ID Wastewater Treatment Operator Classroom Hour Requirements
Wastewater Treatment Operators in ID must complete 6 classroom hours for each year of your licensing period — 6 to 12 hours in total, depending on the length of your licensing period (1 year or 2 years) — under the Idaho Board of Drinking Water and Wastewater Professionals (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses).
Category requirements
| Category | Minimum hours | Maximum counted |
|---|---|---|
| Germane to wastewater | 12 | No cap |
Do your hours meet the requirement?
Enter what you've completed this cycle:
When is it due?
Every date that hangs off your renewal — hours deadline, application deadline, and the point of no return.
Expiration dates here are per-operator — enter yours and every deadline that hangs off it is computed for you.
How long is your licensing period — and what does that make your hours?
Idaho states its requirement as a rate, not a total. IDAPA 24.05.01.100.06 (eff. 7-1-26): six (6) classroom hours (0.6 CEUs) 'for each year of the licensing period.' The total therefore depends on whether the operator's licence is a one-year or two-year licence. The prior text (100.05, eff. 7-1-24) said six hours flat because every licence was annual.
| Your licensing period | Classroom Hours due |
|---|---|
| 1 year | 6 |
| 2 years | 12 |
12 is the two-year figure. DOPL's biennial phase-in moved odd-birth-year licensees from 14 Oct 2025 and even-birth-year licensees during 2026, so by late 2026 the two-year period is the modal case.
Source: Idaho Code 67-2614(4) permits DOPL to shorten or extend a renewal period by up to one (1) year to establish or change a renewal cycle - so period length remains operator-variable after the phase-in, not only during it.
Cycle and deadlines
The licence expires on the licensee's birthday. There is no statewide renewal date; every operator has a different one.
Unlike Tennessee, Idaho runs one clock. Hours must be completed during the prior licensing period and are attested at renewal. The deadline is the licensee's birthday and is computable from facts the operator knows.
You may NOT practice while the certificate is lapsed. The licence is cancelled, not delinquent (Idaho Code 67-2614(9)). DEQ separately requires each community wastewater system to be under the responsible charge of a currently valid licence at or above the system's classification (IDAPA 58.01.16.203.01), so a lapse is a system compliance problem as well as an operator one.
Carryover: Up to 6 hours. Up to six (6) classroom hours (0.6 CEUs) per licensure discipline may be carried forward for up to one (1) renewal cycle (IDAPA 24.05.01.100.06.a). The same hours may not be carried forward more than one cycle. The cap did NOT scale when licences went biennial, so on a 12-hour period carryover covers at most half the requirement.
Not confirmed: the carryover cap on a two-year period. Whether the six-hour cap is six per licensing period or six per year of the period (12 on a biennial licence). The rule says six. The Board's website still explains carryover in annual terms ('to meet the next year's continuing education requirement'), which predates the biennial cycle.
Who can answer: DOPL - BCRE-Licensing@dopl.idaho.gov, (208) 334-3233
Not confirmed: proration for shortened or extended periods. 67-2614(4) lets DOPL shorten or extend a renewal period by up to a year. Whether a period shorter than two full years prorates the CE requirement (e.g. 9 hours for 18 months), rounds down to 6, or rounds up to 12 is not addressed. Same question for an operator reinstating mid-cycle. Note that 67-2614(8) bars proration of FEES; it says nothing about hours.
Who can answer: DOPL - BCRE-Licensing@dopl.idaho.gov, (208) 334-3233
Holding more than one certificate
The requirement attaches to the licence DISCIPLINE, not the licence. One set of hours covers every wastewater licence you hold - Treatment, Collections, Land Application, Very Small System and Wastewater Laboratory Analyst are all the Wastewater discipline. A drinking water licence is a second discipline and needs its own full set.
Not confirmed: whether one course can count toward both disciplines. Whether a single course germane to BOTH drinking water and wastewater may be credited toward both discipline requirements, or whether the two sets must be earned separately. The rule does not say. During the 2025 rulemaking a board member raised the question and counsel drafted permissive language ('The board may, upon petition, apply CEU credit to both license types') which was NOT adopted.
Who can answer: Idaho Board of Drinking Water and Wastewater Professionals, DOPL - BCRE-Licensing@dopl.idaho.gov, (208) 334-3233
Source: IDAPA 24.05.01.100.06 and the licence-discipline table at 100.01 (eff. 7-1-26)
Will this course count?
Excluded courses and subjects
- Soft skills and computer skills — The Board's Q&A answers 'No, these courses are not germane to the profession' to a question that specifically raised Microsoft Excel and Word, SOP drafting, rate-review analysis and supervisory skills, and adds 'anything not directly related to the drinking water or wastewater profession.' Worth stating plainly on the page: utility-management training is a natural thing for a supervisor to fund and it earns nothing in Idaho.
Worth knowing: these DO count
- First aid and other relevant safety training — Counts, with no limit on how much of the requirement it may make up.
- Internal training run by a water or wastewater utility with staff leadership — Counts.
- Sales presentations — Counts, where germane.
Credit for things that aren’t courses
Instructing or speaking at a drinking water or wastewater continuing education course: credited at same number of classroom hours as the students of the germane course, limited to one (1) presentation per year of the licensing period — claimed on the state’s form.
What Idaho calls these hours
Idaho counts Classroom Hours (classroom hours).
| This... | ...counts as |
|---|---|
| 1 CEU | 10 Classroom Hours |
Idaho's rule prints both figures together: six (6) classroom hours (0.6 CEUs). 'Classroom' is not a delivery-mode restriction - remote and distance study courses are expressly acceptable if germane (IDAPA 24.05.01.100.06). The Board's Q&A adds that the classroom may be indoors or outdoors, that facility tours qualify, and that break and lunch time do not count.
