Florida PE Stamp Essentials
Florida PE Stamp Primer
Professional Engineer (PE) stamps are commonplace, particularly in the southeastern states that dominate the construction and engineering industries. In Florida, they are prevalent and sometimes mandated by local laws, particularly when it comes to permitting and construction of commercial and/or multi-family buildings. Specifically, Section 471.025 of the Florida Statutes creates a statewide requirement that every set of plans submitted for permit review be sealed and signed by an engineer. This State law effectively creates a requirement for a "PE stamp" on engineering plans. This level of regulation is not necessarily found in many states.
So, what is a PE? A Professional Engineer (PE) is defined in the Florida Administrative Code as a "licensed professional engineer" or "professional engineer" as those terms are defined in Section 471.005, F.S. To be eligible for licensure as a licensed professional engineer in Florida you must be at least 18 years old and possess one of five types of academic degrees in engineering as per Board Rule 61G15-19.001, F.A.C. These degrees all typically require four to six years of engineering-related coursework at an accredited college or university; and possess verifiable engineering work experience for at least four years (with some exceptions). You may also gain licensure as a professional engineer by obtaining a Ph.D. in engineering in that discipline of engineering in which you are applying to become licensed. A person cannot hold more than one professional engineer’s license and only one license is required to practice in any discipline of engineering in Florida.
Why does anyone care about the Florida PE stamp? Florida has taken steps to ensure that licensed engineers are held to high standards and that they obtain their licensure under the most rigorous criteria. The process for becoming a licensed professional engineer typically takes 10 years or longer , which would include: four years of earning a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, earning a Master’s level engineering degree, then obtaining a higher-level certification such as a Ph.D. in engineering, and then working for four years under the supervision of a licensed engineer. Or, the 10-year process may involve earning a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, then working for four years under the supervision of a licensed engineer and subsequently earning a Master’s degree in engineering in that engineering discipline, and then working four years under the supervision of a licensed engineer.
Florida constructs its statutes and regulations to bond the highest standards of engineering by requiring all licensed engineers in Florida to obtain their license based upon years of rigorous academic coursework, and construction career-related work experience under the supervision of a licensed engineer. An engineer cannot take the test and immediately obtain their license as a professional engineer unless they do so after working under the supervision of a licensed engineer. The reason that this is important is that an engineer routinely provides professional engineering services to the public and it is critically important that those services meet the community standards, industry standards, and other applicable standards of practice throughout the engineering, design, and construction process.
Legal Requirements for a PE Stamp
Florida law has very strict requirements for engineers to use their PE stamps, and the consequences for engineers breaking those rules can be severe. Florida Statutes Section 471.033 provides as follows: (1) A person shall be deemed to be falsely holding himself or herself out to be a licensed professional engineer if he or she is not licensed as a professional engineer in accordance with this chapter and he or she: (a) Uses the title "engineer," individually or in combination, with or without other words or letters, or any other title that may misleadingly imply or designate that he or she is a licensed professional engineer; (b) Holds himself or herself out as a P.E. or falsely advertises that he or she is a P.E.; or (c) Affixes his or her signature to any plan or specification with the intention of implying that he or she is a licensed P.E. (2) A person shall be deemed to be falsely working in the capacity of a professional engineer if he or she practices or offers to practice as a P.E. in this state without being licensed in accordance with this chapter or unless exempt under s. 471.003. (3) The board may discipline a licensee or an applicant applying for licensure in accordance with s. 471.033 and may institute proceedings for enforcement of this section or s. 471.035. The board may disapprove plans that are not signed by the engineer because plans not signed by the designer may reflect only the thoughts or directions of others. The exact wording above is from the Florida Statutes, however the common terms for the same meaning are "seal," "signed," "sealed," and "PE stamp." Florida Statutes Section 471.037 also explicitly prohibits anyone who is employed by a licensed professional engineer from signing and sealing construction documents and plans. Meaning that builders and contractors cannot ask their in-house engineers to sign off on plans without breaking the law. A violation of the licensing rules in Florida can be serious with potential penalties including monetary fines, loss of licensure, professional discipline, and in egregious cases may include criminal charges as well.
