Florida Landscape Architect Continuing Education & Renewal Guide

Florida Registered Landscape Architects generally complete 16 hours of continuing education every two years for a standard renewal cycle:

• 1 hour Florida Building Code Advanced Module;
• 1 hour Florida Laws & Rules affecting the practice of landscape architecture; and
• 14 additional Board-approved continuing-education hours.

Landscape Architect licenses renew by November 30 of odd-numbered years. The next regular deadline is November 30, 2027.

Before choosing courses, first determine whether this is your first renewal, whether you plan to use DBPR-approved courses or qualifying LA CES/nationally recognized clearinghouse credit, and whether the exact mandatory Florida categories are correctly approved.

Current Florida Landscape Architect Renewal Snapshot

Boundary note: This page covers Florida Landscape Architect renewal CE. It does not cover Florida Architect CE, Interior Designer CE, Professional Engineer CE, BCAIB CE, CILB contractor CE, or technical landscape-architecture instruction.

Regulatory review

Last regulatory review: August 27, 2026 Last substantive update: August 27, 2026 Primary authorities: Florida DBPR/Board of Landscape Architecture, Chapter 481 Part II Florida Statutes, Chapter 61G10 Florida Administrative Code, and current DBPR CE/reporting guidance

First Renewal? Start With 0, 8, or 16 Hours

Florida's first-renewal rules can materially reduce the amount of CE required.

Licensed less than 12 months before the end of the renewal period

0 hours are required for that first renewal.

Licensed 12 to 24 months before the end of the renewal period

8 hours are required for the first renewal.

Normal later renewal

The full 16-hour requirement applies.

A newly licensed Landscape Architect should verify the original licensure date before automatically purchasing a complete 16-hour package.

The Standard 16-Hour Florida Requirement

For a normal biennial renewal:

The Advanced Building Code and Laws & Rules hours are inside the 16-hour total. They are not additional seventeenth and eighteenth hours.

The remaining 14 hours must relate to and increase the licensee's knowledge of landscape architecture and meet the Board's approval framework.

Current Correction: Use the Florida Building Code Advanced Module

Current DBPR Landscape Architecture guidance identifies the required code credit as:

1 hour Florida Building Code Advanced Module.

Older FAQ and rule language still contains the term “Uniform Building Code.” That is legacy terminology and should not be used as the current course-selection standard.

BuilderCE guidance

For current renewal planning, verify an exact course approved for the required Florida Building Code Advanced Module category.

A course that merely discusses building codes, accessibility, construction, or site design does not automatically satisfy this mandatory category.

Current Correction: The Mandatory Split Is 1 + 1, Not 2 + 2

Some current commercial CE pages still describe Florida Landscape Architect renewal as requiring:

2 hours Laws & Rules + 2 hours Advanced Building Code + 12 additional hours.

That does not match current DBPR guidance.

The current standard structure is:

1 hour Advanced Building Code + 1 hour Florida Laws & Rules + 14 additional Board-approved hours = 16 total.

Before buying a package, verify the current DBPR requirement rather than relying on a commercial bundle description.

The Florida Laws & Rules Hour Is a Separate Mandatory Category

At least 1 hour of the standard 16-hour requirement must be completed in an approved Florida Laws & Rules course affecting the practice of landscape architecture.

A generic course titled “Professional Practice,” “Ethics,” or “Florida Regulation” is not automatically the required Landscape Architecture Laws & Rules course.

Verify the exact DBPR approval and category before relying on it for renewal.

What Can the Additional 14 Hours Cover?

Florida requires the additional CE to relate to and increase the basic knowledge of landscape architecture.

Appropriate general-credit subjects may include:

• site planning and design;
• grading and drainage;
• stormwater and resilient-site strategies;
• planting design and landscape systems;
• accessibility in exterior environments;
• pedestrian circulation and site safety;
• construction documentation;
• materials and site detailing;
• irrigation and water conservation;
• environmental planning;
• project coordination; and
• professional practice and risk.

This Hub should identify those topics only at a high level. Technical education is handled on the applicable course pages.

LA CES Courses Can Count — But Florida Uses a Separate Documentation Path

Florida law allows hour-for-hour credit for qualifying courses approved by the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES/LACES) or another nationally recognized continuing-education clearinghouse when the education relates to and increases the licensee's knowledge of landscape architecture.

For an LA CES course that is not already approved through DBPR, current Florida guidance requires documentation that identifies the licensee and course and establishes the course approval, hours, content, and completion.

Required documentation should include

• the licensee's name;
• Florida Landscape Architect license number;
• evidence the course is LA CES approved;
• number of credit hours;
• a course-content summary or syllabus sufficient to establish relevance; and
• proof of completion or attendance.

