Congratulations! You’ve earned your LEED credential. You are now one of the elite globally recognized professionals in the green building industry. But don’t waste your time and hard work by letting them expire. USGBC requires all LEED professionals to earn continuing education (CE) hours to maintain their credentials. It’s easy to keep them up-to-date once you know how.
LEED credentials are maintained in two-year cycles. Starting on the exam or enrollment date you earned your LEED credential, you have two years to complete and report CE hours. You have 90 days after your two-year cycle to report your CE hours through your USGBC Credentials account. However, all CE hours must be earned during the two-year cycle. It’s a good idea to update your account as you earn your hours so you don’t forget them or lose the details. If a LEED professional fails to complete and report their CE hours, their credential expires.
CE Hour Requirements
LEED Green Associate:
- Complete 15 CE hours
- Three of the 15 hours must be LEED-specific
LEED APs with Specialty:
- Complete 30 CE hours
- Six of the 30 hours must be LEED-specific
LEED APs with Multiple Specialties:
- Complete 30 CE hours
- Six of the 30 hours must be LEED-specific
- Six LEED-specific hours for each additional specialty (in addition to the 30 hours)
LEED-Specific? Hours
Every CE hour must be related to green building but LEED-specific hours are earned with an activity that is directly connected to LEED rating system processes, procedures, or concepts. If you are a LEED AP, your LEED-specific CE hours must be relevant to your specialty.
Ways to Earn CE Hours
The easiest way is to watch our video courses that include all these great features and benefits:
- Auto-reporting (we report your hours for you to save you time)
- All the hours you need in one bundle (covers 2-year reporting requirements)
- One Low Price (click on your credential below to bundle and save)
- Video Courses (all courses are on-demand videos, just watch and learn)
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee (or your money back)
Or, you can earn CE in the other following ways:
- Green building education by registered, GBCI-approved providers. Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), a subsidiary of the USGBC, is an independent, global certification and credentialing organization. Participants earn one CE hour per hour of education.
- Work on a LEED certified project counts for one LEED-specific CE hour per credit. Project administrators earn two additional CE hours per project.
- Receive three CE hours for a published article and 10 CE hours for a book.
- Volunteer with organizations that support the LEED system to earn one CE hour per hour of participation. Volunteer hours may only be used for up to 50% of the required CE hours.
GBES makes it easy for LEED professionals to maintain their LEED credentials. You can search GBES’s database for more than 600 classes that have free GBCI Continuing Education hours. You can purchase all of your GBCI-approved required hours and LEED-specific hours for both LEED Green Associates and LEED APs from GBES. GBES makes it easy for you to earn your CE hours anytime, anywhere!