Frequently Asked Questions

Email your request to Benton Douglas at bdouglas@pels.ok.gov. Please include any relevant documents in PDF format with your email.

The schedule of fees is located in the Board Rules in OAC 245:2-1-18. To view the Rules on our website, scroll up to the Resources tab in the navigation and then click on Administrative Rules.

Please contact Teresa Anderson at tanderson@pels.ok.gov for forms or other information regarding name changes for individuals or firms.

Contact Teresa Anderson at tanderson@pels.ok.gov or (405) 522-3446.

The fee paid at the time the application was submitted is only an application fee. There is a pro-rated renewal fee due after the license has been issued.

The biennial renewal fee is $150 for individuals and $200 for firms.

The Oklahoma statutes provide that the renewal fee is waived for those who are 70 years or older by the date of your license expiration. The fee is waived whether or not you are still practicing. However, if you are still practicing your profession, you must be able to certify you have obtained 30 professional development hours to renew your license.

To obtain a renewal or reinstatement form please contact Teresa Anderson at (405) 522-3446 or email tanderson@pels.ok.gov.

Yes, the Board now has an Inactive, Retired status available for licensees of any age. You may claim the retired status, at no charge, either online or by mail. To claim the retired status by mail, you may request a renewal form from Teresa Anderson at (405) 522-3446 or by email at tanderson@pels.ok.gov. You will be mailed a new "retired" wallet card within 30 days of selecting the retirement option and will no longer be allowed to practice in Oklahoma as of that date. You will no longer be asked to renew the license and it will remain retired unless application for reinstatement or re-licensure is received and approved. Continuing education requirements and reinstatement fees will apply to reactivate the license.

Log into your account through the online renewal system. The system may show an amount due for renewal or reinstatement until you select the retirement option located on the continuing education designation page of the renewal. You will still receive a receipt at the end of the online retirement process, even though no fee was paid. Retired licenses will be issued a receipt that begins with the letter "F."

You may still claim the retired status, at no charge, if your license expired within the last six (6) months. You may do this online or by contacting Teresa Anderson at (405) 522-3446 or by email at tanderson@pels.ok.gov.

The Oklahoma Board now allows licensees to certify, either online or by mail, that you have met the 30 PDH requirement in lieu of submitting PDH's with your renewal or reinstatement. You are now asked to maintain your hours in a file or spreadsheet to be presented if called upon for audit of continuing education, but you will not submit anything with your renewal, whether you renew online or by mail.

If you did not print your receipt when prompted at the end of your online renewal, the system will not allow you to re-create it. You may obtain a receipt by contacting Teresa Anderson by email at tanderson@pels.ok.gov.

No. A full-time Oklahoma licensed engineer or surveyor, respectively, is a condition that must be satisfied in order to maintain an active Certificate of Authorization to offer services in the State of Oklahoma. A firm not employing a full-time Oklahoma licensed engineer may be subject to immediate revocation of the Certificate of Authorization.

On our website, scroll over the Licensees tab and then click on Continuing Education.

No. The Board does not pre-approve sponsors, courses or activities. It is the responsibility of the licensee to insure that all continuing educational activities earned are within the guidelines and criteria of the Continuing Education Rules.

The training or presentation must be relevant to the practice of engineering and/or surveying, respectively, and must be in compliance with the guidelines as described in the Continuing Education Rule 245:15-11-6 (a) and (b) Criteria for continuing educational activities. Proof of attendance or completion must be issued by the sponsoring organization, must be issued in the name of the licensee specifying the date(s), description of the activity or training, and the actual hours awarded.

No. Written confirmation of attendance is the responsibility of the licensee and must be maintained in their record for a period of 5 years. Proof of professional development attendance will be requested in the instance the licensee is selected for random audit.

Yes, if you have practiced the previous 24-month period and are currently practicing you are required to certify you have obtained a minimum of 30 PDH’s as a condition of licensure renewal.

A license not renewed by the expiration date will lapse and become inactive. The license may be reinstated within 180-days by submitting a reinstatement application or reinstating online, once the 30 PDH's have been completed. After 180 days a new application is required for Board approval. HOWEVER, THE LICENSEE MAY NOT PRACTICE DURING THIS TIME PERIOD WITH AN INACTIVE LICENSE!

No. Licensees serving on temporary active duty for more than 120 consecutive days in a calendar year shall be exempt from obtaining professional development hours required during that renewal period. The provision is not intended for career military service people receiving change in duty station orders, etc. but rather those service people called to temporary active duty, or training in preparation of deployment, etc. which may prevent them from obtaining continuing education. To claim this exemption military orders specifying deployment or special training qualifying for exemption is required to be submitted to the Board office.

The activity will maintain, improve or expand skills and knowledge obtained prior to initial licensure or to develop new and relevant skills and knowledge and may include technical, ethical or managerial content.

No. The Board has final authority with respect to acceptability of courses and PDH value for each course. If the Board determines that the activity does not meet the above stated criteria, it may reject all or part of the claimed pdh value of any course. The Board awards PDH credit for each contact hour of actual time spent on the continuing education activity. If a provider values a course at 8 PDH's, and you only spend 2 hours competing, the Board expects its licensees to ethically claim credit for only the amount of actual time spent on the activity.

The Oklahoma Board now allows licensees to certify, either online or by mail, that you have met the 30 PDH requirement in lieu of submitting PDH's with your renewal or reinstatement. You are now asked to maintain your hours in a file or spreadsheet to be presented if called upon for audit of continuing education, but will not submit anything with your renewal, whether you renew online or by mail.

