50-State Engineering Licensing Compliance Guide
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Securing and Renewing a NY Professional Engineering License

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To ensure the safety and well-being of the public and the protection of property, all individuals and firms who intend to offer engineering services in New York must be given legal permission to do so. Typically, these permits are granted through professional engineer (PE) licenses and Certificates of Authorization (COA).

These legal permits allow you to seal engineering plans, hold senior-level engineering positions, and offer your services directly to the public.

Considering the privilege these licenses bestow on individuals and firms, the state enforces strict requirements for obtaining them and mandates regular renewals. This ensures that professionals remain up to date on industry changes and continue to meet the state’s high standards.

In this article, you’ll learn about the steps and requirements for obtaining a New York professional engineering license. Additionally, we’ll show you how partnering with Harbor Compliance can make your firm’s licensure journey seamless.

New York Engineering License Requirements for Firms

The New York PE license and COA are legal permits that allow qualified individuals and firms to offer engineering services in the state.

These credentials signify that you have met all the state’s requirements and have demonstrated the competency needed to practice engineering. It also reflects your accountability for your work and the well-being of those impacted by it.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) sets the standards individuals and firms planning to offer professional engineering services must adhere to in New York. This regulatory body oversees professional regulations and issues credentials to qualified entities.

With the exception of sole proprietorships, all firms aiming to provide engineering services in New York must meet specific state requirements to obtain a COA.

We’ll go over the requirements for each type of firm, namely:

  1. Domestic professional service corporations (PSCs)
  2. Foreign PSCs
  3. Professional limited liability companies (LLCs) and foreign LLCs
  4. Domestic design professional service corporations (DPCs)
  5. Professional partnerships, registered limited liability partnerships (LLPs), and foreign registered LLPs
  6. “Grandfathered” general business corporations

Domestic Professional Service Corporations (PSCs)

All the shareholders, officers, and directors in a domestic PSC must be licensed by the state of New York.

Foreign PSCs

While all the firm's officers, directors, and shareholders must be licensed in some jurisdiction, only the individual directly engaged in providing engineering services must hold a New York professional engineering license.

Professional LLCs and Foreign LLCs

All members of a professional and foreign LLC must be licensed in New York.

Domestic DPCs

The president, CEO, and chair of the directors of a DPC must be licensed design professionals. These firms must also meet the following requirements:

  • 75% of the firm’s stocks must be owned by licensed professionals.
  • More than 75% of the directors and officers must be licensed professionals.
  • The largest single shareholder must be a licensed professional. However, under certain restrictions, this shareholder must be under the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

Professional Partnerships, Registered LLPs, and Foreign Registered LLPs

All partners in these firms must be New York-licensed professional engineers.

“Grandfathered” General Business Corporations

These are corporations that have been continually practicing engineering since April 15, 1935. To maintain their right to practice in New York, the firm's CEO must be a licensed professional.

Obtaining a New York Firm Engineering License

After fulfilling the requirements, firms can submit an application for a COA. Typically, the application process slightly differs depending on whether you’re running a domestic or foreign engineering firm.

Application Process for Domestic Engineering Firms

Domestic firms who wish to obtain a COA from the state of New York have to take the following steps:

  1. Begin by submitting your firm’s entity formation documents, Professional Corporations Contact Information Form, and Affidavit Professional Practice Entity Form to the NYSED, along with the necessary filing fees.
  2. When your firm receives the COA and entity formation documents from the NYSED, forward both to the Department of State with the requisite filing fee and request a certified copy of your entity formation document.
  3. Submit the certified copy of your entity formation document and the required fees to the NYSED.

Application Process for Foreign Firms

To obtain a COA in New York, foreign firms begin the application process by submitting the following documents to the NYSED with the necessary filing fee:

  • The firm’s incorporation documents from the original jurisdiction
  • Proof of licensure in the original jurisdiction
  • Affidavit Professional Practice Entity Form
  • Professional Corporations Contact Information Form
  • Proof of licensure for partners, members, shareholders, and officers in New York
  • Application for Authority

After submitting these documents and receiving the COA and Application for Authority, you should take the following steps:

  1. Forward the COA and Application for Authority to the Department of State with the necessary filing fee and request for a certified copy of the Application for Authority.
  2. Submit the certified copy of the Application for Authority to the NYSED.

Renewing a New York Firm Engineering License

All engineering firms are expected to renew their licenses every three years. Failure to renew before the expiration date can result in a delinquent fee (about $10), plus the standard renewal fee for every month the firm operated without a valid COA.

Additionally, all professional engineers in your firm must periodically renew their licenses. Meeting continuing education requirements is a crucial criterion for renewing these licenses.

In New York, licensed professional engineers are expected to earn 36 hours of continuing education to qualify for a renewal, which occurs every three years. To ensure the quality of the continuing education, courses must meet these specific criteria:

  1. They must be delivered in an approved format, like a live webinar.
  2. They should be based on an approved subject.
  3. They must be offered by an approved provider, which could be a college accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or an NYSED-approved sponsor.

Simplifying Your Licensing Process With the Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions by Harbor Compliance

Obtaining and maintaining a New York State professional engineer license requires thorough research to understand state requirements, completing continuing education hours, tracking renewal dates, and much more. Considering how overwhelming the process can be, it’s advisable to seek professional support to ease your licensing workload.

Harbor Compliance’s Architecture and Engineering Compliance Solutions offers a comprehensive suite of services and valuable support throughout the licensing process. We guide you through the procedure of obtaining various legal permits, including the following:

  • Engineering Firm
  • Geoscience Firm
  • Land Surveying Firm

Advantages of Choosing Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions by Harbor Compliance

By leveraging Harbor Compliance’s Architecture and Engineering Compliance Solutions, you’ll enjoy the following benefits:

  • Personalized support from our team of licensing professionals which frees up time for you to focus on running your business and carrying out your engineering role.
  • Peace of mind and reassurance knowing your licensing process is being handled by experts.
  • Access to Compliance CoreTM, which provides information on over 800 architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) specific licenses across different states in the U.S.

Software Suite by Harbor Compliance

You can also opt for our compliance management Software Suite, which has a collection of modules dedicated to helping you meet and track state requirements:

Module Value
Entity Manager This module enables full transparency of your entities and compliance status. It helps automate annual report and compliance tracking, maintain good standing and avoid late fees and penalties, and ensure continuity through changes in your company.
License Manager It eliminates the need for states requirements tracking sheets by enabling seamless license management, research, and renewal.
Records Manager Records Manager helps you store organizational documents specific to your type of entity and lets you track ownership and leadership, as well as customize meeting notifications.
Requirements Research Engine

This research engine enables you to research licensing requirements for your organization prior to expanding into new states/markets. It’s a searchable window into the proprietary reference database, which contains detailed information about license requirements, including:

  • The agencies they’re filed with and their contact information
  • Links to agency websites and search tools
  • Step-by-step instructions on how to file for a given license
  • Application filing fees
  • Prerequisites like ownership requirements, legal entity requirements, and continuing education requirements
  • Required attachments
  • Processing times
  • Links to state statutes
Tax Manager This module efficiently monitors federal, state, and local tax registrations, reducing the time spent gaining insights into key tax account information.

How To Order Harbor Compliance’s Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions

At Harbor Compliance, we recognize that every client has unique licensing needs. With that in mind, we offer three distinct service options, giving you the flexibility to handle the licensing process internally or entrust us with the bulk of the work.

Below is a table outlining the three service options:

Category Service
Fully managed Gives you direct access to a team of licensing professionals who’ll handle most of your licensing workload. Available for company licenses only.
Self-managed Allows you to manage your licensing process independently by providing access to License Manager, our proprietary software solution.
Hybrid Provides access to our software solution so you can handle some of the licensing workload independently while the rest would be handled by our team of experts.

Take Advantage of Harbor Compliance’s Additional Services

On top of assisting engineers and engineering firms in securing legal permits to practice, Harbor Compliance has a diverse portfolio of solutions to address various compliance needs:

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Company Licenses

New York Engineering Company Licenses

New York Certificate of Authorization to Provide Engineering Services

Agency:New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions - State Board for Engineering
Law:

NY EDN Law § 7210

Eligible Entity Types:
  • Professional Corporations
  • Professional Limited Liability Companies
  • Design Professional Corporations (domestic only)
  • Limited Liability Partnerships
  • Limited Partnerships
  • Partnerships
Ownership Requirements:

Professional Corporations:

  • For domestic PCs, all of the shareholders, officers, and directors must be engineers licensed in New York.
  • For foreign PCs, only the individual(s) providing professional services must be licensed in New York State. All other officers, directors, and shareholders must be licensed design professionals in the original jurisdiction in which the foreign professional service corporation is licensed to do business.

