The District of Columbia Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors is established to “determine the scope of practice, the requirements which an applicant must meet for initial licensure and for renewal of the same, including any continuing education requirements, and shall determine the appropriate level of regulation. The Board is governed by the Non-Health Related Occupations and Professions Licensure Act of 1998, effective April 20, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-261; D. C. Official Code § 47-2853.01 et seq. (2001).
The Board consists of seven members who reside in the District of Columbia and are appointed by the Mayor. Four members must each hold a license as a professional engineer – licensed in various disciplines and two members must be licensed land surveyors and one member of the public.
The Board meets the fourth Thursday of each month at 11 a.m. at the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection located at 1100 4th Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board meetings are being held virtually and are open to the public. To access information from previous meetings, please visit open-dc.gov.
Apply for License
Items Needed for Application
All Applicants
- One 2”x2” passport-style photo (.jpeg format)
- Un-expired government-issued ID (e.g., driver’s license)
- Debit or credit card to pay application, exam, or license fees
Professional Engineer
Examination
- Education
- Undergraduate Engineering Degree from an Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology(EAC/ABET)
- If the Applicant has a foreign degree or a degree from a non EAC/ABET college/university an evaluation is needed.
- Board Approved Services:
- NCEES (ncees.org)
- Educational Perspectives (edperspective.org)
- Applicants must request a Subject Analysis Evaluation report for Professional Engineers
- SpanTran (spantran.com)
- Applicants should request a General Evaluation plus Comprehensive Course Analysis for Engineers.
- The Board does not accept Technology Degrees
- Experience
- 4 years of progressive experience in the engineering field
- Experience must have been gained under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer, if the experience was not gained under a licensed engineer an explanation must be provided.
- Teaching experience must be engineering or engineering related at the collegiate level. Course description is required.
- Master’s Degree in engineering followed by a Baccalaureate Degree in engineering may be used as (1) one years’ experience. If Ph.D in engineering is completed under the same conditions 2 (two) years ‘total experience may be credited.
- Documents
- Formal copy of college/university transcripts OR a formal copy of an academic evaluation must be sent from the school/evaluation service to the Board.
- Unofficial transcripts will not be accepted
- Verification of the Fundamentals Examination (FE). This is a requirement for examination and will not be waived in lieu of work experience.
- Transcripts can be sent electronically or via mail to the following address: [emailprotected]
Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
1100 4th Street, SW,3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20024
Attn:Avis Pearson
Endorsem*nt
- Education- same as Examination, see above.
- Experience- same as Examination, see above.
- Documents
- If the Applicant has established NCEES Credentialing Record to include verified college transcripts and/or academic evaluation, employment verification and professional references –the Applicant must contact NCEES and request that this Record be sent to the Board
- **When completing the online application the “Endorsem*nt with NCEES” Application Type should be selected.
- Unofficial transcripts will not be accepted
- Verification of the Fundamentals Examination (FE). ** This exam requirement for licensure and will not be waived in lieu of work or professional experience.
- If the Applicant does not have a NCEES Credentialing Record all formal transcripts/evaluations must be sent from the college/university or evaluation service to the Board.This information can be sent electronically to [emailprotected] or mailed to:
Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
OPL
1100 4th Street, SW,3rd Floor
Washington, DC20024
Attn:Avis Pearson
Land Surveyor
Examination
- Education
- Undergraduate Degree must be a Land Surveyor degree from an Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology(EAC/ABET),the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of ABET (TAC/ABET) collectively the ABET Commissions at the time the applicant received the degree.
- If the Applicant has a foreign degree or a degree from a non EAC/ABET college/university an evaluation is needed.
- Documents
- Formal copy of college/university transcripts OR a formal copy of an academic evaluation must be sent from the school/evaluation service to the Board.
- Unofficial transcripts will not be accepted
- Verification of the Fundamentals of Land Surveying (FLS).
