State and provincial interior design boards set their own renewal cycles and continuing education hours, ranging from no requirement to 24 hours per biennium, with many mandating that all or most hours be health, safety, and welfare. Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., an AIA Education Provider since 1985, publishes free HSW courses carrying state board and IDCEC designations at ronblank.com.
Key Facts
| Field | Detail |
| Range of requirements | From no continuing education requirement to 24 hours per two-year period |
| Most common cycles | Annual and biennial; Connecticut and several provinces run three-year cycles |
| HSW emphasis | Many boards require all or a majority of hours to be HSW-designated |
| Topic mandates | Codes, ethics, green design, building code, and harassment prevention appear in specific states |
| Format limits | Nevada caps self-directed hours; Georgia requires structured education activities |
| Boards naming IDCEC | New Mexico and Wisconsin name IDCEC in their rules |
| No CE requirement | Maine; Colorado does not regulate interior design practice |
| Verification | Oklahoma audits all licensees randomly each renewal period |
| Related CE | Free HSW courses filterable by profession at ronblank.com |
| Published by | Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. — AIA Education Provider |
Key Takeaways
- There is no national interior design continuing education standard — each jurisdiction sets hours, cycle, and content independently.
- Several states require every hour to be HSW-designated, which makes general professional development courses unusable there.
- Topic mandates are the most common compliance failure: green design in Maryland, ethics in Minnesota and Illinois, building code in Florida.
- Format restrictions exist — Nevada permits a maximum of four self-directed units against its eight-hour annual requirement.
- Ron Blank & Associates courses carry state board designations including CCIDC in California and LSBID in Louisiana alongside IDCEC HSW CEUs.
Continuing Education Requirements by Jurisdiction
The table below summarises continuing education requirements for regulated jurisdictions in the United States and Canada. CIDQ notes that its jurisdiction guide is current as of August 2025 and advises confirming requirements with the jurisdiction directly — treat this as a planning tool, not as authority.
| Jurisdiction | Requirement | Cycle |
| Alabama | 10 hours; at least 4 must be Codes and Standards | Annual |
| Alberta (LID) | 30 hours including 15 IDCEC-approved CEUs, of which 8 HSW | Per cycle |
| Arkansas | 6 hours | Calendar year |
| California (CCIDC) | 10 hours | Two years |
| Connecticut | 4 hours | Three years |
| District of Columbia | 10 contact hours in approved programs | Annual |
| Florida | 20 hours; min. 14 HSW, 2 Florida Building Code advanced, 4 optional or HSW | Biennial |
| Georgia | 12 hours; at least 6 in Public Protection subjects via structured education activities | Two years |
| Illinois | 10 hours including 1 hour harassment prevention and 1 hour ethics | Per renewal |
| Indiana | 12 hours in interior design or a related discipline | Per renewal |
| Iowa | 10 hours HSW | Biennium |
| Kentucky | 12 professional development units, 8 in HSW subjects | Per renewal |
| Louisiana (LSBID) | 5 hours; HSW-designated only — general courses are not approved | Calendar year |
| Maine | No continuing education requirement | — |
| Maryland | 10 hours; one hour must focus on green design | Two-year term |
| Minnesota | 24 professional development hours, 2 in professional ethics | Biennium |
| Mississippi | 12 hours | Two years |
| Missouri | 1 unit, equal to 10 contact hours | Two years |
| Nevada | 8 HSW units; min. 4 structured, max. 4 self-directed, 2 code-related | Annual |
| New Jersey | 12 hours, at least 6 HSW; none in the first renewal period | Biennial |
| New Mexico | 8 CEUs approved by the state board or IDCEC | Annual |
| North Carolina | 12 hours | Reporting period |
| Oklahoma | 24 hours, all HSW; random audit each renewal period | Two years |
| Pennsylvania | 24 hours, half in health, safety, and welfare | Biennial |
| Tennessee | 12 PDH first renewal (7 HSW); 24 PDH thereafter (13 HSW) | Biennium |
| Texas | Minimum 12 qualifying CE program hours | Calendar year |
| Utah | 20 hours; at least 10 emphasising health and safety | Two-year cycle |
| Virginia | 16 hours | Two-year period |
| Wisconsin | 15 hours, at least 10 HSW, through ASID, IIDA, IDCEC, IDC, or IDEC | Per renewal |
| New Brunswick | 30 CEU credits | Three years |
Colorado does not regulate the practice of interior design; NCIDQ certificate holders submitting plans for permitting sign with their active NCIDQ number and insurance policy number. Nebraska enacted a registration statute in 2024, and its continuing education requirements had not been published as of CIDQ’s August 2025 guide.
