How many hours of continuing education are required for license renewal in North Carolina?

This page contains information Continuing Education for PPS Licensees. We have been receiving numerous questions concerning continuing education credits for Private Protective Services License Holders.

If more than 12 hours of continuing education are completed in one renewal period, please be advised that only the 12 hours will be applied for that period, and any remaining hours are not applicable for future renewals.  

The rules have been amended for license renewals to require 12 continuing education credits for any license that expires after January 1, 2012. Courses are currently being given that will allow you to obtain continuing education credits prior to January 1, 2012. (Please see the Board's website for approved courses.) Therefore, if you are renewing your license after January 1, 2012, you will need to submit your renewal application along with Certificates of Completion that show you have received 12 hours of CE before the expiration date of your license.

To receive Continuing Education credit, a licensee must:

• Attend a board-approved continuing education course.
• Sign the PPSB Attendance Roster upon arrival at the training class site.
• Obtain a CE Attendance Certification form from the instructor upon completion of the class.
• Attach the Attendance Certification to the license renewal form and submit it to the PPSB office when renewing the license (Only submit attendance certifications when renewing.  Do not send the form in prior to renewing your license).

Every Licensee must also submit the Licensee's Statement of Continuing Education Hours. The licensee fills out this form and signs it verifying they have met and taken the required twelve (12) hours of continuing education hours to renew their licensee.
Only submit the Licensee's Statement of Continuing Education Hours when renewing. Do not send this form prior to renewing your license. 

To obtain Private Protective Services Board approval of Continuing Education courses:

• Download an application for CE Course approval or obtain one from the PPSB office.
• Submit the completed application and course outline to the PPSB office.
• The Board's CE subcommittee will review the course to determine if it is pertinent to the industry, and if it meets its stated objectives.
• These findings will be reported to the Board's Education & Training Committee, which will then recommend to the full Board to accept or deny course approval.
• If approved, the course is assigned a number and the course sponsor is sent a notice of approval. Courses will be approved for a four year period.

The rules require each licensee to complete at least twelve hours of CE training during each two-year renewal period. Registered employees are not required to complete continuing education. As a result, anyone renewing a license on or after January 1, 2012, must have completed his or her CE hours within the previous two-year licensing period.

Once the class is scheduled, the sponsor must notify the PPSB Secretary. The sponsor will then be sent an Attendance Roster and a Course Attendance Certification. At the end of the course, the instructor must provide an Attendance Certification to all persons completing the class.

The Private Protective Services Board is currently pursuing legislative changes related to the oversite of close personal protection (executive protection). The Board anticipates adopting regulations related to close personal protection licensing requirements, but has not done so yet. Accordingly, there is no guarantee that any course related to close personal protection will satisfy any training requirements regarding potential licensure. Additionally, the Board may approve close personal protection courses for continuing education credit. A Board-approved continuing education course does not necessarily satisfy any potential close personal protection licensing requirements.