TEXAS BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS BUSINESS REGISTRATION GUIDANCE DOCUMENT & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Overview of Texas Engineering Practice Act and Board Rules regarding Firm Registration: I. Entities Legal Name: List the firm’s/entities legal name. If the entry is a “dba” list the legal name with the dba, such as: “Joe Smith, P.E., Inc. dba A-One Engineering”. Include the physical and mailing address for the corporate or main office and appropriate contact information including telephone number, facsimile number, and an e-mail address if available. Under the Public Information Act, the Board must release the name, address, and telephone number of your registered entity and other information requested on this form; however, e-mail addresses are restricted from disclosure. Type of Entity and initial Registration Fee: Select the type entity and submit the corresponding fee. A sole proprietorship is a single individual that operates a business and owns all assets; is personally liable for all debts and business ownership is nontransferable; and is not registered with the Secretary of State (SOS). Under a sole proprietorship, the life of the business is limited to the life of the individual proprietor. If operating under a name other than the sole proprietor, an Assumed Name Certificate (commonly referred to as a DBA) must be filed with the County Clerk, and the file number provided. The registration fee set by the Board for Sole Proprietors is $25. Any entity with “corporation” or “incorporated” or any abbreviation of those terms in its name cannot be considered a sole proprietorship. Entities, such as: corporations, partnerships, joint stock associations, and other entities, pay a registration fee of $150 and must provide the S.O.S. filing number. Subsidiary and/or Branch Office(s) offering engineering services to the public in Texas: List all subsidiary and/or branch offices offering or performing services in Texas on behalf of the entity and at least one engineer in responsible charge of the engineering work for each office. As required by Section §1001.405 of the Texas Engineering Practice Act (TEPA), all engineering work and services must be performed by, done, or directly supervised by a professional engineer licensed in Texas who is a regular, fulltime employee of the entity. The Board has defined “direct supervision” in Board Rule §131.81(10) as “critical watching, evaluating, and directing of engineering activities with the
authority to review, enforce, and control compliance with all engineering design criteria, specifications, and procedures as the work progresses. Direct supervision will consist of an acceptable combination of: exertion of significant control over the engineering work, regular personal presence, and reasonable geographic proximity to the location of the performance of the work, and an acceptable employment relationship with the supervised persons. Engineers providing direct supervision of engineering under the Texas Engineering Practice Act, §1001.405(f), shall be personally present during such work.” If not obvious, please include
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an explanation of how the subsidiary or branch offices meet the requirements of Section §1001.405 of the TEPA. If insufficient room is available to list all the applicable subsidiary or branch offices, please include additional pages with the same information. IV. Officer(s) and/or Director(s) of Sole-proprietorship/and all other entities: Per Board Rule §135.3(b)(2), each registration must list the officer(s) and/or director(s). If the
entity is a sole-proprietorship, please list the responsible/authorized party of the soleproprietorship and, if applicable, “Sole Proprietor” as the Position/Title. If insufficient room is available to list all the officers or directors, please include additional pages with the same information.
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Current full-time employees licensed to practice engineering in Texas who are in responsible charge of engineering work on behalf of the entity: Per Board Rule §135.3(b)(3), each registration holder must list all the currently licensed Texas full-time P.E. employees that are authorized to perform or directly supervise engineering work on behalf of the entity. A sole proprietorship that is owned and/or operated by the licensed engineer will need to only put “Self” or the engineer’s name. Please ensure that each full-time P.E. employee’s individual record with the Board reflects their association with the entity. Their employment information may be checked on the Board’s website at www.tbpe.state.tx.us, under the “P.E.s and/or Rosters” tab, of the homepage under “Search for PE”. If the employer information needs correcting, there is an Address and/or Employment Change form, which a license holder may fill out on-line, mail or fax to the Board. The P.E. of record must be present and/or directly supervise engineering work during the hours of operation for the entity. Section §1001.405(f) of the Act allows for a licensed engineer to perform engineering work on a part-time basis and the engineer is considered the “full-time” employee of the part-time entity since the engineer is required to be personally present during the periods engineering work is performed. For an entity that operates only on a part-time basis, pursuant Board Rule §135.3(c) the professional engineer who has physical presence, is an employee of the entity, and offers or performs the engineering work or who directly supervises the engineering work while the entity is in operation shall satisfy the requirement of the regular, full-time employee.
