Licensing and exams
Choose from the following categories:
- General Questions
- Professional License Renewal
- Engineering or Land Surveying Firms
- Fundamentals of Engineering Exam
- Fundamentals of Land Surveying
- Professional Engineer Exam or Comity
- Professional Land Surveyors
- Structural Engineer by Exam or Comity
General Questions
You can send us an email at engineers@brpels.wa.gov or you can log into your account and update your address online.
U.S. Veterans may be eligible for partial reimbursements of costs. For more information: Education and Training | Licensing and Certification
You can send us an email at engineers@brpels.wa.gov or you can log into your account and update your name online.
You should receive your new wall certificate within 12 weeks of being notified that you have been licensed.
You need to send us an email that includes your name and license number. There is no cost for this.
The name on the stamp must match our records on who is issued the license. Use of a middle initial, in place of a full middle name, is acceptable. However, nicknames are not acceptable unless they match our licensing records.
You may qualify for retired status when you reach age 65 and have discontinued active practice. If you are under Board ordered sanction (suspension, reprimand etc.) at the time you reach 65 you will not be eligible for retired status until those conditions have been removed. You need to fill out the Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Retired Certificate of Registration Application and submit to our office.
Professional License Renewal
You are able to self-print a copy of your license by logging into your SAW account and accessing our service, Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
Manage your existing professional license and click into your license number. Select ‘Generate License’ and choose how you would like to receive the updated license. There is a $5.00 print fee to mail a copy.
Double check your birthdate and license type. If you have leading zeros on your license number, do not include them. If you are still unable to locate and link your license please email the board office at engineers@brpels.wa.gov.
Access the service called ‘Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.’ If you do not see the service listed in your account, click ‘add a new service.’ Once the service has been added click ‘access now,’ complete the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and you will be directed to our service.
Since SAW is used by many agencies, you may already have a SAW account and not know it. You can also have multiple SAW accounts with one email address.
Check if you already have a SAW account by going to secureaccess.wa.gov, clicking Get Help, and entering your email address in the Username Reminder field.
If you have an account, you will receive an email. If not, a message will pop up saying that your email is not found in the system, and you can proceed with signing up.
Hint: If you have multiple email addresses, you may want to search for each of them in the system before creating a new account.
The first time you log into Secure Access Washington (SAW) you will be asked to put in a contact email address and phone number.
The next time you log in, you may get a numeric code sent to your phone or email. You’ll enter this code into the login screen to verify you are authorized to access your account.
SAW requires you to list at least one email address and phone number. However, if you lose access to this primary email and phone number, you will not be able to access your account. We recommend you provide a back-up email and phone number.
Yes, you can renew online or by mail. A late fee applies after 90 days.
If your PE or PLS license has been expired for more than 5 years, you are also required to take and pass the Washington Law Review.
On-Site Wastewater Designers must reapply if their license has been expired for 2 years.
In most cases, license renewals completed online are automatic! If you renew your license by mail, please expect up to 6 weeks processing time.
Engineering or Land Surveying Firms
No, the Designated Engineer and/or Land Surveyor must be licensed in Washington. Additional information can be found here.
Complete both pages of the Change of Designated Engineer/Land Surveyor form and email it to our office, engineers@brpels.wa.gov.
Make sure the Designated Engineer or Land Surveyor stamps the affidavit form before submitting.
The UBI Business ID and UBI Location ID are required during renewal. This information can be found on your Master Business License or the public license lookup on the DOR website.
To renew your COA the following must be active:
- Registration with Secretary of State (SOS)
- Registration with Department of Revenue (DOR)
- There must be one active location.
- Designated Professional Engineer and/or Land Surveyor
If these are not current your COA will not be processed.
Yes, you must register with Department of Revenue (DOR) once your Unified Business Identifier (UBI) is active with Secretary of State (SOS).
Reference WAC 196-25-005
All corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) that offer engineering or land surveying services must have a Certificate of Authorization (COA) in Washington, except for professional service (PS) corporations and professional service limited liability companies (PLLCs).
Reference WAC 196-25
Fundamentals of Engineering Exam
Yes, you can still work in Washington as an EIT if you have taken and passed your EIT in another jurisdiction as long as you are working under the direct supervision of a Professional Engineer. When signing your name on emails, correspondence etc. you will use your name - EIT State (example John Smith - EIT CA)
To obtain a certification as an Engineer-In-Training (EIT) in Washington you must pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and submit a certification application to the board that shows you meet the requirements listed in WAC 196-20-007.
