Continuing Education Credit (CECs) Basic Rules

Certification Renewal Fees

Every year operator certification is renewable for the following fiscal year (July 1-June 30) upon appropriate fee payment by June 30.

Every even-numbered year certification is renewable by fee payment PLUS completion of the appropriate CEC requirements. The CEC period is June 1, 2008 and end May 31, 2010 (all CEC forms must be turned into the DEQ office by June 15, 2010).

CECs Required for Fully Certified Operators:

  • Class 1 WATER operators (either or both water distribution or treatment) must earn 2.0 CECs (20 hours)
  • Class 1 WASTEWATER operators (either or both municipal or industrial wastewater) must earn 2.0 CECs (20 hours)
  • Class 2, 3 or 4 WATER operators (either or both water distribution or treatment) must earn 1.0 CECs (10 hours)
  • Class 2, 3 or 4 WASTEWATER operators (either or both municipal or industrial wastewater) must earn 1.0 CECs (10 hours)
  • Class 5 WATER operators (either or both water distribution or treatment) must earn 0.4 CECs (4 hours)

Operators-in-Training (OTs)

CECs are not required for renewal of certification for Operators-in-Training

Surplus CECs

A surplus of CECs earned during one biennium will not be applied to the following biennium.

Course Approval and Reporting

Before CECs can be earned for a course, the course must be approved for credit on a Montana Certification Office Individual Approval Form.

Courses must be reported on a Montana Credit Report Form which contains the signature of the course provider or Certificate of Completion submitted with the form.

Correspondence Courses

Correspondence courses must be fully completed and proof of completion from the course provider must be sent to the Certification Office for CECs. See the METC training calendar or contact the certification office for a list of approved courses.

Courses Approved for Dual CECs

Since July 1, 1998, operators who hold certification in both water and wastewater are able to earn CECs for both certifications when attending a course DEQ has approved as a dual CEC course.

Courses Only Approved for One-Half CECs

Training not directly applicable to water or wastewater plant operation can be approved for training but may only earn one-half the amount of CECs. Remember a CPR class is only good for credit the first time you take it.

Certification Earned During Middle of CEC Biennium

An operator who earns full certification from January of odd-numbered years through June 30 of even-numbered years will not be required to earn the applicable credit until the following two year period.

CEC Status Reports

An informational status report will be sent to each certified operator in December every other year. Please contact the certification office (444-3434) if you find any errors or discrepancies on this report.