Idaho Board of
Professional Engineers and
Professional Land Surveyors

Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are Idaho licensed engineers now subject to the Rules of Continuing Professional Competency I see on your website?

Short answer - Yes.

Long answer - The changes in the Idaho Code as a result of the passage of HB 380 last legislative session (2008) and which went into effect on 1 July 2008, enables the Board to require CPD for both engineers and land surveyors. Implementation of that authority is in IDAPA 10.01.04 Rules of Continuing Professional Development for Land Surveyors which places the requirement on both land surveyors and engineers as of May 08, 2009. The engineers are exempt, though, from the date of implementation (May 8, 2009) until their first biennial renewal after that date. At that renewal they must start collecting CPD hours to comply with the requirements. If you collect any PDHs in the current renewal period while you are exempt from the requirement, you may carry forward up to 30 PDHs into the next period.

Do Idaho licensed engineers now submit their log and records of Continuing Professional Competency on renewal?

Short answer - No.

Long answer - If you look at the Rule, which is available on our website and always at http://adm.idaho.gov/adminrules/rules/idapa10/0104.pdf you will note you are only required to produce your records when audited. You will be notified by the Board office should you be the subject of an audit. You are not required to submit them at any other time.

I'm interested in becoming licensed as an Professional Engineer (or Professional Land Surveyor). Without scouring all the laws and rules, is there a summary of what qualifications I need?

The "Applications" link in navigation bars at the left summarizes the forms required and the information and qualifications needed, as well as linking you to the Law and Rules Compendium and the Application packages.

I have recently met the requirements of being especially qualified in Structural Engineering in another state that I'm licensed in. Can I get my Idaho License Certificate modified to indicate this qualification?

We can add the SE designation to your current license if the Board approves your request. You will need to send a letter to the Board requesting the addition of the SE designation to your license based on the explanation you provide. You will also need to request a verification from the jurisdiction where you qualified for the SE license by taking and passing the 16 hours of NCEES Structural Examination. The Board will review your request at their next available meeting date. Please submit the $10.00 certificate fee with your request so that we may issue a new certificate to you, if approved.

Do I get a renewal card/certificate upon renewal by mail as a Business (P.E. or P.L.S or Engineer Intern or Land Surveyor Intern)?

For P.E. or P.L.S.: You're wallet card is printed on your renewal notice top portion.

For a Business or Engineer Intern or Land Surveyor Intern: No receipt and no new wall certificate (replacement wall certificates may be ordered) will be issued.

For all categories: You can check your current expiration at http://ipels.idaho.gov/rostersearch.cfm.

There's an engineer in our office for whom I need to renew the license. Is there a unique number assigned to him on this renewal form? To what address do I mail the money?

For P.E.: The number is P-# on the renewal form.

For a combination PE/LS: The number is PL-# on the renewal form.

For Land Surveyor: The number is a L-# on the renewal form.

No receipt will be issued. Your cancelled check or money order is your receipt.

For all categories: You can check your current expiration at http://ipels.idaho.gov/rostersearch.cfm.

The address is printed on the renewal form and a pre-addressed envelope is included in the mailing. Our address is:

Idaho Board for Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors
5535 West Overland Road
Boise, ID 83705

I'm a building official and want to know is it required for an Engineer to submit an original signature on their plans when submitting for a building permit?

Idaho Code states: "The seal and signature of the licensee and date shall be placed on all original documents in such a manner that such seal, signature and date are reproduced when the original document is copied."
Generally speaking, the engineer possesses the original document and stores it in his or her office. When copies or prints of that document are made, the seal and signature and date are reproduced, so an "original" or "wet" signature is not produced on copies which are typically submitted to the regulatory bodies for review and permitting. Engineers are not required to have an original signature on plan sets submitted for issuance of building permits.

I'm past my birth month and don't recall getting a renewal notice. Can I print one from the web or just mail in the money? What is the late fee?

The late fee is 20% of the renewal amount per month or any portion thereof. There is no late fee for EI/LSI/Retired licensees. You can email the Board Office at edith.williams@ipels.idaho.gov with your address, and we'll mail you another notice. Most of the time, the notice was mailed to the address on file, which wasn't updated by the licensee (as required) when the licensee moved, changed jobs, or otherwise changed addresses. Check http://ipels.idaho.gov/rostersearch.cfm to verify the contact information on file.

I let my Engineer Intern or Land Surveyor Intern certificate go past the renewal date. What do I have to do to get it reinstated?

The Engineer Intern or Land Surveyor Intern certificate doesn't ever "expire." Without renewing, we don't keep you on the mailing list of "current" Engineer Intern or Land Surveyor Intern's. To get back on the mailing list, simply request a renewal notice to be sent to you, and then send it in with the Engineer Intern or Land Surveyor Intern renewal fee.