60-day deadline

The documentation must be received by the Board at least 60 days before the end of the renewal cycle.

If you plan to use the LA CES alternate-credit pathway, do not wait until the final weeks before November 30 to submit documentation.

Mandatory-category caution

Do not assume an LA CES course automatically satisfies the separate Florida Building Code Advanced Module or Florida Laws & Rules category. Those mandatory Florida requirements should be verified independently.

DBPR-Approved Course or LA CES Course? Use the Correct Path

DBPR-approved Florida course

Verify:

1. Board of Landscape Architecture;
2. exact course;
3. approved hours;
4. requirement category; and
5. provider.

Approved providers report qualifying course completions electronically to DBPR.

LA CES / nationally recognized clearinghouse course

If the course is not already DBPR approved, preserve the required documentation and use the alternate submission process described above.

Practical rule:

DBPR-approved course → provider reporting path. Qualifying LA CES alternate-credit course → licensee documentation/submission path.

No Carryover Between Renewal Biennia

Florida does not permit unused Landscape Architect CE hours to carry forward to the next renewal cycle.

Complete the education needed for the current biennium; do not purchase extra hours assuming they will reduce the next cycle's requirement.

Florida Landscape Architect Licenses Renew November 30 of Odd-Numbered Years

Registered Landscape Architect licenses renew every two years on November 30 of odd-numbered years.

The next regular deadline is:

November 30, 2027

DBPR currently lists:

• $230 active renewal;
• $55 inactive renewal; and
• an additional $25 delinquent fee when applicable after expiration.

Completing CE does not itself renew the license. The applicable education requirements and the actual DBPR renewal transaction are separate steps.

Inactive or Nonstandard Status? Check the Status Path First

Inactive / reactivation

DBPR currently requires proof of 16 hours of CE for reactivation, including:

• 1 hour Florida Laws & Rules;
• 1 hour approved Advanced Building Code; and
• 14 additional approved hours,

completed during the applicable current or prior period described by DBPR.

Inactive renewal and reactivation are separate transactions.

Null and void or another nonstandard status

Do not assume that completing 16 hours will automatically restore a license outside the ordinary active/inactive renewal path. Verify the current DBPR status and recovery process before purchasing CE.

For detailed reinstatement or reapplication procedures, use current DBPR Landscape Architecture guidance.

Provider Approval and Exact Course Approval Are Separate Checks

Before relying on a course, verify:

1. the provider;
2. the exact course;
3. approved hours;
4. whether it is Advanced Code, Laws & Rules, or additional/general credit; and
5. whether it is DBPR approved or being used through the separate LA CES documentation pathway.

BuilderCE publication rule

BuilderCE will not advertise a Landscape Architect course or complete 16-Hour Florida Landscape Architect Renewal Package as approved until the exact approval record, category, hours, and delivery method have been verified.

Can Florida Landscape Architect CE Be Completed Online?

Florida permits qualifying nonclassroom and distance-learning education under the Board's approval framework.

The practical question is not simply whether a course is online. It is whether the exact course, hours, category, provider, and delivery method are acceptable for the credit being claimed.

BuilderCE should not market a course as approved Florida Landscape Architect CE until those elements are verified.

Landscape Architect, Architect, Engineer, or Contractor? Use the Correct CE System

Florida regulates overlapping design and construction professions through separate renewal systems.

A course that is professionally relevant to several disciplines does not automatically carry renewal credit for every Florida license.

This Landscape Architect hub therefore does not recreate:

• Florida PE continuing education;
• Architect or Interior Designer CE;
• CILB contractor CE;
• BCAIB code-official CE; or
• ECLB electrical-contractor CE.

Where a topic overlaps another profession, BuilderCE should route to the appropriate profession page instead of duplicating the other regulatory framework.

Complete → Report or Submit → Verify → Renew

Landscape Architects may have two different CE documentation routes.

Complete

Finish the education required for your renewal path.

DBPR-approved course route

The approved provider reports qualifying course completion electronically to DBPR under the Department's reporting framework.

LA CES alternate-credit route

Preserve the completion documentation and submit it to the Board under the alternate-credit process at least 60 days before the end of the renewal cycle.

Verify

Check your DBPR record and make sure the mandatory Florida categories and total credit are correctly documented.

Renew

Complete the actual DBPR renewal transaction and applicable fee before November 30 of the renewal year.

Florida Landscape Architect CE: Common Advice That Can Mislead You

“Florida Landscape Architects need 16 general hours.”

Incorrect. The standard 16-hour requirement contains mandatory Advanced Building Code and Laws & Rules categories.

