To run a Michigan professional engineer lookup, use the free license search that the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) hosts on the state’s Accela portal. You can search by name or license number and see whether the license is active, expired, suspended, or revoked.1Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Michigan Professional Licensing – License Search The database is refreshed daily, and LARA notes that the person searching is responsible for confirming the information is still current at the moment they rely on it.
Running the Search
The Accela lookup accepts a licensee’s name, license number, or other identifying details. For a common surname, adding a first name or a city narrows the results quickly. The record will show the license type, the current status, and the license expiration date.
A few status terms to know as you read the record:
- Active means the engineer is currently licensed and may practice and seal work in Michigan.
- Expired means the license is not currently valid. During a 60-day grace period after expiration, the engineer can renew with a $20 late fee but still cannot legally practice until renewal is complete.2Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Professional Engineer License Renewal Information
- Suspended or revoked means the engineer cannot practice, and cannot apply their seal or signature to any plan, specification, plat, or report until the license is reinstated or reissued.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 339-2007 – Seal Requirements
If nothing comes up at all, treat that as a red flag rather than a technical glitch. Try alternate spellings and confirm you are searching the professional engineer category, then contact LARA directly if you still get no result for someone claiming to be a Michigan PE.
What the Lookup Will Not Show
Michigan’s public search does not display disciplinary history from other states. State boards share that information through the NCEES Enforcement Exchange, which is closed to the public. If you are hiring an engineer who has worked across state lines, ask them directly about any disciplinary history in another jurisdiction, or submit a formal inquiry to LARA.
The lookup also does not verify an engineering firm the way it verifies an individual. Michigan handles firms through a separate approval process rather than issuing a firm license, and LARA confirms firm approval by email rather than through a certificate you can search for.4Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. How to Submit a Firm Approval To confirm a firm’s status, contact LARA rather than relying on the individual license search.
What a Valid Michigan PE Credential Requires
Knowing what stands behind an active license helps you judge whether the record you are looking at fits the person in front of you. Michigan regulates professional engineering under Article 20 of the Occupational Code (Act 299 of 1980), and the Michigan Board of Professional Engineers administers licensure.
To hold an active Michigan PE license, an engineer needs:
- A bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited program.
- At least eight years of professional engineering experience, with up to five of those years satisfied by education credit. In practice, a graduate with a four-year engineering degree typically needs at least four more years of qualifying work experience; a master’s degree can reduce the post-graduation work requirement to roughly three years.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 339-2004 – Architect, Professional Engineer, and Professional Surveyor Licensing Requirements6Legal Information Institute. Michigan Administrative Code R 339-16022 – Professional Engineering Experience Requirements
- Passing scores on both national exams administered by NCEES: the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 339-2004 – Architect, Professional Engineer, and Professional Surveyor Licensing Requirements
- Ongoing renewal every two years, which requires 30 hours of continuing education during the two years before expiration, including at least two hours on ethics as it relates to professional engineering.7Legal Information Institute. Michigan Administrative Code R 339-16040 – Continuing Education Required for Renewal
An engineer already licensed in another state or in a Canadian province can qualify in Michigan through comity with at least four years of licensed practice instead of the full eight-year calculation.6Legal Information Institute. Michigan Administrative Code R 339-16022 – Professional Engineering Experience Requirements
Michigan’s definition of practicing professional engineering is broad. It covers consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, design, and review of work involving structures, buildings, machines, equipment, processes, or utilities where the work requires applying engineering principles or data.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 339-2001 – Definitions If someone is providing that kind of work in Michigan, they need an active license to do it.
Checking the Seal on a Document
If you have received a plan, specification, plat, or report from a Michigan engineer, the document itself is part of the verification. Every licensed Michigan PE must obtain a seal bearing their name and the legend “licensed professional engineer,” and the seal and signature must appear on any such document filed with a public authority.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 339-2007 – Seal Requirements Michigan accepts both traditional ink seals and electronic seals, provided the electronic seal is affixed with intent to sign.
Cross-check the name on the seal against the name on the LARA record, and confirm the license was active on the date the document was sealed. A sealed document from an engineer whose license was expired, suspended, or revoked at the time of sealing is a problem.
If the License Is Expired or Missing
An expired license is not a paperwork technicality. During the 60-day grace period, the engineer cannot legally practice, and after that window closes they lose the ability to renew online and must go through a separate paper relicensure process. Licenses that have lapsed for three years or more require additional verification through NCEES.9Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Michigan Professional Engineer Licensing Guide – Renewal Requirements Checklist
Practicing engineering or using the title “professional engineer” without an active Michigan license carries real consequences. A first offense is a misdemeanor with a fine of $5,000 to $25,000, up to 93 days in jail, or both. A second or subsequent offense keeps the same fine range and raises the possible jail term to one year. An offense causing death or serious injury is a felony punishable by a fine of $5,000 to $25,000, up to four years in prison, or both.10Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 339-601 – Practicing Regulated Occupation or Using Designated Title
If the person you are checking is holding themselves out as a PE without an active license, stop the engagement and consider reporting it.
Filing a Complaint
Anyone can file a complaint with LARA about a Michigan engineer, whether you are a member of the public, another engineer, or an affected client. LARA must acknowledge a complaint in writing within 15 days and begin investigating immediately, with an initial 30-day window for the investigative unit to report back that the department can extend for good cause.11Michigan Legislature. Michigan Occupational Code – Article 5 – Complaints and Hearings
Grounds for discipline against a licensed engineer include fraud or deceit in obtaining or practicing under a license, gross negligence, incompetence, false advertising, violating rules of professional conduct, and aiding someone in unlicensed practice.12Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 339-604 – Violations Subject to Penalties The board can impose sanctions ranging from a censure or probation to license limitation, suspension, or revocation, plus administrative fines up to $10,000 and restitution to those harmed.13Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 339-602 – Violation of Act, Rule, or Order; Penalties
If your concern is that someone is practicing without any license at all, that is the unlicensed-practice statute above, and LARA can still act on the report and refer the matter for criminal prosecution.