What Is Certification Maintenance?

Starting January 1, 2008, all professional planners who are members of APA's professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), are required to engage in mandatory continuing education. The requirement took effect following an April 13, 2007, meeting of the AICP Commission at which commissioners approved a measure known as Certification Maintenance (CM). Their vote affirmed a central principle of AICP membership: the importance of remaining current in the practice of planning and demonstrating professional credibility through continuing education.

AICP's Certification Maintenance program is a direct result of that principle. It links you to training opportunities that will keep you up to date on the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. It also strengthens the value of certification, demonstrating your ongoing commitment to excellence to elected officials, community leaders, and employers.

Program Details

AICP members must earn a total of 32 CM credits (1 hour = 1 CM credit) within their two-year reporting period. AICP members may report credits for activities that were registered since April 14, 2007 and will have a four month-grace period beyond their reporting period to complete the CM requirement.

A minimum of 1.5 credits must be on the topic of ethics, and another 1.5 credits must be on the topic of current planning law. AICP members can carry over a maximum of 16 credits from one reporting period into the subsequent reporting period; however, ethics and planning law credits cannot be carried over to the next two-year reporting period. AICP members who do not meet CM requirements within four years will lose AICP certification and will be obliged to seek recertification in order to regain the AICP credential.

All professional development activities must be approved and registered to be eligible for CM credit and recorded into your online CM log. The list of registered events is growing every day, so please bookmark the CM website and check back to see whether an event you attended has been added.