Five Steps to Become a PE in Florida
Section 473.015, Florida Statutes, outlines the steps to attain licensure as a professional engineer in this state. All applicants shall:
Determining whether you qualify to take the examination requires either a four-year degree in engineering from a school or college of engineering approved, fully accredited, or recognized by the Board; or a "combination of the following: (a) 15 years of experience, (b) of which 3 years must be in engineering responsible charge. (c) and if the applicant graduated from a college not approved, accredited, or recognized, 4 additional years if experience is in Florida, and 15 years if experience is "after obtaining the degree upon which the application is based."
If you have any subject matter questions about the exam the staff will direct you to the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES).
For general questions about licensure or the application process, the Florida Board of Professional Engineers strongly recommends first consulting their website. The contact details for the board office are telephone number (850) 521-0500 and e-mail [email protected].
Common Missteps Regarding PE Stamp Compliance
One of the most common mistakes is signing and sealing plans or calculations that are not specifically associated with the contract you are working on at the time. A civil engineer maintaining their own PE license should not sign and seal the noise wall calculations for the sound engineer performing the work.
Another common error is signing and sealing design calculations for an admin contract. While it may be tempting to take on extra work for a small fee, it is important to remember that as the responsible professional engineer , you must be able to fully review the design. If you question the quality of the design or if you know that another professional engineer has already reviewed it, then you should consider whether the risk of signing and sealing is worth the small fee.
A third common error is failing to document basic assumptions in the design calculations. Write down exactly what steps you have taken to reach the conclusions contained in the pages of calculations. A three or four line statement should be sufficient to credit the original engineer and document the basic design assumptions.
License Renewal and CEAs
For those who have a Florida professional engineering license, it is important to keep track of the renewal process and requirements for continuing education. In order to maintain your license, you must renew it biennially. Typically, the license renewal is due on the expiration date of the license. You can use the Florida DBPR’s Online Services portal to check your license status and renewal information. You will also receive a renewal application from the department about 90 days before your license is set to expire. It is important to submit your renewal application with payment before your license expires. If the application is not received within 1 month of the expiration, you will instead be required to file a Request for Reactivation. Unlicensed practice of engineering can also result from failure to timely pay renewal fees, on top of the disciplinary action from the board, and there is an additional cost for an expired license.
The Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) requires a minimum of 16 approved hours of continuing education during each renewal period. The continuing education must include at least 1 hour each in the areas of "professional ethics," "Florida Laws and Rules," "Florida Statutes," and "Florida Building Code." However, if you renew your license before the 2016-2017 renewal period, you are exempt from the requirements for the Ethics, Laws & Rules, Statutes, and Building Code. The enhanced requirement for continuing education for each license renewal period does not have to be completed until the 2018-2019 renewal period. FBPE oversees the online portal where approved providers can upload their continuing education courses for approval. Courses approved through this portal automatically appear in the account of those seeking the credits.
The Influence of a PE Stamp on Your Career and Your Projects
For some engineers, a PE stamp represents the pinnacle of their career achievements. This is not to say that less degree-holding engineers are less competent, just that the decision to pursue a license is, in the opinion of many, a sign of commitment and achievement. Obtaining a PE license opens up a number of career opportunities to engineers, such as providing testimony as an expert witness in legal cases, becoming a licensed engineer-in-training (LET), and being able to sign and seal final engineering drawings and documents.
In Florida, licensure is required for all engineers involved in projects where the public may be affected should the structure fail . It is the job of the state board to decide the final rulings on questionable engineering practices and malfeasance. An engineer cannot act as an expert witness on a legal case unless they are licensed by their state’s licensing board. The last role is to provide structural integrity for project construction documents that will eventually go to the permitting process.
Obtaining a PE stamp carries with it an ethical responsibility to the public at large. An engineer with a PE stamp is ethically obligated to provide the greatest degree of diligence and skill when on a project. This is referred to as providing the standard of care for a project, and this is what governs the engineering industry.