Professional Limited Liability Companies:

  • For domestic PLLCs, all of the members and managers must be engineers licensed in New York.
  • For foreign PLLCs, all of the members and managers must be engineers licensed in New York.

Design Professional Corporations (domestic only):

  • Greater than 75% of the outstanding shares of stock of the DPC must be owned by design professionals
  • Greater than 75% of the directors must be design professionals
  • Greater than 75% of the of the officers must be design professionals
  • The president, the chairperson of the board of directors and the chief executive officer or officers must be design professionals
  • An ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), either in part or in its entirety, may not constitute part of the greater than 75% owned by design professionals

Limited Liability Partnerships:

  • All of the partners must be engineers licensed in New York.

Limited Partnerships:

  • All of the partners must be engineers licensed in New York.

Initial Registration

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

Form:

Application for Certificate of Authorization

Filing Method:

Mail

Agency Fee:

$125

Turnaround:

At least 12 weeks. Applicants will be notified and certificate sent via mail.

Before you Apply:

Domestic Entities:

  • Ensure that your business entity will meet ownership requirements.

Foreign Entities:

  • Ensure that your New York entity will meet ownership requirements.
  • Obtain a certificate of good standing from your business entity's home state (to be filed during the foreign qualification process).
How to Apply:

Domestic Applicants:

  1. File entity formation documents, a contact information form, and the required fee with the Professional Corporations Unit.
  2. The Professional Corporations Unit will approve the entity formation documents and send a Certificate of Authority back to the applicant.
  3. File the approved entity formation documents and the Certificate of Authority with the Department of State to form your business entity.
  4. Submit a certified copy of the entity formation document and the required fee to the Education Department.

Foreign Applicants:

  1. File foreign qualification documents; a contact information form; entity formation documents from home state; an affidavit listing all shareholders, directors, officers, or members and managers of the entity; proof of licensure for all shareholders, directors, officers, or members and managers of the entity; proof that at least one shareholder, director, officer, or member or manager of the entity is licensed in New York; and the required fee to the Professional Corporations Unit.
  2. The Professional Corporations Unit will approve the document and send a Certificate of Authority back to the applicant.
  3. File the approved foreign qualification documents and the Certificate of Authority with the Department of State to foreign qualify your business entity.
  4. Submit a certified copy of the entity qualification document from the Department of State and the required fee to the Education Department.

Registration Renewal

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

Form:

Renewal applications are sent in the mail.

Filing Method:

Mail

Agency Fee:

$75

Due:

Triennially by the date of issuance.

Penalties:

Late fees are $10 per month of uncertified practice.

Amendment

Form:

Address or Name Change form

Filing Method:

Email letter to opcorp@nysed.gov for processing

Agency Fee:

$0

Due:

Within 30 days of the effective date of the change.

Notes:

Notify the board in writing with any changes.

Before you Apply:
  • A letter on company letterhead must be submitted to update the members/officers/directors/Responsible-in-Charge needs to be updated
    • The letter must include the following information and be signed by an officer:
      • First and Last Name of Person being added
      • Home Address
      • License Number
      • Date Joined/Appointed.If a person is being removed, the same information is needed (Date Joined/Appointed is changed to Date Removed).

New York Certificate of Authorization to Provide Geology Services

Agency:New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions - State Board for Geology

Initial Registration

Form:

Application for Certificate of Authorization

Agency Fee:

$125

Registration Renewal

Form:

Renewal applications are sent in the mail.

Agency Fee:

$75

Due:

Triennially

Penalties:

Late fees are $10 per month of uncertified practice.

New York Certificate of Authorization to Provide Land Surveying Services

Agency:New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions - State Board for Land Surveying
Law:

Licensing Statute – N.Y. Education Law, Article 145, Engineering et. seq. (“Ed. Law”)

Eligible Entity Types:
  • Professional Corporations
  • Professional Limited Liability Companies
  • Design Professional Corporations
  • Limited Liability Partnerships
  • Limited Partnerships
  • Partnerships
Ownership Requirements:
  • Professional Corporations:
    • For domestic PCs, all of the shareholders, officers, and directors must be land surveyors licensed in New York.
    • For foreign PCs, only the individual(s) actually providing professional services must be licensed in New York State. All other officers, directors, and shareholders must be licensed design professionals in the original jurisdiction in which the foreign professional service corporation is licensed to do business.
  • Professional Limited Liability Companies:
    • For domestic PLLCs, all of the members and managers must be land surveyors  licensed in New York.
    • For foreign PLLCs, at least one of the members or managers must be a New York licensed land surveyor and all of the members and managers must be land surveyors  licensed in any state.
  • Design Professional Corporations:
    • Greater than 75% of the outstanding shares of stock of the DPC must be owned by design professionals
    • Greater than 75% of the directors must be design professionals
    • Greater than 75% of the of the officers must be design professionals
    • The president, the chairperson of the board of directors and the chief executive officer or officers must be design professionals
    • An ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), either in part or in its entirety, may not constitute part of the greater than 75% owned by design professionals
  • Limited Liability Partnerships:
    • All of the partners must be land surveyors  licensed in New York.
  • Limited Partnerships:
    • All of the partners must be land surveyors  licensed in New York

