TITLE 54

PROFESSIONS, VOCATIONS, AND BUSINESSES

CHAPTER 12

ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS

54-1212.  General requirements for examination and license. Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, no license as a professional engineer or professional land surveyor, or certification as an engineer intern or land surveyor intern, shall be issued until an applicant has successfully passed an examination given by or approved by the board, nor shall a license as a professional engineer or professional land surveyor, or certification as an engineer intern or land surveyor intern, be issued to an applicant having habits or character that would justify revocation or suspension of his license or certificate, as provided in section 54-1220, Idaho Code. Except for military personnel stationed in the state of Idaho on military orders and except for persons employed full-time in the state of Idaho, only residents of the state of Idaho and students enrolled at an Idaho university or college may qualify for initial licensure. The following shall be considered as minimum evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant is qualified for certification as an intern or licensure as a professional engineer or professional land surveyor:

(1)  As a professional engineer:

(a)  Graduation from an approved engineering program of four (4) years or more in a school or college approved by the board as being of satisfactory standing, passage of examinations on the fundamentals of engineering and professional engineering acceptable to the board, and a specific record, after graduation, of an additional four (4) years or more of progressive experience in engineering work of a grade and character satisfactory to the board and indicating that the applicant is competent to practice professional engineering; or

(b)  Graduation with a bachelor’s degree in a related science from a school or college approved by the board, and evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant possesses knowledge and skill approximating that attained through graduation from an approved four (4) year engineering program, passage of examinations on the fundamentals of engineering and professional engineering acceptable to the board, and a specific record, after graduation, of four (4) years or more of progressive experience in engineering work of a grade and character satisfactory to the board and indicating that the applicant is competent to practice professional engineering.

(2)  As a professional land surveyor:

(a)  Graduation from an approved surveying program of four (4) years or more in a school or college approved by the board as being of satisfactory standing, passage of examinations on the fundamentals of surveying and professional land surveying acceptable to the board, and a specific record of an additional four (4) years or more of progressive combined office and field experience in land surveying work of a grade and character satisfactory to the board and indicating that the applicant is competent to practice professional land surveying; or

(b)  Graduation with a bachelor’s degree in a related program from a school or college approved by the board as being of satisfactory standing, and evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant possesses knowledge and skill approximating that attained through graduation from an approved four (4) year surveying program, passage of examinations on the fundamentals of surveying and professional land surveying acceptable to the board, and a specific record of an additional four (4) years or more of progressive combined office and field experience in land surveying work of a grade and character satisfactory to the board and indicating that the applicant is competent to practice land surveying.

(3)  As an engineer intern:

(a)  Passage of an examination on the fundamentals of engineering and graduation from an approved engineering program of four (4) years or more in a school or college approved by the board as being of satisfactory standing and indicating that the applicant is competent to enroll as an engineer intern;

(b)  Passage of an examination on the fundamentals of engineering and graduation with a bachelor’s degree in a related science from a school or college approved by the board, and evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant possesses knowledge and skill approximating that attained through graduation from an approved four (4) year engineering program and indicating that the applicant is competent to be enrolled as an engineer intern; or

(c)  Passage of an examination on the fundamentals of engineering and graduation with an engineering master’s or doctoral degree approved by the board, evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant possesses knowledge and skill approximating that attained through graduation from an approved four (4) year engineering program and indicating that the applicant is competent to be enrolled as an engineer intern.

(d)  In the event the applicant passes the examination prior to graduation under the provisions of paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this subsection, a certificate will be issued only after the applicant graduates.

(4)  As a land surveyor intern:

(a)   Passage of an examination on the fundamentals of surveying and graduation from an approved surveying program of four (4) years or more in a school or college approved by the board as being of satisfactory standing and indicating that the applicant is competent to be enrolled as a land surveyor intern; or

(b)  Passage of an examination on the fundamentals of surveying and graduation with a bachelor’s degree in a related program from a school or college approved by the board, evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant possesses knowledge and skill approximating that attained through graduation from an approved four (4) year surveying program and indicating that the applicant is competent to be enrolled as a land surveyor intern.

(c)  In the event the applicant passes the examination prior to graduation from college under the provisions of paragraph (a) or (b) of this subsection, a certificate shall be issued only after the applicant graduates.

In counting years of experience for licensure as a professional engineer or professional land surveyor, the board may, at its discretion, give credit, not in excess of one (1) year, for satisfactory graduate study toward a master’s degree and not in excess of an additional one (1) year for satisfactory graduate study toward a doctorate degree. In the event an applicant obtains a doctorate degree without first obtaining a master’s degree, the board may, at its discretion, give credit, not in excess of two (2) years.

In considering the combined education and experience qualifications of applicants, the board shall consider engineering teaching, land surveying teaching, each year of satisfactory completion of undergraduate college education, advanced degrees in engineering and advanced degrees in land surveying in establishing the applicants’ minimum composite knowledge and skill.

The mere execution, as a contractor, of work designed by a professional engineer, or the supervision of the construction of such work as a foreman or superintendent, shall not be deemed to be the practice of engineering, but if such experience, in the opinion of the board, has involved responsible supervision of a character that will tend to expand the engineering knowledge and skill of the applicant, the board may in its discretion give such credit therefor as it may deem proper.

Any person having the necessary qualifications prescribed in this chapter that otherwise entitle him for initial licensure or certification shall be eligible although he may not be practicing his profession at the time of making his application.

The board may postpone acting on an application for certification or licensure if disciplinary or criminal action related to the applicant’s practice has been taken or is pending in any other jurisdiction. The board may postpone the notification of examination results to applicants on any examination if there is any unresolved examination irregularity involving the applicant. The board may investigate and adjudicate the validity of examination irregularities and if the examination irregularities are substantiated, the board may invalidate the examination result of the applicant.

History:

[54-1212, added 1939, ch. 231, sec. 12, p. 516; am. 1957, ch. 234, sec. 7, p. 547; am. 1961, ch. 258, sec. 3, p. 422; am. 1978, ch. 170, sec. 8, p. 371; am. 1986, ch. 140, sec. 11, p. 375; am. 1990, ch. 192, sec. 3, p. 424; am. 1992, ch. 61, sec. 1, p. 192; am. 1996, ch. 357, sec. 9, p. 1185; am. 1997, ch. 189, sec. 1, p. 514; am. 2000, ch. 289, sec. 7, p. 995; am. 2002, ch. 125, sec. 1, p. 350; am. 2003, ch. 15, sec. 1, p. 43; am. 2003, ch. 15, sec. 2, p. 46; am. 2004, ch. 84, sec. 1, p. 313; am. 2004, ch. 84, sec. 2, p. 315; am. 2008, ch. 378, sec. 9, p. 1030; am. 2008, ch. 378, sec. 10, p. 1033; am. 2010, ch. 111, sec. 1, p. 223; am. 2012, ch. 24, sec. 1, p. 78; am. 2015, ch. 48, sec. 3, p. 103; am. 2018, ch. 67, sec. 1, p. 159.]