Does Idaho track your hours for you?
No. The state keeps no record of your hours — your own file is the only record that exists.
You certify your own compliance at renewal: The renewal application asks the licensee to answer 'Yes' that the continuing education requirement has been met. DOPL: by doing so 'you are certifying to the Board that you have already obtained proof of having completed the required continuing education.'
No ledger, no portal record, no provider reporting, no third-party administrator. The operator's own file is the only record of CE that exists in Idaho.
Records and audits
What counts as proof: Certificate of completion showing provider, student name, date, number of credits, and type (drinking water / wastewater).
If you’re audited
A listing of all continuing education courses completed during the period AND proof-of-attendance documentation for each course. If hours were carried forward, documentation for the previous period as well.
What happens if you miss it
| What happened | What follows |
|---|---|
| Expiration date reached (the licensee's birthday) without renewal | the certificate lapses — The licence is immediately cancelled by the division following the date of expiration. There is no grace period and no late-renewal window. |
| Within five (5) years of the expiration date | reinstatement, with the CE still owed — The division MAY reinstate on receiving documentation of compliance with the renewal requirements - including the continuing education - plus the renewal fee and a $35 reinstatement fee. This is the point at which CE documentation must actually be produced. — (at the board’s discretion) |
| Cancelled more than five (5) years | full requalification — including retaking and passing the exam — A new application is required with the current new-applicant fee, all money owed, and requirements the division determines to demonstrate competency to resume practice, which may include education, supervised practice, and examination. — (at the board’s discretion) |
A CE shortfall is not separately penalised - it surfaces either as an inability to truthfully attest at renewal, or at audit, where failure to produce documentation may result in Board action against the right to licensure.
What class does your plant require?
System classification is set by DEQ, not DOPL: classification rating forms are completed by the system owner and DEQ issues the final classification (IDAPA 58.01.16.202). Criteria are complexity, size, volume and raw-waste variability for treatment systems, and complexity or size for collection systems. No published class-to-flow lookup table was located, so no facility_class_table_url is asserted.
Also hold a drinking water license?
Idaho runs drinking water certificates under the same rule — the numbers mirror this page, but check the multi-certificate section above for what holding both does to your total.
Rules in motion
The Board has a special meeting on 15 September 2026 and a public hearing on 15 October 2026 posted to DOPL's calendar. The docket text was not published on the board's page as of 2026-09-03. The 2025 negotiated rulemaking that produced the current rule also floated, and did not adopt, tighter backflow assembly tester requirements and a petition mechanism for applying CEU credit to both licence disciplines - both plausible candidates to return.
Common questions
- How many Classroom Hours do I need to renew a wastewater treatment operator certificate in Idaho?
- 6 Classroom Hours for every year your licensing period covers. That is 6 Classroom Hours on a one-year licence and 12 on a two-year licence.
- Do I need more Classroom Hours for a higher grade?
- No — Idaho requires the same Classroom Hours at every grade.
- Can I carry extra hours over to the next cycle?
- Yes — up to 6 Classroom Hours. Up to six (6) classroom hours (0.6 CEUs) per licensure discipline may be carried forward for up to one (1) renewal cycle (IDAPA 24.05.01.100.06.a). The same hours may not be carried forward more than one cycle. The cap did NOT scale when licences went biennial, so on a 12-hour period carryover covers at most half the requirement.
- I hold more than one certificate — what does that do to my hours?
- The requirement attaches to the licence DISCIPLINE, not the licence. One set of hours covers every wastewater licence you hold - Treatment, Collections, Land Application, Very Small System and Wastewater Laboratory Analyst are all the Wastewater discipline. A drinking water licence is a second discipline and needs its own full set.
- Does Idaho keep a record of my hours for me?
- No — the state holds no record of your hours; your own file is the only record that exists.
- What happens if I renew late?
- There is no late-renewal window — once the certificate expires you are in the reinstatement path, not the renewal path. You cannot practice while the certificate is lapsed.
- Can I renew without completing the hours?
- No — Idaho offers no alternative path such as an exam in lieu of CE; completing the hours is the only way to renew.
- How long do I have to keep my course documentation?
- The rule requires you to retain proof of completion and sets no end date. The board suggests about 2 years, but that is guidance rather than rule, and an audit can be opened any time after you renew.
Related guides
Moving to another state? License reciprocity, state by state
Other states where missing the deadline means retaking the exam: California, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee
Other states that keep no record of your hours at all: South Carolina
Hold a reciprocal certificate across the border? Bordering states: Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Stop tracking this in a folder
Save your hours, store every certificate, and get renewal reminders before the deadline — free for your first license.
Start your free ledgerWaterCEU is a record-keeping tool, not compliance or legal advice. Requirements change; always verify current rules with your state board before relying on any total shown here. Source: Idaho Board of Drinking Water and Wastewater Professionals (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) (last verified 2026-09-03).
A note on citations: Two versions of IDAPA 24.05.01 are in circulation and the wrong one is easier to find. The current text is identifiable by (a) the section number - continuing education is 100.06, not 100.05 - and (b) the phrase 'for each year of the licensing period.' The superseded 7-1-24 text numbers CE at 100.05, says six hours without a per-year qualifier, and carries a separate sentence beginning 'A licensee holding both drinking water and wastewater licenses.'
Sites still serving the superseded text as of our last check: Cornell LII (law.cornell.edu/regulations/idaho/IDAPA-24.05.01.100); Justia (regulations.justia.com/states/idaho/24/24-05-01/); DOPL's own programme page at dopl.idaho.gov/wwp; secure.ibol.idaho.gov legacy licensure pages.