Initial Registration

Form:

Application for Certificate of Authorization

Filing Method:

Mail

Agency Fee:

$125

Turnaround:

At least 12 weeks. Applicants will be notified and certificate sent via mail.

Notes:
  • All shareholders, directors, and officers must be licensed surveyors. Foreign entities must have at least one New York licensed surveyor.
  • Notify the Education Department within 30 days of a change of address or name.
How to Apply:

Domestic Applicants:

  1. File entity formation documents, a contact information form, and the required fee with the Professional Corporations Unit.
  2. The Professional Corporations Unit will approve the entity formation documents and send a Certificate of Authority back to the applicant.
  3. File the approved entity formation documents and the Certificate of Authority with the Department of State to form your business entity.
  4. Submit a certified copy of the entity formation document and the required fee to the Education Department.

Foreign Applicants:

  1. File foreign qualification documents; a contact information form; entity formation documents from home state; an affidavit listing all shareholders, directors, officers, or members and managers of the entity; proof of licensure for all shareholders, directors, officers, or members and managers of the entity; proof that at least one shareholder, director, officer, or member or manager of the entity is licensed in New York; and the required fee to the Professional Corporations Unit.
  2. The Professional Corporations Unit will approve the document and send a Certificate of Authority back to the applicant.
  3. File the approved foreign qualification documents and the Certificate of Authority with the Department of State to foreign qualify your business entity.
  4. Submit a certified copy of the entity qualification document from the Department of State and the required fee to the Education Department

Registration Renewal

Form:

Renewal applications are sent in the mail.

Agency Fee:

$75. Late fees are $10 per month of uncertified practice.

Due:

Triennially

Individual Licenses

New York Individual Engineering Licenses

New York Intern Engineer Certificate

Agency:New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions - State Board for Engineering

Initial Registration

Form:

Form 1IE: Application for Intern Engineer Certificate

Agency Fee:

$70

Required Attachments:

or

  • Your New York State school has submitted your education utilizing a Form 20F. You need to check with your New York State school to verify if they utilize and have submitted a Form 20F.

Renewal Not Required

Not required



New York Land Surveyor Intern Certification

Agency:New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions - State Board for Land Surveying

Initial Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$70

Renewal Not Required

Not required



New York Land Surveyor License

Agency:New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions - State Board for Land Surveying

Initial Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$377

Reciprocal Registration

Form:

Online Form 1 and Form 3 Verification of Out-of-State Licensure

Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$377

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$287

Due:

Triennially by the end of the licensee's month of birth.

New York Professional Engineer License

Agency:New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions - State Board for Engineering
Exam Required?Yes
Allow Digital Signatures?Yes
Digital Signature Guidelines:

New York State allows the use of an electronic signature with the same validity and effect as the use of a signature affixed by hand. An electronic signature is an electronically generated identifier that is unique to the person using it. The Electronic Signature and Records Act (ESRA) defines what constitutes an electronic signature in New York State and describes its specific uses and limitations.

Guideline 3: Professional Seals and Signatures

Allow Digital Sealing?Yes
Digital Sealing Guidelines:

Section 7209 of Article 145 of the State Education Law requires every professional engineer to have a seal. It does not specify the type of seal to be used, with an embossing seal, rubber stamp or electronic version all being acceptable to the Department and the State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying.

Guideline 3: Professional Seals and Signatures

Initial Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$377

Reciprocal Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$377

Notes:

You must submit full documentation of compliance with all other New York State licensure requirements including professional education and satisfactory professional experience, among other requirements, as part of your application for licensure by endorsement. New York State does not have a reciprocity/comity agreement with any jurisdiction; if you are applying with an NCEES Record, you would need to submit Form1 and request NCEES to have your current NCEES Record transmitted to the board for review.