If you have already submitted the EIT registration application short form or the EIT long form, you do not need to submit a certification application request.
None. It is simply a different name for the same exam.
The Washington Board does not require that the FE/EIT exam be in the same discipline as your PE exam.
If you were registered as a Washington applicant and failed the fundamentals exam, you can go directly to the NCEES website and register to retake the exam. You may take the exam once during any 2-month testing window, and no more than 3 times in a 12-month period.
Please email engineers@brpels.wa.gov when you register for the exam.
Fundamentals of Land Surveying Exam
Yes, you can still work in Washington as an LSIT if you have taken and passed your LSIT in another jurisdiction as long as you are working under the direct supervision of a Professional Land Surveyor. When signing your name on emails, correspondence etc. you will use your name - LSIT State (example John Smith - LSIT CA)
None. It is simply a different name for the same exam.
If you were registered as a Washington applicant and failed the fundamentals exam, you can go directly to the NCEES website and register to retake the exam. You may take the exam once during any 2-month testing window, and no more than 3 times in a 12-month period.
Please email engineers@brpels.wa.gov when you register for the exam.
Yes, more information here. You must obtain approval from the board prior to registering with NCEES.
Professional Engineer by Exam or Comity
Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Architectural Engineering (licensed in WA as Building Systems Engineer)
Chemical
Civil
Control Systems
Electrical
Environmental
Fire Protection
Industrial and Systems
Mechanical
Metallurgical and Materials
Mining and Mineral Processing
Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Nuclear
Petroleum
Structural (requires current licensure as a WA PE before applying)
No, as long as the PE verifying your work experience is licensed in the jurisdiction where the work experience was gained.
Work experience gained outside the U.S. must be under the direct supervision of an engineer licensed in the jurisdiction where the work experience was gained. International experience will be reviewed by the board.
No, once you are approved by the WA State board, you may take the exam anywhere that NCEES offers the exam.
Once you are approved for the exam by WA State, you can take the exam anywhere that is offered by NCEES.
Licensing examination content is copy write protected and not available for public inspection. Many questions are repeated from one exam to another. Review of exams would compromise future exams.
If you fail a NCEES or state specific exam, you will be provided with a diagnostic report that outlines how you performed in topic areas of the exam.
For any experience to be considered there must be a Professional Engineer in the company. If you have questions, please contact the board office.
(360) 664-1575
Your experience must be gained under the direct supervision of a licensed PE unless you are employed by the federal government, in the military or you work in the manufacturing industry.
If your experience is gained in the manufacturing industry your experience is not required to be under the direct supervision of a licensed PE, however, a PE must be employed at the company (at the time of your employment). You must list their name and license number on the experience verification form.
If your work experience was gained while employed by the federal government/military, your direct supervisor must verify your work experience.
Approval time varies. Make sure you submit a complete application to our board.
You must submit an online application and a completed Washington Engineer Law Review exam.
- The online application requires you provide work experience and education. However, you may place minimal information into the fields such as, "see NCEES record."
No. The person verifying your work must be licensed. Your verifier could be someone who was closely involved in the work and can verify that the description of the work is accurate. An example would be a contractor, co-owner, governmental agency or another engineer employee of the business.
No. Go online and follow the instructions for requesting a license or exam verification. If your state board is not listed on this site, contact the state board(s) where you took the exam(s) and/or are currently licensed to request verification be sent to the Washington Board.
If requesting verification from the Washington State Board to be sent to another State Board, go online and follow the instructions for requesting a license or exam verification.
No. Washington does not require a degree to become licensed. However, official transcripts are required for all applicants that want education considered towards the 8-year experience requirement.
No. Board rules state that work experience gained between semesters or quarters or during summers while enrolled in an approved curriculum will be considered part of the educational process. No more than 1 year of experience will be granted for 1 calendar year.
Washington State law provides that the board may, at its discretion, give credit as experience not in excess of one year, for satisfactory postgraduate study in engineering.
If you have an international engineering degree, you must have your degree evaluated by NCEES Credentials Evaluations unless your degree was accredited by EAC/ABET, or your degree was accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB).
NOTE: If you have a foreign undergraduate degree in engineering, and a MS or PhD in engineering and you do not get a foreign degree evaluation, you may only receive a maximum of 4 years of credit towards the 8 years of credit needed. If you obtained a masters degree in engineering you must include a copy of your transcript for your undergraduate degree in English with your application.
The board only accepts evaluations done by NCEES. If your degree was evaluated by another service, please contact the board office.
(360) 664-1575
Your application will be processed for the next scheduled exam. There are no exceptions.
Professional Land Surveyors
Please find below a response to questions from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), regarding recording monument replacements and encroachments.
However, please note; this response CANNOT provide conclusive answers. Instead, it is intended to provide the Board's perspective as an external stakeholder. It should NOT be relied on by DNR as legal authority, and the opinions expressed here should not be used as a basis for legal advice to private citizens.
DNR Letter Recording Monument Replacements and Encroachments
No. The person verifying your work should preferably be licensed, but could also be someone who was closely involved in the work and can verify that the description of the work is accurate. An example would be a contractor, co-owner, governmental agency or another land surveyor employee of the business.
No. Go online and follow the instructions for requesting a license or exam verification. If your state board is not listed on this site, contact the state board(s) where you took the exam(s) and/or are currently licensed to request verification be sent to the Washington Board.
No, please contact the board office if you have additional questions.
(360) 664-1575
Yes. All land surveyor applicants are required to take and pass the state specific 4-hour written examination in addition to taking and passing the Washington Land Surveyor Law Review. The law review must be taken and passed prior to your application being reviewed.
The board may allow the Washington state specific exam to be proctored in another state, subject to that state board's approval and availability. If you would like your state specific exam proctored in another state, please contact that state board and notify us by email at, engineers@brpels.wa.gov.
The NCEES 6-hour Principles and Practice of Surveying exam may be proctored at any Pearson Vue Testing Center. Contact NCEES for more information.
Licensing examination content is copyright protected and not available for public inspection. Many questions are repeated from one exam to another. Review of exams would compromise the exam items from further use. If you fail a NCEES or state specific exam, you will be provided with a diagnostic report that outlines how you performed in topic areas of the exam.
Your application will be processed for the next scheduled exam. There are no exceptions.
No.
No. Washington State does not have provisions to waive either the FS or PS exam regardless of degrees or experience or being licensed in another state.
You must submit an online application and a completed Washington Land Surveyor Law Review exam.
- The online application requires you provide work experience and education. However, you may place minimal information into the fields such as, 'see NCEES record'.
Structural Engineer by Exam or Comity
The SE license in our new system is viewed like an endorsement to your Washington Professional Engineer (PE) license. Log in to Secure Access Washington (SAW) and access our service, "Professional and Business Licensing." If you do not see "Professional and Business Licensing" on your list of services, you must add our service to your SAW account. Once at our service, select "Professional Licenses" at the top of your screen. Click into your license number and select "manage endorsement." Upload the first two pages of your Structural Engineer Registration Application. From the drop down, select none or n/a.
We will accept passage of the SE II exam (AM & PM) as long as you have also passed a state specific SE III exam. If you have only taken the SE I and SE II exams (administered prior to April 2011), you will have to take the NCEES 16-hour lateral and vertical structural exam to be considered for a structural license.
Yes. Washington law requires that you be currently licensed as a Washington State Professional Engineer prior to applying for structural. You must have 2 years of experience in addition to the 8 years of experience required for registration as a professional engineer in Washington State.
You must have an active Professional Engineer license in Washington prior to becoming licensed in structural. You must also have taken and passed both the NCEES 8-hour Principles and Practice of Engineering exam and the NCEES 16-hour Structural exam.
You need to demonstrate 2 years of progressive structural design experience in addition to the 8 years of experience required for registration as a professional engineer in Washington State. These 2 years should be progressive in difficulty and magnitude; demonstrating sufficient breadth and scope, and be reflective of your ability to design and apply engineering principles where your judgments and decisions are trusted and relied upon. The experience must contain structural design for a building structure or non-building structure designed in Seismic Design Category D or above and/or bridges with a total span (end to end) of 200 feet.
The review and processing time for structural engineering applications, whether by exam or comity, is fully dependent upon the quality and thoroughness of the experience descriptions provided by the applicant. Every completed application is reviewed by a committee of the Board at meetings scheduled approximately every 2 months. After that review you will be notified of the decision by email.
No, once you are approved by the WA State Board, you may take the SE exam anywhere that NCEES offers the exam.