Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors


Please Note

We are a service company that can help you file with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors. We are not associated with this nor any other government agency. We offer paid services and software to help you file. You are not required to purchase our service to file - you may file directly with this agency without using our service.


Contact Information

Physical address:
1917 S Interstate 35
Austin, TX 78741

Phone: (512) 440-7723
Fax: (512) 440-0417

Web: Home Company search Individual search File online
Email: info@pels.texas.gov

Notes:

Land surveying rosters are available here: Individuals and Firms



Licenses

We track the following licenses with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors in order to provide compliance services to our clients. As a client, you see this and other Compliance Core™ data in License Manager in-line with your licenses.

A laptop placed on a desk with our License Manager software on display

Texas Engineer-in-Training Certification

Agency:Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors

Initial Registration

Form:

Application for Engineer-in-Training Certification

Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$15

Registration Renewal

Form:

Engineer-in-Training Certification Renewal Form

Agency Fee:

$15

Due:

Eight years from date of issuance.

Texas Engineering Firm Registration

Agency:Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors
Law:

Tex. Occ. Code Ann. § 1001.405

Eligible Entity Types:
  • Business Corporations
  • Professional Corporations
  • Limited Liability Companies
  • Professional Limited Liability Companies
  • Partnerships
Ownership Requirements:

Business Corporations:

  • Officers and directors need not be licensed, but the corporation must appoint a Texas licensed engineer to be responsible for the firm's practice of engineering in Texas.

Professional Corporations:

  • All shareholders, officers, and directors must be licensed in a professional service performed by the firm.

Limited Liability Companies:

  • Members and managers need not be licensed, but the LLC must appoint a Texas licensed engineer to be responsible for the firm's practice of engineering in Texas.

Professional Limited Liability Companies:

  • All members and managers must be licensed in a professional service performed by the firm.

Partnerships:

  • Partners need not be licensed, but the partnership must appoint a Texas licensed engineer to be responsible for the firm's practice of engineering in Texas.
Notes:
  • If a registration has been expired for more than one year, the firm must re-apply for registration under the current laws and rules. The new registration will be a different serial number.
Qualifying Individual Requirements:
  • A P.E. can list up to two employment associations in our records and file additional associations with our office. The primary association should be the traditional full-time position. The secondary association can be for a part-time position.

Initial Registration

This section applies to engineering firms that are applying for a license in Texas for the first time. If you already have a license and are looking to renew it, please see the renewal section.

Form:

Engineering Firm Registration

Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$25 for sole proprietorships and $150 for all other entities.

Turnaround:

5-6 weeks. Applicants will receive confirmation by mail.

Notes:
  • Qualified Indivdiual
    • The P.E. of record must be present and/or directly supervise engineering work during the hours of operation for the firm.
    • Section §1001.405(f) of the Act allows for a licensed engineer to perform engineering work on a part-time basis and the engineer is considered the “full-time” employee of the part-time firm since the engineer is required to be personally present during the periods engineering work is performed
Before you Apply:

Domestic Applicants:

  • Identify a Texas licensed engineer, who is a full-time employee, to be in responsible charge of the firm's engineering activities in Texas.

Foreign Applicants:

  • Identify a Texas licensed engineer, who is a full-time employee, to be in responsible charge of the firm's engineering activities in Texas.
How to Apply:

Domestic Applicants:

  1. File entity formation documents with the Texas Secretary of State - Corporations Section.
  2. File an Engineering Firm Registration application with the Board of Professional Engineers.

Foreign Applicants:

  1. File foreign qualification documents with the Texas Secretary of State - Corporations Section.
  2. File an Engineering Firm Registration application with the Board of Professional Engineers.

Registration Renewal

This section applies to engineering firms that are already licensed in Texas and need to renew their license.

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$25 for sole proprietorships and $150 for all other entities.

Due:

Annually by the end of the month the license was issued in.

Original Ink:Not required
Notarization Required?:Not required
Required Attachments:
  • List of directors, officers, managers, or partners of the firm
  • List of licensees in responsible charge of the firm's professional services
  • List of branch office locations

Amendment

Form:

Firm Information Update

Agency Fee:

$0

Due:

Within 30 days of address change for effective coorespondence.

Notes:
  • Name changes are first done with the Secretary of State and documentation of such subsequently provided to the TBPELS along with a completed copy of the attached document.
  • The name change notice must be recieved from an authorized firm official (an individual currently listen on the firm's Officer roster in TBPELS records) or via the firm's email address of record. 
  • All forms should be submitted in PDF form and emailed to licensing@pels.texas.gov

Reinstatement

Form:

Engineering Firm Registration

Agency Fee:

$150

Notes:

Firms whose registration has expired must reapply to regain good standing.

Texas Land Surveying Firm Registration

Agency:Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors
Law:

Tex. Occ. Code Ann. § 1001.001 et seq. 

Initial Registration

Form:

Land Surveying Firm Registration

Agency Fee:

$150

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$150

Due:

Annually by December 31.

