This guide is a walkthrough of the requirements to take the PE Exam, obtain a PE license, and maintain a PE license in the state of Texas.
I will update this as often as possible, but to make sure you’ve got the most up-to-date information, always check for the right information from these links:
- Requirements to Take the PE Exam in Texas. To take the PE Exam in Texas, you need to verify that you have a Texas EIT certificate or “have a TBPE-approved application demonstrating all the qualifications of licensure have been met except for the passage of the PE exam,” or be a currently licensed engineer in Texas.
- Requirements to Apply for a PE License in Texas. To apply for a PE license in Texas, first check that you meet the board requirements. These include experience, exams, and education similar to other states. You also must complete a background check and ethics exam. The actual application is at the Texas Board of Professional Engineers website.
You can also watch a video series about the process on YouTube. - Requirements to Renew Your PE License in Texas. Texas PE licenses expire yearly and renew on “the date preceding the quarter in which the license was issued” either December 31, March 31, June 30, or September 30. You must do 15 Continuing Education Hours (CEH) to renew your PE license in Texas. You do not need to report CEHs unless audited.
This article is meant as a general reference and does not replace the official guidelines from the Texas state board or NCEES.
Requirements to Take the PE Exam in Texas
If you have been granted a Texas EIT certificate after April 30, 2008, or are an already licensed PE in Texas, then you do not need to fill out any additional forms or pay any additional fees to take the PE exam in Texas.
To get your EIT certificate you need to do the following three things:
- Show transcripts confirming that you have graduated from an engineering program or related science curriculum approved by the board.
- Pass the FE exam.
- Apply for your EIT certificate using the Texas Board of Professional Engineers (TBPE) application and pay the $15 fee.
This information can be found at this link. It’s also a good idea to go to this link and search “133.67” then go to the third instance of it to find the right section in Texas law that governs these rules and make sure there aren’t any additional requirements.
Requirements to Get Your PE License in Texas
There are six major requirements to becoming licensed as a PE in Texas:
- Education – You must complete a 4-year engineering degree from an ABET-accredited university. Other types of degrees or degrees from foreign countries may count, but you may be required to complete more years of experience.
- Experience – After you receive an ABET-accredited engineering degree, you must complete 4 years of experience doing design, calculation, planning for engineering works, prep & review of plans or specifications, or analysis. This must be documented and verified by a Professional Engineer Reference. If your degree is in another accepted field you must have 8 years of experience.
- Exams – You must first pass the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE) or you can get a waiver with additional engineering experience. Then you have to pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam (PE).
- Background Check – Instructions on how to do this can be found here. In summary, you start by getting an appointment to get fingerprinted at this website. You will need to pay a fee out of your own pocket at the fingerprinting center. If there is not a center near you then you can submit an FD-258 ink card by mail to IdentoGO but it must be completed by law enforcement. Here is the FAQ for the background check.
- Texas Ethics Exam – Create an account and take the online exam at the TBPE Ethics Exam website. The exam is 25 questions, open book (use this PDF), and multiple choice. You must get 90% or higher to pass. You can see the questions at this link. If you fail you can retake the exam as many times as you want.
- Application & Fee – You will need official transcripts, verifications of exams and licensure in other jurisdictions, and Supplementary Experience Records (SERs). You also need 3 references that are professional engineers and at least 1 for each work experience. The application is at this website. The fee as of this writing is $80, but remember that you also have to pay for the background check. This video explains how this all works and contains links to all the forms.
Getting a PE License by Comity in Texas
If you have a PE license in another state and want to become a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas, you must fill out the entire application and complete all steps. This includes the background check and ethics exam. However, you may use your NCEES record in place of some required documents. Per the TBPE website:
“A current NCEES record may also be submitted in lieu of the SERs, official transcripts, professional engineer references, and exam and license verifications.”
In other words, your NCEES record makes it a lot easier to get your PE license in Texas if you’re applying after getting licensed in another state! It does usually cost about $75 to transmit that record, but it’s worth it to avoid the hassle of those extra documents.
Professional Development Hours for Texas PE’s
Texas Professional Engineer licenses expire yearly on December 31, March 31, June 30, or September 30 depending on when you got your license. You will receive a reminder in the mail before your license expires. You must get (but not report) 15 Continuing Education Hours (CEHs) each renewal period.
The renewal fee for a Texas PE license is $40.
Check out my other PE Exam requirement posts:
