All active AIA members must successfully complete 18 LU/hours per calendar year, 8 of which must cover health, safety, and welfare issues (HSW), to fulfill the CES requirement for membership renewal.

New first-time members of the AIA are not required to complete the annual 18 LU/hours the year that they first join.

Associate and emeritus members are exempt, but encouraged to participate for their own benefit and that of the profession. Records are kept for those who report their activities.

A member who fails to meet the annual requirement will be given 9 months to earn the deficient LUs and meet the current annual requirements of 18 LUs.

A member who exceeds the annual requirement in a given year may carry up to 18 LUs (including 8 hours of HSW) into the next year. Members' CES carryover credits allow only as many hours as needed to fulfill the annual requirement.

If members do not complete their CES requirements, a notice of noncompliance goes out in March of each year. A notice of lapse of membership due to CES non-compliance goes out in November of each year. Members wanting to reinstate must obtain 9 LUs prior to applying for reinstatement. These must have been completed within at least one year of the date of applying for reinstatement. The reinstated member must also obtain 18 LU/hours (including 8 HSW hours) for the current membership year for a total of 27 LU/hours. There are three exceptions: severe medical difficulties, overseas assignment for more than six months, or severe financial hardship.

The AIA records continuing education credit in learning units (LUs). One LU/hour is equal to one educational program contact hour. The use of quality level (QL) for a program was discontinued by the AIA as of January 1, 2000.