“The required code course is still called Uniform Building Code.”

Stale terminology. Current DBPR guidance uses Florida Building Code Advanced Module.

“Florida requires 2 hours of Laws & Rules and 2 hours of Advanced Code.”

Not under the current standard requirement. Current DBPR guidance uses 1 + 1 + 14.

“Every newly licensed Landscape Architect needs 16 hours for the first renewal.”

Incorrect. Depending on the initial licensure date, the first renewal can require 0 or 8 hours.

“LA CES courses automatically appear in my Florida CE record.”

Do not assume that. Qualifying non-DBPR-approved LA CES credit uses a separate documentation process.

“I can submit LA CES documentation at the renewal deadline.”

Incorrect. Current Florida guidance requires it to be received at least 60 days before the end of the renewal cycle.

“Extra CE carries over.”

Incorrect. Florida does not permit Landscape Architect CE carryover between biennia.

“Completing CE renews the license automatically.”

Incorrect. CE and the license-renewal transaction are separate.

Florida Landscape Architect Verification Center

Check your license

Use DBPR Online Services to confirm:

• Registered Landscape Architect status;
• original licensure date;
• active/inactive/delinquent status;
• expiration date; and
• current renewal record.

Check the current CE requirement

Use DBPR's current Landscape Architecture requirements together with the Board's applicable rules.

Check an exact Florida course

Use DBPR's Continuing Education Course Search and verify the Board, exact course, hours, category, and provider.

Check an LA CES course

Confirm LA CES approval, preserve the completion certificate and course-content documentation, and submit under the Florida alternate-credit process on time.

Check the mandatory Advanced Building Code category

Verify that the course is approved as the required Florida Building Code Advanced Module, not merely as a general code-related course.

Build the Renewal Plan Around the Exact Credit Path

A reliable Florida Landscape Architect renewal plan follows this sequence:

first-renewal status → current 16-hour structure → mandatory Florida categories → DBPR-approved vs LA CES credit path → documentation/reporting → verification → renewal

That order helps prevent:

• purchasing 16 hours when only 0 or 8 are due;
• buying a stale 2 + 2 package;
• relying on outdated “Uniform Building Code” terminology;
• assuming LA CES credit is automatically posted;
• missing the 60-day documentation deadline; and
• purchasing excess hours expecting carryover.

Florida Landscape Architect CE From BuilderCE

BuilderCE Florida Landscape Architect continuing-education information is organized around the current Board framework and the practical needs of design professionals working in the built environment.

Relevant course areas include:

• Florida Building Code Advanced Module;
• Florida Landscape Architecture Laws & Rules;
• accessibility and exterior circulation;
• grading, drainage, and stormwater;
• resilient and sustainable site design;
• construction documentation and site observation;
• materials and hardscape detailing;
• planting systems and water conservation; and
• professional practice, project coordination, and risk.

Approval disclosure

BuilderCE will publish exact DBPR approval information, approved hours, category, eligible license type, and delivery method only after the relevant approvals have been received and independently verified.

Until then, BuilderCE will not represent a course or package as approved Florida Landscape Architect CE.

Get notified when Florida Landscape Architect courses launch

Florida Landscape Architect Renewal Checklist

Before renewal:

• confirm your original licensure date and whether 0, 8, or 16 hours apply;
• if on a standard cycle, use the current 1 Advanced Code + 1 Laws & Rules + 14 additional = 16 structure;
• verify the exact mandatory-category courses;
• decide whether each course will use the DBPR-approved or LA CES alternate-credit route;
• submit qualifying LA CES documentation at least 60 days before the cycle ends;
• do not assume excess hours carry over;
• save completion records;
• confirm the credit appears correctly in DBPR; and
• complete the actual renewal transaction before November 30.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many CE hours does a Florida Landscape Architect need?

For a normal biennial renewal, 16 hours.

What are the mandatory categories?

1 hour Florida Building Code Advanced Module + 1 hour Florida Laws & Rules, with 14 additional approved hours.

What if this is my first renewal?

Depending on when the license was issued, the first renewal can require 0 or 8 hours instead of 16.

Can LA CES courses count?

Yes, qualifying LA CES or nationally recognized clearinghouse courses may count when Florida's documentation and relevance requirements are satisfied.

When must LA CES documentation be submitted?

Current Florida guidance requires the documentation to be received at least 60 days before the end of the renewal cycle.

Can extra CE hours carry over?

No.

When do Florida Landscape Architect licenses renew?

November 30 of odd-numbered years. The next regular deadline is November 30, 2027.

Does completing CE automatically renew the license?

No. CE completion/documentation and the DBPR renewal transaction are separate.