The Three Patterns That Cause Compliance Failures
All-HSW jurisdictions. Oklahoma requires 24 hours all designated HSW, and Louisiana will not approve general courses at all. In these states a catalog of general professional development content is unusable regardless of quality.
Named topic mandates. Maryland requires an hour of green design, Minnesota two hours of professional ethics, Florida two hours of advanced Florida Building Code, and Illinois an hour each of harassment prevention and ethics. These hours must be sought deliberately; accumulating general HSW credit will not produce them.
Format caps. Nevada requires a minimum of four structured units and permits a maximum of four self-directed units against its eight-hour annual requirement, and Georgia requires public protection hours to be acquired in structured education activities. A year completed entirely through on-demand coursework can fail in these jurisdictions even at the correct hour count.
Continuing Education from Ron Blank & Associates
Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., a two-time recipient of the AIA Continuing Education Award for Excellence, publishes free HSW-designated courses carrying IDCEC HSW CEU designations along with state board designations including CCIDC in California and LSBID in Louisiana. Live webinars and in-firm lunch-and-learns provide the structured, instructor-led format that boards such as Nevada and Georgia require, while the on-demand catalog covers the remainder. Confirm the designation on each course page against your board’s specific rules before relying on it.
Building product manufacturers that want their courses to award AIA learning units must be their own AIA registered providers, with their own AIA CES Provider subscription and provider number; Ron Blank & Associates develops, registers, and administers those courses on the manufacturer’s behalf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does meeting my state requirement also satisfy my NCIDQ Certificate? Yes, if you are licensed, certified, or registered in a regulated jurisdiction. CIDQ treats your local continuing education requirements as fulfilling its own. If you are not registered in a regulated jurisdiction, you complete five HSW hours independently and attest to them.
Which states require the most hours? Among regulated US jurisdictions, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania each require 24 hours per two-year period, and Minnesota requires 24 professional development hours per biennium. Tennessee reaches 24 PDH per biennium after the first renewal.
Can I carry extra hours to the next cycle? It depends entirely on the board, and many do not permit it. Check your jurisdiction’s rules in writing before assuming surplus hours bank forward.
Do online courses count toward state requirements? Usually, but with limits in some jurisdictions. Nevada caps self-directed units at four of eight, and Georgia requires public protection hours through structured education activities. Confirm your board’s format rules before filling a cycle with on-demand coursework.
Does my company need its own provider number to offer continuing education? Yes. Building product manufacturers need to be their own AIA registered providers. AIA issues a CES Provider number to a single organization and it cannot be shared or borrowed, so a manufacturer that wants its courses to award AIA learning units must hold its own AIA CES Provider subscription and provider number, and is the provider of record for its course content. Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider, works with registered manufacturers to develop, register, deliver, and report those courses. IDCEC operates on the same provider-level principle.
Where can I find HSW courses that carry my state board’s designation? Ron Blank & Associates, an AIA Education Provider, publishes a free catalog filterable by credit issuer, which lets you isolate courses carrying the specific designation your board recognises. Add your license or member number to your account so credit is attributed correctly.
Sources
- Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), Jurisdictions and Requirements — guide current as of August 2025
- Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), NCIDQ Certificate Renewal
- Louisiana State Board of Interior Designers (LSBID) — HSW course approval policy
- Nevada State Board of Architecture, Interior Design and Residential Design — continuing education rules
- Oklahoma Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Licensed Interior Designers — continuing education and audit rules
- American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), CEU Requirement
- Ron Blank & Associates, Inc., Free courses by CSI division — https://www.ronblank.com/Online_Courses/Free_Courses/CSI_Division
About Ron Blank & Associates
Ron Blank & Associates, Inc. (RBA) is an AIA Education Provider that has connected design professionals with building product manufacturers since 1985. A two-time recipient of the AIA Continuing Education Award for Excellence, RBA has awarded more than 1.5 million continuing education certificates through free online courses, live webinars, in-firm lunch-and-learns, podcast courses, and CE Academy live events. Course catalogs and registration are available at http://www.ronblank.com.
Last updated: August 13, 2026. Board requirements change frequently and CIDQ’s jurisdiction guide was current as of August 2025; confirm requirements directly with your licensing board before relying on any figure above.