I am licensed in Canada as a P.Eng. What do I need to do to get licensed as a P.E. in the State of Idaho?

If you're licensed as a P.E. in any other jurisdiction of the United States, or you have been licensed and practicing in Canada for over 8 years with no disciplinary actions against you (see Idaho Code 54-1219), you may complete an Application for Licensure by Comity. If not, fill-out the Application for Assignment to the Fundamentals Exam, and provide all the necessary documentation including college transcripts. A local law and rules examination may also be required.

If a client does not require (or request) that certain documents be stamped, does the client accept responsibility for the implementation of those designs?

Idaho Law clearly says that whenever you submit final plans to a client or to a public or governmental agency, you must stamp, sign, and date. If it is not final, it must be marked as "Not for construction" or "draft" (or similar words). Your client does not have the 'option' of stamped or unstamped drawings. You either need to stamp the final plans or indicate that they are not final by marking them as noted above.

I have my A.A.S. in Land Surveying and two years of notable experience. According to the rules in Idaho, I will be eligible to take my exam for the Fundamentals of Surveying in the Fall of 2008. I am planning on taking that exam, but I am concerned that it may be a waste of time and money for the reason that I will not be eligible to take my L.S. exam. Is this correct? From the information that I have gathered, I will not be eligible to take my L.S. exam (presuming I pass the Fundamentals exam) until the year 2011 which puts me beyond the 2010 mark.

The law which requires a 4-year degree in order to be assigned to the F.S. or L.S. exam after July 1, 2010 was passed in 2002. The reason there was an eight-year gap between the passage of the law and the effective date of the requirement was to allow persons interested in becoming a professional land surveyor time to obtain the necessary education and to put them on notice well in advance of the requirement. In any event, effective July 1, 2010, the law will require a four-year degree in order to be assigned to either the F.S. or P.S. exam. Whether or not you choose to apply for the F.S. exam is your decision. An alternative you may want to consider is seeking a license in another jurisdiction. If you are licensed in another jurisdiction prior to July 1, 2010, the law requires the Board to measure your credentials against the law that was in effect in Idaho at the time you were licensed in the other jurisdiction.

I need to renew my license. Can I do that online or over the phone, and pay by credit card?

At this time we cannot accept renewals online, over the phone, or credit card payments. We expect to upgrade our system in the future.

I've been assigned to the exam here in Idaho, but I would like to take the test in another state - is that possible?

Although we used to allow that, we no longer do for security reasons. For the same reason, we also will not proctor an NCEES exam for any other jurisdiction.

We sent our renewal form and payment some time ago. Did you receive it?

We moved to our current office location (5535 W. Overland Rd., Boise, Idaho 83705) several years ago. At that time, we notified all license and certificate holders of the address change. However, that information might not have been forwarded to your Accounts Payable division—which results in checks being auto-addressed to our old location. Unfortunately, our mail forwarding orders expired (USPS Regulation is one year maximum) and sometimes it takes weeks before your mailing is returned as "undeliverable."

Check with your Accounts Payable division to verify the address to which they mailed the check. If the check was cashed, please fax or email us a copy of the pertinent information so that we can research our records with the State Treasurer's Office.

What titles can an engineer-in-training use and what titles can an engineer use?

The Board has expressed opinions previously that use of the title "engineer" is not protected, but use of any title that implies that the person is licensed is protected. Obviously "professional engineer" is protected, as would be "licensed engineer" or "civil engineer" or any other discipline preceding "engineer" in a discipline used for licensing purposes. The Board has previously expressed an opinion that the title "Project Engineer" is not protected, but if a person is certified as an Engineer Intern, their title should reflect the same with those words or the acronym "E.I." In this case, the use of the title "Design Engineer" would likely not be a problem so long as it included "Engineer Intern". Like some other states, the title "Graduate Engineer" would not be a problem, but again, tell the whole story and include "E.I." so no one will be misled regarding your licensure status.

What initials can a Professional Engineer use behind his name?

Idaho licenses persons "generically" as opposed to "by discipline" so individuals are licensed as PE's regardless of the exam they take for licensing purposes. Idaho does not object to discipline designations such as C.E., M.E., E.E. or S.E. if that indicates the principal area of practice. The Board has previously expressed an opinion that a PE who has not passed the SE exams may still use the initials "S.E." in their title if structural engineering is their principal area of practice.

Can a PE or PLS digitally sign or seal their work

Yes! The statute for sealing work is found in http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/idstat/Title54/T54CH12SECT54-1215.htm (see 54-1215 3(a)). Therein it allows such work to be done with use of "a rubber stamp, crimp or electronically generated image." It goes on in the paragraph to say that "If the signature is handwritten, it shall be adjacent to or across the seal." And "A facsimile signature generated by any method will not be acceptable unless accompanied by an electronic signature." The electronic signature and electronically generated image sections were added in the 2002 Legislative Session.
Further, the definition of "signature" is found in subparagraph (14) of the Idaho Code (54-1202) pertaining to Engineers and Land Surveyors at http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/idstat/Title54/T54CH12SECT54-1202.htm
The Idaho Code that allows electronic signatures for business and describes their required characteristics is found at http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/idstat/Title28/T28CH50.htm
Autodesk in their AutoCadd and Acrobat products facilitates this electronic signing process and embeds the required electronic verification methodology.

