To get a Professional Engineer license in California, you need a qualifying engineering degree, six years of progressive engineering experience (much of which can be credited from your education), passing scores on the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and the discipline-specific PE exam, any California-specific exams your branch requires, a passing score on the Laws and Rules Exam, and a cleared criminal background check. The Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) issues the license and handles every step after the national exams. Meeting the full set of California PE license requirements typically takes at least six years from the start of your bachelor’s degree.
Which Branches Require a License
California licenses more than a dozen engineering branches, but the legal weight of the license depends on which one you practice. Civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering are practice-act branches: you cannot perform that type of engineering work at all without the appropriate license. Agricultural, chemical, control systems, fire protection, industrial, metallurgical, nuclear, petroleum, and traffic engineering are title-act branches, meaning you can do the work but cannot call yourself a professional engineer in that discipline without a license.1Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Professional Engineer Application
Two additional title authorities sit on top of the civil PE license. Structural engineering and geotechnical engineering both require you to first hold a California civil PE, then pass further exams and meet additional experience requirements.2Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Structural Engineer Application
Education That Qualifies
The cleanest path starts with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). An ABET-accredited bachelor’s earns the maximum education credit toward California’s experience requirement under Title 16, California Code of Regulations section 424.3Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 16, Section 424
A non-ABET or international degree still qualifies, but the path is longer. You will need an NCEES credentials evaluation that compares your coursework against the NCEES Engineering Education Standard. To meet that standard, your transcript generally needs at least 32 semester credit hours in higher mathematics and basic sciences (including calculus and at least two lab science courses in different areas) and at least 48 semester credit hours in engineering science or design courses. Engineering technology courses do not count toward the engineering requirement, and international transcripts must include certified literal English translations.4NCEES. Credentials Evaluations
If you don’t hold a standalone engineering bachelor’s degree, you can still qualify by pairing a non-accredited bachelor’s in engineering, engineering technology, a related science, or math with a master’s or doctorate in engineering. Non-ABET graduates typically need more years of actual work experience to reach the six-year total than ABET graduates do.5ABET. Licensure, Registration and Certification
The Exams
Fundamentals of Engineering Exam
The FE exam is usually taken near the end of your undergraduate program or shortly after graduation. It’s computer-based, administered year-round at Pearson VUE test centers, and costs $225, paid directly to NCEES through your MyNCEES account.6NCEES. FE Exam Passing the FE lets you apply for an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certificate from BPELSG for $75. The EIT is not required for licensure, but some employers prefer it.7Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. EIT/LSIT Certification – Information and Application
Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam
The PE exam is the main national licensing exam and tests competency in a specific discipline. It costs $400 per attempt, paid to NCEES. Most disciplines run an appointment of about nine hours with roughly eight hours and fifty minutes of actual exam time across two sections, offered year-round at NCEES-approved Pearson VUE centers.8NCEES. Examinee Guide July 2025 You must apply to the California Board and have your eligibility confirmed before you can register with NCEES for the PE exam.
California Civil Add-Ons
Civil engineering applicants have to pass two exams that exist only in California: the Seismic Principles Examination and the Engineering Surveying Examination. Both are multiple-choice, computer-based tests given at Prometric centers with a two-and-a-half-hour time limit, and each costs $175 paid to the Board.9Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Examination Candidate Information10Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Fee Schedule You can only sit for these after the Board has approved your initial application through a technical review.
Laws and Rules Exam
Every applicant must also pass the Laws and Rules Exam, an open-book test on the Professional Engineers Act and related California regulations, with a minimum score of 70%. The Board will not begin full technical review of your application until you’ve passed it.
Qualifying Work Experience
California requires six years of qualifying engineering experience before issuing a PE license. An ABET-accredited bachelor’s earns four years of credit, leaving roughly two years of actual post-graduation work to accumulate.3Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 16, Section 424 Without an ABET degree, the credit is smaller and you need more real work years to reach six.11Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. 2026 Professional Engineers Act
The experience itself has to be progressive and show increasing complexity and responsibility in your chosen discipline. It must involve the practical application of engineering principles under the supervision of a licensed Professional Engineer or another legally qualified person. Routine drafting, construction inspection without engineering judgment, and technician-level tasks generally don’t count.
Documentation is where applications stall. You must submit at least four completed Work Experience Engagements and References through the BPELSG Connect portal. Each reference, usually a supervising PE, receives an email link and must independently verify the quality and duration of your work. A slow or disputing reference can hold up your whole application.1Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Professional Engineer Application
Application, Fingerprints, and Background Check
When you’ve passed the required exams and met the experience threshold, you submit the full application through BPELSG Connect with a $175 application fee.10Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Fee Schedule The package includes the application form, verification of work experience, and official score reports for every exam.
Every applicant has to clear a criminal background check. In-state applicants submit fingerprints electronically through a Live Scan center; the processing fees are $49 ($32 DOJ, $17 FBI) plus a rolling fee that varies by location. Out-of-state applicants can either travel to California for Live Scan or submit two FD-258 fingerprint cards with the $49 processing fee paid to the Board. Results typically reach the Board within two to three weeks, and both DOJ and FBI results must be approved before a license can issue.12Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Fingerprinting Frequently Asked Questions
What It Costs
A typical non-civil applicant will pay:
- FE exam: $225 to NCEES
- EIT certificate (optional): $75 to BPELSG
- PE exam: $400 to NCEES
- Application fee: $175 to BPELSG
- Fingerprint processing: $49 plus the Live Scan rolling fee
Civil applicants add $350 for the two California-specific exams. Applicants pursuing the structural engineer title authority face PE Structural exam fees of $350 per component across all four sections.10Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Fee Schedule13NCEES. PE Structural Exam
Renewal
California PE licenses are valid for two years from the assigned renewal date and must be renewed biennially through BPELSG Connect.14Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. License Renewal Information California is one of the few states that does not require continuing education or professional development hours for renewal, even though NCEES recommends 15 professional development hours per year as a national benchmark.15NCEES. CPC Tracking You remain responsible for practicing competently, and letting the license lapse by missing a renewal may force you through a reinstatement process.
Penalties for Practicing Without a License
Unlicensed practice in a practice-act branch (civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering) is a criminal offense under the Professional Engineers Act. Violations are treated as misdemeanors with fines and possible jail time. Penalties escalate sharply when the unlicensed work is tied to a disaster-declared area: a violation connected to repair work after a governor-declared state of emergency or a presidential disaster declaration can bring fines up to $10,000 and state prison time of 16 months to three years.16California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code Chapter 7 Article 6 Using the PE title without authorization, even in a title-act branch, exposes you to prosecution and civil liability.