Idaho Board of
Professional Engineers and
Professional Land Surveyors

Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs)

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

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

For a Business or E.I.T or L.S.I.T.: 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 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 EIT/LSIT/FE/FLS/Retired registrants. You can email the Board Office at jennifer.rowe@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 registrant (as required) when the registrant moved, changed jobs, or otherwise changed addresses. Check http://ipels.idaho.gov/rostersearch.cfm to verify the contact information on file.

I let my E.I.T. go past the renewal date. What do I have to do to get it reinstated?

The E.I.T. certificate doesn’t ever ‘expire.’ Without renewing, we don’t keep you on the mailing list of ‘current’ E.I.T.’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 E.I.T. renewal fee.

I am licensed in British Columbia 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, you may complete an Application for Licensure by Comity. If not, fill-out the Application for Assignment to the Principles and Practices Exam, and provide all the necessary documentation including college transcripts. Under current law, you may be required to take examinations. If you have 12 years or more experience, you may request an exceptional waiver of the Fundamentals exam under Idaho Code 54-1223 (2). A detailed description of the conditions to be considered by the Board in granting this type of waiver is in IDAPA 10.01.01 (022). 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 L.S.I.T. 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 L.S.I.T.) 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 P.S. exam after July 1, 2010 went into effect on July 1, 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.

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

We moved to our current office location 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 “registered engineer” or “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-in-Training, their title should reflect the same with those words or the acronym “E.I.T.” In this case, the use of the title “Design Engineer” would likely not be a problem so long as it included “Engineer Intern” or “Engineer-in-Training”. Like some other states, the title “Graduate Engineer” would not be a problem, but again, tell the whole story and include “E.I.T.” or “E.I.” so no one will be misled regarding your registration 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.