Licensed state land surveyor means a surveyor licensed by the board to survey land in which the state or the permanent school fund has an interest or perform other original surveys for the purpose of filing field notes in the General Land Office.

Texas Licensed State Land Surveyor (LSLS) License

Agency:Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors

Initial Registration

Form:

LSLS Application

Agency Fee:

$75

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$40

Due:

Annually by December 31. Renewals may be filed starting on November 1.

Texas Professional Engineer License

Agency:Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors
Exam Required?Yes
Allow Digital Signatures?Yes
Digital Signature Guidelines:

See digital sealing guidelines.

Allow Digital Sealing?Yes
Digital Sealing Guidelines:

(a) Upon issuance of a license, each license holder is required to obtain a seal under the requirements of §133.97 of this title (relating to Issuance of License) and submit an impression of the seal or an electronic seal, and an original or an electronic signature to the board for board records.

(b) Physical and electronic seals shall be of the design illustrated in this section and shall be no larger than two inches. Regardless of seal size the engineer's name and number must be clearly legible.

Texas Admin Code Title 22 Part 6 § 137.31

(a) Licensed professional engineers shall maintain the security of their electronic seals and electronic signatures. The following methods are allowed:

  1. Licensed professional engineers may electronically copy their original hard copy work that bears their seal, original signature, and date and transmit this work in a secure electronic format.
  2. An engineer may create an electronic seal and electronic signature for use in transmitting electronically formatted engineering work, regardless of whether the work was originally in hard copy or electronic format.

(b) As an alternative to electronic sealing and electronic signatures, engineers shall affix their original seals and signatures and date to their engineering work as specified in §137.33(f) of this chapter (relating to Sealing Procedures).

Texas Admin Code Title 22 Part 6 § 137.35

(d) License holders shall take reasonable steps to ensure the security of their physical or electronic seals and electronic signatures. For electronic seals and electronic signatures, the engineer must have reasonable security measures in place to protect these files. In the event of loss of a seal or electronic signature, the engineer will, as soon as possible, but within 30 days of discovery, give written notification of the facts concerning the loss to board.

(l) An engineer may securely transmit his or her final version of engineering work electronically provided that work bears the engineer's seal and uses one of the techniques described in §137.35(a) of this chapter (relating to Electronic Seals and Electronic Signatures) and must employ reasonable security measures to make the documents unalterable. Electronic correspondence of this type may be followed by a hard copy containing the engineer's printed name, date, signature and the designation "P.E." or other terms described in §137.1 of this chapter (relating to License Holder Designations).

Texas Admin Code Title 22 Part 6 § 137.33

Initial Registration

Form:

PE Application Packet

Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$75

Reciprocal Registration

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$50

Due:

Licenses are renewed annually on the date preceding the quarter in which the license was issued. The renewal dates are December 31, March 31, June 30, and September 30 of each year. For example, if the license was received on February 20, 2023 (1st quarter), the renewal fee would be due on December 31, 2024.

Original Ink:Not required
Notarization Required?:Not required

Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor (RPLS) License

Agency:Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors
Notes:
  • Starting May 2023, the current RPLS exam will be replaced with a combination of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Principles and Practice of Professional Surveying (PS) exam and a new Texas Specific Surveying Exam (TSSE).
  • April 2023 will be the last 8-hour RPLS exam. After April 2023, all applicants will be required to take and pass the NCEES PS and the TSSE to be registered as an RPLS in Texas.
  • TBPELS will begin approving NCEES PS exam registrations starting May 1, 2023. TBPELS will offer the first TSSE in October 2023. Exam dates are located on our Surveying Exams Page.
  • Your application for registration must be approved by TBPELS prior to taking the NCEES PS exam. Once your application is complete and approved, you will be notified by TBPELS and NCEES will be notified to allow you to register for the PS exam and TSSE. If you already hold a surveying license or registration in another state / jurisdiction and/or took the NCEES PS exam as part of that license or registration process, then you can use that exam result to meet the Texas exam requirement. You will NOT need to take the NCEES PS exam again if you passed the PS exam prior to applying for your Texas License. However, you will still need to take and pass the TSSE.
  • The NCEES PS exam specifications are located on the NCEES Website. The TSSE was built using exam specifications put together by Texas RPLS and based on questions and scenarios from the previous RPLS exam item bank. Therefore, questions will be similar to the questions used on previous versions of the Texas RPLS exams.

Initial Registration

Form:

RPLS Application

Instructions:

RPLS Application Checklist

Agency Fee:

$75

Reciprocal Registration

Form:

RPLS Application

Instructions:

RPLS Application Checklist

Agency Fee:

$75

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$50

Due:

Annually by December 31. Renewals may be filed starting on November 1.

Texas Surveyor in Training (SIT) Certification

Agency:Texas Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors

Initial Registration

Form:

Surveyor In Training (S.I.T.) Application

Agency Fee:

$15

Registration Renewal

Form:

SIT Certification Renewal

Agency Fee:

$15

Due:

Eight years from the date of issuance.

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