Note: If any sections of the registration application are not completed in full and cannot be remedied via telephone, facsimile, and/or e-mail, the applicable portions of the application will be returned for resolution and may cause delay in processing the registration.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How long does it take to process a registration application and receive its certification? Processing time varies depending on agency workload and completeness of the initial application. From receipt to issuance of a certificate of registration may take anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks. The most complete registration applications are processed in less than 3 weeks from the time of receipt. We ask for your patience during periods of increased application submittals. I am a sole proprietor; do I have to register?
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Yes. Section §1001.405 of the Texas Engineering Practice Act requires, a sole proprietorship, firm, co-partnership, corporation, or joint stock association may engage in the practice of professional engineering in this state, provided the entity is currently registered with the Board and such practice is carried out by only a P.E. licensed in this State. I am a sole proprietor; why do I have to list myself as an “officer or director” and include my name as the engineer in responsible charge? Although many are, not all sole proprietorships are composed of only a professional engineer working for him or herself. Section §1004.405 and Board Rule §135.3(b)(2) of the Act requires the Board to request this information prior to issuing the certificate of registration. Therefore, we ask that all entities that desire registration complete the entire form, even if the task appears redundant, so that the registration process clearly complies with the statute. Can a P.E. be associated with more than 1 entity? Yes. A P.E. can list up to two employment associations in our records and file additional associations with our office. The primary association should be the traditional full-time position. The secondary association can be for a part-time position. Once an entity gets registered, how long is the registration active and how can it be renewed? A registration is active for 1 year. It is the responsibility of the holder of a Certificate of Registration to maintain a current registration. The Board sends out annual registration renewal invoices, approximately 45 days prior to the expiration date, to the last recorded mailing address furnished for the registration. The Board cannot assume any responsibility for the forwarding or successful delivery of a renewal invoice to the holder of the Certificate of Registration. Therefore, if an annual registration renewal invoice is not received, simply contact the Board office to request a duplicate. A registration that did not renew or is not postmarked by the registration’s renewal expiration date, may renew by completing the registration renewal invoice sent by the Board and include a payment of two (2) times the normal registration renewal fee; along with a statement of whether engineering services were offered, pending, and/or performed for the public in Texas during the time the registration was not current. What if the registration has expired for more than one year? If a registration has been expired for more than one year, the entity must re-apply for certification under the current laws and rules and shall be issued a new registration serial number. I am 67 years old and pay a reduced renewal fee for my P.E. license. Is there a reduced fee for the annual registration renewal for individuals over 65 years of age? No, the reduced fee is only for the professional engineering licenses renewal fee. Initial registration fees are set at $25 for sole-proprietors and $150 for all other types of entities. Annual registration renewal fees are $25 for sole-proprietors and $150 for all other types of entities.
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How can a duplicate, additional, or replacement certificate of registration be obtained? Duplicate, additional, or replacement certificates can be obtained with a written request and a $5 check or money order made payable to the “Texas Board of Professional Engineers”. How can updates and/or changes to a registration’s general information be made; such as subsidiary/branch office(s), officer/director(s), and/or full-time P.E. employee(s)? The Board requires a written request within 30 days, which identifies the registration’s full name, certificate number, and the update and/or changes needed. These requests may be submitted using available Board forms or in letter format, which may be mailed, faxed, and/or e-mailed. Please note, Subsidiary or Branch offices added to a registration require the name of the Engineer in responsible charge of engineering work for Texas from that location. If a registered sole proprietor with the Board incorporates, is a new registration application and fee required? No. Only the change, using available Board forms, along with a copy of supporting documentation will need to be submitted, within the specified time per Board Rule §137.73(a). However, please note that the renewal fee will change from $25 to $150, at the regularly scheduled renewal time.
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