- After successful passing the FLS and meeting the education requirements the Applicant is eligible to apply for the Land Surveyor Intern Certification
- Transcripts can be sent electronically to [emailprotected] or via mail to the following address:
Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
1100 4th Street, SW, 3rdFloor
Washington, DC20024
Attn:Avis Pearson
Endorsem*nt
- Education
- Undergraduate Engineering Degree from an Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (EAC/ABET), the Applied Science Accreditation Commission (ASAC)
- If the Applicant has a foreign degree or a degree from a non EAC/ABET college/university an evaluation is needed from one of the Board approved services.
- Experience
- 4 years of progressive experience in the engineering field
- Experience must have been gained under the supervision of a licensed professional Land Surveyor, if the experience was not gained under a licensed engineer an explanation must be provided.
- Teaching experience, to be creditable, must be obtained in responsible charge of work related to property conveyance and/or boundary line determination.
- Documents
- Documentation of the FLS and the PLS. If the Applicant has established NCEES Credentialing Record to include verified college transcripts and/or academic evaluation, employment verification and professional references – the Applicant must contact NCEES and request that this Record be sent to the Board
- **When completing the online application the “Endorsem*nt with NCEES” Application Type should be selected.
- Unofficial transcripts will not be accepted.
- If the Applicant does not have aNCEES Credentialing Record, all formal transcripts/evaluations must be sent from the college/university or evaluation service to the Board. This information can be sent electronically to [emailprotected] or mailed to:
Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
OPL
1100 4th Street, SW,3rd Floor
Washington, DC20024
Attn: Avis Pearson
Examination
Effective September 1, 2023, individuals seeking licensure by examination must first send all credentialing information to the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES). Following the review of this information, the applicant will request that it is transmitted to the Board. In addition to the transmitted information, the applicant must completethe DLCP's Occupational and Professional Online Application. The application and credentialing information will be reviewed for examination eligibility. Following approval, the applicant will receive confirmation of approval and proceed with registering for the exam with NCEES.
Land Surveyors will also need to pass the state-specific examination before a license is issuedafter passing the national examination.
Applicants who are applying by endorsem*nt must complete the Occupational and Professional Online Application and request that their NCEES credentialing record be sent to the Board. Applicantswho are applying without a record must submit the following information:
Verification of Fundamental Surveying Exam
Formal Transcripts
Transcripts must be sent electronically by the college/university or mailed to:
The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
1100 4th Street, SW,Suite 300, Washington, DC 20024
ATTN: Boardof Professional Engineers
Five Professional References
Supplemental Information Form
Following approval of this information, you will receive confirmation and be given instructions on registering for the state specific examination.
Fees*Land Surveyor
- Application $65.00
- License $120.00 (up to 2 years)
- Renewal $155.00 (up to 2 years)
- Late Renewal Fee $50.00
- Reinstated License $155.00 (up to 2 years)
- Inactive Status $155.00
- Land Surveyor Intern $120.00
- Duplicate License $30.00
- Verification of Records $30.00
Professional Engineer
- Application $65.00
- Exam $250.00
- License $120.00 (up to 2 years)
- Renewal $155.00 (up to 2 years)
- Late Renewal Fee $50.00
- Reinstated License $155.00 (up to 2 years)
- Inactive Status $155.00
- Engineer in Training Certificate $120.00
- Duplicate License $30.00
- Verification of Records $30.00
Professional Organizations/Resources
Engineers
- National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) ncees.org
- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) asce.org
- National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) nspe.org
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE) swe.org
- Society of Hispanic Engineers (SHPE) shpe.org
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) nsbe.org
Land Surveyor
- District of Columbia Association of Land Surveyors (DCALS) dcals.org
- National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) nsps.us.com.
* Please note that according to D.C. Code § 47-2853.10, application fees for initial licensing, certification, registration, renewal and reinstatement shall not be refundable, even if the applicant withdraws his or her application for licensure, certification or registration, or is found to be not qualified.