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$287

Due:

Triennially by the end of the licensee's month of birth.

Original Ink:Not required
Notarization Required?:Not required

New York Professional Geologist License

Agency:New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions - State Board for Geology
Allow Digital Signatures?Yes
Digital Signature Guidelines:

New York State allows the use of an electronic signature with the same validity and effect as the use of a signature affixed by hand. An electronic signature is an electronically generated identifier that is unique to the person using it. The Electronic Signature and Records Act (ESRA) defines what constitutes an electronic signature in New York State and describes its specific uses and limitations.

Guideline 3: Professional Seals and Signatures

Allow Digital Sealing?Yes
Digital Sealing Guidelines:

Section 7209 of Article 145 of the State Education Law requires every professional engineer to have a seal. It does not specify the type of seal to be used, with an embossing seal, rubber stamp or electronic version all being acceptable to the Department and the State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying.

Guideline 3: Professional Seals and Signatures

Initial Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$430

Reciprocal Registration

Form:
  • Form 1 and $430 fee
  • Form 2 – send a form 2 to each post-secondary educational institution that has granted you a degree. Ask them to complete the form and send it directly to NYSED at the address on the bottom of the form. Please also request they send an official transcript for any degrees you wish to submit for evaluation. Please be sure to pay any fees for the transcript required by the educational institution.
  • Form 3 – Please send a form 3 to the jurisdiction that is your primary place of practice. If this jurisdiction does not license geologists, then send the form to the jurisdiction of your original licensure. In addition please send this form to the jurisdiction(s) where you took the licensure exams or to ASBOG and request they verify that you took and passed the examination(s) listed. They need to return the form 3 directly to the Office of the Professions at the address at the end of the form.
  • Form 4 – Please list each endorser to whom you will send a request for endorsement of your work experience
  • Form 4A – Please describe your work experience in detail and then send to your endorser. The endorser is to read, complete, sign and date the endorsement form and send it directly back to the Office of the Professions at the address at the end of the form. This form must be submitted by the endorser. It will not be accepted if submitted by the applicant. Note: A separate form 4A must be submitted for each endorser you list on Form 4.
Filing Method:

Mail or online.

Agency Fee:

$430

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$75

Due:

Triennially

New York Professional Engineering License FAQs

Here, we’ll answer some of the frequently asked questions about the professional engineer license in New York. For more details, visit the Harbor Compliance Information Center.

Depending on the institution where you obtained your post-secondary formal training, you need between four and six years of progressive engineering experience.

You cannot carry over any additional continuing education hours you earn to the next renewal period.

You’re expected to keep files detailing your continuing education hours for six years.

Outsource Your NY Engineering Firm Licensure Process to Harbor Compliance

Keeping up with ever-changing state requirements is essential to maintaining good standing with the state. At Harbor Compliance, we understand the challenges individuals and firms face in navigating these requirements and offer various solutions dedicated to streamlining the licensing process—order our service today to see for yourself.

With our free Harbor Compliance Score™ feature, you can quickly assess your compliance status and identify areas for improvement. Feel free to contact us to learn about our services or schedule a demo session of our award-winning software before selecting a service option that aligns with your needs.

Want to know more about the engineering license requirements throughout the U.S.? Check out the table below:

Design Firm - Engineering firm registration is sometimes grouped with architecture and land surveying on a single “design firm” application form.

EI (Engineering Intern) - A term also used to describe an Engineer in Training.

EIT (Engineer in Training) - A professional designation granted upon having completed at least 3 years of school at an ABET-accredited university and having passed the FE exam.

FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) - An exam testing on basic engineering principles that is required to become an engineer in training.

PE (Professional Engineer or 'Principles and Practice in Engineering') - Means either Professional Engineer or refers to the Principles and Practice in Engineering exam that is a prerequisite for an engineering license.

Reciprocity - When a licensed engineer in one state can provide documentation (often an NCEES Record) to more easily apply for a license in another jurisdiction.

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
Accrediting board that sets standards for university programs in a variety of applied science disciplines.

American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)
Engineering, architecture, and land surveying advocacy group.

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Organization that provides continuing education, professional conferences, and advocacy efforts to the civil engineering community.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Mechanical engineering organization that focuses on education and professional development.

Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC)
Reviews accreditation requirements and makes final decisions regarding the accreditation process.

National Council of Examiners for Engineering & Surveying (NCEES)
Develops, administers, and scores the exams used for engineering licenses.

National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)
NSPE is an advocacy group for professional engineers.