I was engaged in a live chat the other day with a prospective customer interested in earning LEED Green Associate, LEED AP BD+C, and LEED AP O+M. Admittedly, this trifecta is not a common goal that we encounter; most folks use LEED Green Associate as a stepping stone to one LEED AP Specialty credential, while others remain at the LEED Green Associate level. This particular live chat led to a variety of LEED CMP questions that we don’t often have to answer.

For example, what is the process for re-certifying on these LEED designations?

Generally speaking, the LEED Credential Maintenance Program, as it’s called, follows these guidelines:

LEED Green Associate

• Credential lasts two years
• Acquire 15 hours of continuing education (which we offer)
• 3 of those hours must be specific to LEED concepts
• Pay a $85 renewal fee to the USGBC

LEED AP With Specialty

• Credential lasts for two years
• Credential replaces LEED Green Associate pre-requisite once achieved
• Acquire 30 hours of continuing education (which we offer)
• 6 of those hours must be specific to LEED concepts within your specialty
• Pay a $85 renewal fee to the USGBC

Now, when you throw in a LEED professional holding two LEED AP Specialty credentials, the LEED CMP process changes a bit.

Credential Holder with 2 LEED AP Specialties

• Credentials last for two years, with each specialty’s deadline tied to the passing of each specialty exam
• Credentials still replace LEED Green Associate pre-requisite once achieved, so the credential holder can identify him or herself as a LEED AP BD+C, O+M
• Acquire 36 hours of continuing education
• 6 of those hours must be specific to LEED concepts in your first LEED AP specialty category, 6 more hours must be specific to LEED concepts in your second LEED AP specialty category
• Pay a $170 renewal fee to the USGBC (the $85 biennial fee is per credential)

The live chat that inspired this blog post also inspired us to call USGBC directly to confirm these details. We pored through the USGBC website to find these answers and came up short, so we are happy to confirm (straight from USGBC) that the details listed above are correct as of 10/8/15.

The LEED CMP renewal fee used to be $50, but this (quietly) changed in the summer of 2015. The new LEED CMP renewal fee is $85. We’ll do our best to keep reporting the most accurate information as we come across it!

* To clarify, the recertification/continuing education efforts listed above are to be completed every 2 years by LEED accredited professionals. Credential holders only have to pass the LEED exam once, provided that he/she abides by the LEED CMP process every 2 years to maintain his/her LEED accreditation.