If I (or we) only contract our engineering services to a federal government agency here in Idaho, are we exempt from the licensure requirement?

Although the Idaho Code doesn't exempt you, since your offering engineering services here in Idaho, the courts have decided that state licensing laws cannot regulate with whom the federal government contracts.
see Leslie Miller, Inc. v. Arkansas, 352 U.S. 187, 190, 77 S.Ct. 257 (1956); having said that, if you offer your services to anyone other than the federal government, you need to be licensed.

If I want to practice structural engineering, what qualifications do I need to have?

IDAPA 10.01.02, Rules of Professional Responsibility, Section 006, states in pertinent part:
"01. Assignments In Field Of Competence. A Registrant shall undertake to perform assignments only when qualified by education or experience in the specific technical field involved, however, a Registrant, as the prime professional, may accept an assignment requiring education or experience outside of his own field of competence, but his services are restricted to those phases of the project in which the Registrant is qualified. All other phases of such project shall be performed by qualified associates, consultants or employees. For projects encompassing one (1) or more disciplines beyond the Registrant's competence, a Registrant may sign and seal all documents for the total project only when the Registrant has first determined that all elements of the project have been performed, signed and sealed by other associates, consultants or employees who are competent and qualified to perform such services in other disciplines, and are registered or licensed."
So a civil engineer who is competent in structural engineering may practice structural engineering.
If the engineer wants to be especially qualified in structural engineering, then according to IDAPA 10.01.01, Rules of Procedure, Section 017.02 "Eligibility for Examinations, Educational Requirements", which states in pertinent part:
"d. In addition to the minimum requirements set forth in Section 54-1212, Idaho Code, a person who desires to be qualified by examination in the field of structural engineering shall meet the following requirements:
i. Be a registered professional engineer in Idaho.
ii. Have two (2) years of work experience in the field of structural engineering after being registered as a professional engineer. The Principles and Practice of Engineering examination for Structural Engineering will cover the practice of structural engineering to test the applicant's fitness to assume responsibility for engineering work affecting the public health, safety and welfare. The examination shall be sixteen (16) hours."
Then their license would say "especially qualified in Structural Engineering" and they would be so listed in our Roster.

BOARD CLARIFIES POSITION ON PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER ESPECIALLY QUALIFIED IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING from Newsletter #43 of April 2009

In approximately 1988 the Board adopted use of a 16 hour examination for use in licensing a professional engineer especially qualified in structural engineering. The Administrative Rules adopted by the Board in conjunction with that process required that the person first be licensed as a professional engineer in Idaho, that they have an additional two years of experience in structural engineering, and that they take and pass a 16 hour examination approved by the Board. At that time the Board used the “California” or “Western States” 16 hour structural examination. Some time later, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) developed the eight hour Structural I and the eight hour Structural II exams which were adopted by the Board. These examinations were intended to be used in conjunction with one another, but some jurisdictions began using the Structural I examination alone for initial licensure without the need to first pass a “base discipline” exam such as civil engineering and without the need to pass the Structural II exam. This has caused some problems with comity, since Idaho will not license a professional engineer by examination on the basis of passage of the NCEES Structural I exam alone. The NCEES Structural I and Structural II exams are undergoing change, and will soon be administered as a single 16 hour exam given in two days. Meanwhile, the Idaho Board has adopted a clarification of its policy in regard to licensing a professional engineer especially qualified in structural engineering. The Board policy is that individuals applying for licensure by examination must first take and pass a “base” discipline (such as civil), followed by an additional 2 years of experience in structural engineering, followed by passage of 16 hours of Structural Engineering exam. For comity applicants, if they have passed the NCEES Structural I and Structural II, they can be licensed as a Professional Engineer especially qualified in civil engineering, but in order to be licensed as a Professional Engineer especially qualified in structural engineering they must have passed a base discipline as well as the NCEES Structural I and Structural II. However, if a comity applicant for Professional Engineer especially qualified in Structural Engineering has been licensed as a structural engineer for eight years in another jurisdiction, the Board can waive the requirement of passage of the base discipline exam. The Board will revisit this policy when NCEES has adopted the changes to the structural engineering exam.

During the Board meeting held November 16-18, 2009, the Board also accepted the 8 hr Structural III given in the states of CA, WA and OR, when combined with the NCEES Structural II exam, to meet the requirement.