Congratulations on becoming licensed as a Professional Engineer in Florida.
You may be asking, “What now?” This page will help answer that question, whether you are a first-time licensee or held a PE license in another state before becoming licensed here.
New Florida licensees will be mailed a wall certificate within six to eight weeks of being issued a license number. The certificates are for display purposes only and are not your license.
Your PE license and a wallet card are emailed to you as a PDF file, which is ready for printing, after you have been issued a license number and requested your license at myfloridalicense.com. See our How Do I Print My License page for step-by-step instructions on requesting and printing your PE license.
If you intend to actively participate in the design of engineering works or systems in connection with buildings, structures, or facilities and systems covered by the Florida Building Code, you must complete a Florida Building Code course in order to have a “Special Qualifications” designation added to your licensure record, pursuant to Section 471.0195, Florida Statutes.
In order for the designation to be added to your licensing information, you must forward the certificate you receive for completing the Advanced Building Code course to Nancy Wilkins at nwilkins@fbpe.org. Upon receipt, it will be added to your record so that building departments will be able to verify its completion.
Also, you must complete a Florida Building Code course within 12 months of the effective date of each new edition of the Florida Building Code.
A list of Florida-approved course providers is available under the Continuing Education section of our website. The good news is that the FBC course counts toward your continuing education requirements.
A small number of new licensees who applied to take the PE exam through FBPE prior to sitting for the exam are not required to complete 18 hours of continuing education during their first renewal cycle.
Otherwise, when you renew your license for the first time you must have completed 18 hours of continuing education. The required hours are:
PEs licensed in Florida must retain completion and attendance certificates for continuing education for at least two licensure cycles, or four years, but should not report CE to the Board unless requested. Random CE audits are conducted following each renewal period. If you are selected for the audit, you must provide evidence of completing the 18 hours of CE during the previous licensure period.
A key exception: PEs who take the Advanced Building Code course must report completion of the course to the Board.
NCEES provides a continuing professional competency (CPC) program to track and report your continuing education requirements across multiple states in which you are licensed.
The CPC program provides a side-by-side tracking of CE requirements and renewal periods for each state. Your information can be electronically transmitted to each state licensing board during a renewal period.
NCEES CPC tracking is a free program.
In Florida, you can use several types of seals. You can use an embossing seal, a wet seal (rubber stamp) or a digitally created (CAD, .pdf, .jpeg, .gif) seal on final engineering documents. Seals must be a minimum of 1-7/8 inches in diameter. At right is an example of a licensed Florida Professional Engineer’s seal.
For information related to digital signing and sealing, see Rule 61G15-23.004, Florida Administrative Code.
For information related to electronic signing and sealing, see Rule 61G15-23.005, F.A.C.
Please note that the Board does not provide or sell any types of seals, or recommend vendors of seals. A web search will turn up a list of vendors of engineering seals.
If you wish to set up an engineering practice in Florida, you may use your given name as the name of the business, such as C.S. Hammatt, PE, without having to register your business.
If you wish to call your engineering business by any other name, such as C.S. Hammett & Associates, you must register the business with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and have that business qualified by a Florida licensed Professional Engineer. Please see Registering Your Engineering Firm for step-by-step instructions on registering your engineering business and adding a qualifying agent.
All Florida licensed Professional Engineers should become familiar with and adhere to the Rules of Responsibility Common to All Engineers as spelled out in Rules 61G15-30, Florida Administrative Code.
Additional Rules of Responsibility for Professional Engineers practicing in the following disciplines are included in the Florida Administrative Code:
NCEES Records program provides Professional Engineers with an easy way to complete the licensure process in multiple states. The Records program stores college transcripts, exam results, employment verifications, and professional references.
NCEES reviews your materials and, after your record is established, electronically submits them directly to the licensing board on your behalf. This saves time and simplifies the application process when you need to practice in multiple states and territories.
The Records program is free to set up and maintain. Fees are charged each time you transmit your record to a state licensing board: $175 for the first transmittal, and $75 for each transmittal thereafter.
You can find more details regarding licensure, renewal, legal matters, continuing education, and more under the corresponding sections of the FBPE website, or by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the upper right of this page and searching. If you still have questions, please contact us at board@fbpe.org.