Certification Frequently Asked Questions

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How do I get certified?

    Contractors seeking to become Certified Installers can get the complete information here. You will need to take a Concrete Paver Installer Course. Find a location by you on our events calendar and signing up for any of the available courses. Make sure that you fill out and submit the required installation experience application form. If you pass the exam and have the required installation experience, you can become a Certified Installer.

How do I earn an ICPI Concrete Paver Installer Certification?

    1. Take the ICPI Concrete Paver Installer course
    2. Receive a passing grade on the exam
    3. Complete an Application for Certification (meeting the minimum installation experience requirements     of at least 5 projects and 10,000 sq. ft.)
    4. Once you have completed the above steps and receive your certification it will be valid for two years. During each two-year term, you must complete 8 continuing education hours in order to renew your certification.

What if I’m not an installer, but I want to take the course?

    Many people who are not installers, such as design professionals and sales representatives, take the course for informational purposes. Every participant that passes the course will receive a Record of Completion, which states that you have completed the course and passed the exam. Those participants that do not install are able to take the course to earn a Record of Completion. Sales representatives can also apply for the Concrete Paver Sales Technician Designation.

    We will continue to work with our ICPI committee members to come up with a term that can be used by participants who complete the course but don’t install (design professionals, industry sales representatives, etc.). For now, something along the following lines would be appropriate:
  • I hold a Record of Completion for the ICPI Concrete Paver Installer Course
  • I am ICPI-trained
  • I follow ICPI’s best practices for installation

What if I am an installer, but I don’t meet the installation experience requirements yet?

    If you install, but do not yet meet the installation experience requirements you are still welcome to take the course to earn a Record of Completion. The Record of Completion received for passing this course does expire, so if you currently do not meet the minimum installation experience requirements, you have 5 years from the ROC issue date to meet them and submit your Application for Certification at that time.

How far back am I able to go for my installation experience?

    Installation experience can be taken from any period of time that a person has been installing. Installers can go back as many years as needed in order to fulfill the requirements.

What counts as installation experience?

    Installation experience refers to active participation on-site in the construction of an interlocking concrete pavement system. Do not include any projects on which work has not yet begun, or for which you were not actively involved on the job site.

How much Continuing Education do I have to complete?

    During each two year certification term Certified Installers will need to complete 8 continuing education hours. In most instances, one hour equals one continuing education hour.

What can I attend for Continuing Education?

    All of ICPI’s paver installer and NCMA’s SRW installer courses are approved for continuing education, as well as numerous member-sponsored presentations (typically provided by producer or distributor sales representatives). Regarding the availability of online courses, we do have some online courses available, and upon review, we will be re-activating that program soon. View a full listing of continuing education programs that have been pre-approved by ICPI. Not every program a Certified Installer attends needs to be "pre-approved" in order for it to count toward CE hours; however, pre-approved programs have gone through a review and approval process, and are sure to meet ICPI's guidelines for Continuing Education for Certified Installers. If you are having difficulty finding programs near you, check with your local hardscape manufacturer sales representative or distributor to see if they are offering any continuing education programs. Let us know if you hear about them - we would love to see more programs added to the pre-approved list. Additionally, if you know of any hardscape-related seminars, workshops, or presentations that you think should be approved for continuing education, please bring them to my attention, and we will review the content for approval of continuing education.

Why do I have to do Continuing Education?

    Continuing education is an important part of a certification program. If an organization certifies a participant’s competency (earning a passing exam score and meeting a minimum amount of installation experience are the criteria determined for the ICPI Concrete Paver Installer certification program), the organization must also have a way to keep those who are certified up to date on changes in the industry and keep their training current. Continuing education is the most common way for organizations to accomplish this.

Where can I find courses?

When are your courses?

Is there a course close to me?

    We have courses all over North America. Please check the Events Calendar to see if there is a course near you.

What’s the difference between membership and certification?

    Membership belongs to the company. All employees automatically receive the discounts for members so registration fees for any of the installer courses or other applicable activities and events will be less according to the company’s membership level. Certification belongs to the individual. It is the individual who is certified, not the company. Any company who does not have a Certified Installer on staff is not allowed to use the Certified Installer logo.

Can I sponsor a course?

    If your company is a member in good standing with ICPI, the company can sponsor an installer course.

How long is the certification good for?

    Certification has to be renewed every two years and always expires on December 31st. Please check your expiration year and renew before your certification is up.

Can I have a reprint of my certificate/can I have my certificate re-issued?

    Requests for reprints of any certificates (ROC, Certification and Designation certificate) or IDs have a $25 reprint charge. Please contact the education team to get a reprint.

How long before I get my test results?

    Your test results will be processed within 45 days after the materials have been shipped back to the ICPI Office.

How do I renew?

    Please get the complete information here. Your certification should be renewed every two years. You are certified until December 31st of your second year. Contact us to get a renewal application form. All Certified Installers must earn 8 Continuing Education (CE) hours within two years of the expiration date. For example, for those with a December 31, 2019 expiration must take CE hours earned within January 1, 2018-December 31, 2019. You may download the Continuing Education tracking form and fill it out as you earn your CE hours. Submit this with the renewal application form that has fee payment information. Your renewal application cannot be processed without payment.
    All late certification renewal applications incur a $25 late charge for processing after the December 31 deadline.

How do I send in the forms?

    The fastest way would be to scan and email them as attachments to certification@icpi.org. Or click here. Please avoid taking pictures and sending your forms as images as this may lengthen the processing time. All late certification renewal applications incur a $25 late charge for processing after the December 31 deadline.

How do I earn continuing education hour credits?

    You may take any courses whose topics must be related to hardscape installation, equipment, materials, safety, design, business, and marketing or administration skills. There are a lot of webinar recordings that members may access for free here. You can also check the list of ICPI Pre-Approved CE Programs and Continuing Education Calendar on our website.

How many continuing education hours do I need?

    You need 8 CEs for renewing your certification. For complete information, please click here. You are responsible for keeping track of those CEs you have earned.

Do I have to take the course again?

    No, you only need to take the course once, unless your certification has lapsed for over 5 years. It is up to you if you’d like to get a refresher on any course you have previously attended.

Can I just pay and turn in my CE hours later?

    We need your CE hours to process your renewal so you have to submit everything. All late certification renewal applications incur a $25 late charge (per year) for processing after the December 31 deadline.

Can I renew early?

    Yes! We have an early bird deadline of November 30 so if you turn in your renewal forms (fee payment and CE tracking form), you will get the discount according to your membership status.

What continuing education hours should I list?

    TOPICS THAT QUALIFY: Topics must be related to hardscape installation, equipment, materials, safety, design, business, and marketing or administration skills.

    OTHER GUIDELINES:
  • Programs must be a minimum of 60 minutes to qualify.
  • Programs that are mainly promotional in nature will not be accepted.
  • Time spent at tradeshow exhibits does not qualify as continuing education.

    • For complete information, please click here.