impose: recorded courses must include an assessment with a minimum 70% passing score; live in-person courses or live webinars are also acceptable; trainers should have demonstrable expertise (for example, a professional license in architecture, civil, mechanical or structural engineering with at least three years' direct experience, or certain International Code Council certifications); and course content must be pertinent to the practice of architecture and the listed topic areas.

Diaz gave examples of acceptable coursework for the two required subjects. For disability access, acceptable topics include the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), state accessibility statutes and regulations, and relevant provisions of the California Building Code (Chapters 11A and 11B). For 0 net carbon design, acceptable topics include climate‑sensitive and resilient design, energy‑efficient building systems, embodied carbon analysis, deep energy retrofits and renewable energy strategies. He emphasized that course titles do not have to use the exact phrase "net zero" as long as the course content aligns with the regulation's examples for 0 net carbon design.

Audit, penalties and appeals

Diaz described the audit process: the board conducts random audits and examines the certificates or transcripts and course descriptions to confirm a course meets the regulatory criteria. He said architects should upload CE documentation at renewal through the board's online application portal (Connect) to ensure the board has access to the records if audited. Diaz warned that if an architect is audited and the coursework cannot be shown to have been completed before renewal, the architect may receive a citation and face penalties. "You are required to complete the CE because it is a condition of license renewal," he said.

If an architect receives a citation, Diaz said they have 30 days to appeal or to pay. The appeal options include an informal conference with board staff (to present additional information) or a formal administrative hearing before the Office of Administrative Hearings.

Practical points raised by participants

During the Q&A, attendees asked about provider qualifications, certificate content, and recordkeeping. Diaz reiterated: the board does not preapprove courses or providers and will evaluate course descriptions and certificates against the regulatory criteria during an audit. He recommended that course certificates include sufficient detail about the course content, hours earned and date of completion; if a certificate lacks required information the board will request additional documentation. He also encouraged architects to keep their own copies of certificates because providers do not automatically transmit records to the board.

Other clarifications from the presentation and Q&A: - The required 10 hours are per renewal cycle; a returning licensee who reactivates or renews after retiring must complete the CE required for that renewal (10 hours), not a cumulative 30 hours, though additional administrative requirements (fees, back payments) may apply when reinstating a license. - Recorded-course credit requires an assessment with a minimum 70% passing score; live webinars and in‑person courses are acceptable and are typically documented by provider attendance records or certificates. - Diaz pointed participants to the board's website, www.cab.ca.gov (Licensees → CE), for links to the statute and regulations and to the CE document submission portal.

Ending

The California Architects Board closed the webinar by reiterating that the regulations and the board's online CE information are the primary references for architects seeking to meet the requirement. Diaz and other board staff offered email contacts in the webinar chat for follow-up questions and said the presentation will be posted on the board website for later reference.