The PA Department of Education (PDE) has announced that effective January 11, 2026, as per Section 1205.2, the following shall apply:

There is no charge for a professional educator to apply to PDE for voluntary inactive certification.

An educator with a voluntary inactive certificate can reactivate their certification if they provide PDE evidence that they received an offer of employment from a school that has committed to provide and ensure that the educator completes 30 hours of in-service continuing professional development within two years.

Any educator with an inactive certification can be removed from inactive status if they apply to PDE and show that they completed at least 30 hours of continuing professional education within the past 18 months. Previously, the requirement was 12 months.