Contact Bruce Pitts at bpitts@pels.ok.gov or (405) 522-3445 or see Title 59 O.S. 475.15 and OAC 245:15-17

All final engineering and land surveying papers or documents, including drawings, specifications, plans, reports, land surveys, plats, land descriptions, design information, construction documents, calculations, addenda, change orders, field orders and other documents of service involving the practice of engineering or land surveying. See OAC 245:15-17-1(a)

The documents must be signed and sealed whenever they are presented to a client, a user, or any public or governmental agency.

Preliminary engineering or land surveying documents must be clearly marked with the following or an equivalent statement “This document is preliminary in nature, and is not a final signed and sealed document.”

Yes, unless marked preliminary in nature, as stated above.

No, because you were not in direct control and personal supervision of the engineering design work. There is no provision in the state laws or rules that allow an engineer to simply review and sign and seal the plans prepared by a non-licensee.

Each separate document, the first page of a bound document, and in the case of multiple licensees, the portion of the work for which each firm is responsible, shall also show the name of the firm, the firm's Certificate of Authorization number, and the contact information for the firm.

Land surveying documents produced by a firm shall bear the name, address, telephone number and Certificate of Authorization number of the firm issuing the document, along with the name, license number, seal, signature and date of signature of the surveyor.

A licensee not practicing as or through a firm shall also include personal contact information to include address and phone number along with seal, signature and date of signature of the licensee. OAC 245: 15-17-2 (b).

Yes, however the digital signature must be:

• Unique to the person using it;
• Capable of verification; and
• Under the sole responsibility and control of the licensee affixing it.

Yes, but ONLY if it incorporates a scanned image of the licensee's original handwritten date. In this case, a licensee may scan their signature and date together and apply to a specific project. In no case may the licensee scan their original signature to be stored and used in lieu of a digital/electronic signature.

NOTE: A digital signature having an electronic authentication process attached to or logically associated with the electronic document may also be used and does not need to include the handwritten date, but must be dated. In this instance, the digital signature shall be linked to a document in such a manner that the data in the document can be verified as being unaltered since the time that the digital signature was affixed.

A successor licensee may correct or complete a project if the original licensee is unavailable to complete the work or the work is a site adaptation of a standard design plan. Examples of such situations could encompass a wide range of scenarios, such as the original licensee may have been terminated from the project by the owner or client; the original licensee may have retired, become incapacitated or deceased; the original licensee no longer works for the firm; or the firm contracted to perform the work may no longer be in business.

A licensee shall perform or have responsible charge over all professional engineering or land surveying services to include development of a complete design file including work or design criteria, calculations, code research, field notes, and any necessary and appropriate changes to the work. The burden is on the successor licensee to demonstrate such compliance. The successor licensee shall perform sufficient review and calculation to ensure that all standards of practice required of licensees are met and shall take professional and legal responsibility for documents which he/she signs and seals.

The original licensee's seal and signature shall not be removed by the successor licensee from the original work provided to the successor licensee by the client. Any work altered, completed, corrected, revised or added to shall have a seal, date and signature affixed by the successor licensee. The successor licensee shall clearly indicate on the work what alterations, additions, or deletions he/she has made and then becomes responsible for such changes to the original work including any effect or impact of those changes on the original work.

No, but the work must clearly and accurately reflect the successor licensee's professional work.

Yes. In the case of an existing structure, the engineering for modification to the existing structure and any of its systems shall be under the responsible charge of persons licensed in this state.

A site adaptation shall not include a licensee taking responsible charge over work designed for construction on a specific site in this state that was prepared by a person not licensed in this state.

The standard prototypical design plan must be marked "This document in preliminary in nature and is not a final, signed and sealed document." until such time as an Oklahoma licensee has taken responsible charge of the work and the work is dated and issued under the seal and signature of an Oklahoma licensee.

No, this is deemed a drafting service and shall not be required to be dated, signed and sealed by a licensed engineer.

No.

No. The only time you would ever use an out of state seal on an Oklahoma project is if you hold a Temporary Permit in Oklahoma. In this case you would use the seal of the state on which the issuance of the Temporary Permit was based and directly under the seal the following information would be provided: Oklahoma Temporary Permit Number, Date of Issue, Date of Expiration, Signature of Holder.

No, all surveying offices must have a professional land surveyor physically present in the workplace to provide direct control and personal supervision over any work in which that land surveyor is in responsible charge.

No.

Only when the professional land surveyor in direct control and supervision of the work is personally directing the crew and the work is performed concurrent with the supervision.

Yes, as long as the engineer who signs and seals the work meets the following requirements.

• The licensee supervises the preparation of the document and has input into the preparation of the final document prior to signing and sealing the work;
• The licensee has the authority to make any necessary and appropriate changes to the final document;
• An engineer who signs and seals work must be capable of answering questions as to the engineering decisions made during the work on the project in sufficient detail as to leave little doubt as to the engineer’s direct involvement in the project.

No.

Only when the professional engineer is personally directing the individual and the work is performed concurrent with the supervision.

The current Online License Search located on this website contains a statement to that effect and a link to view copies of the official action taken by this Board. If you would like to know if a licensee is the subject of an open investigation or have further questions, please contact Mark Caruthers at (405) 522-3325 or mcaruthers@pels.ok.gov.

On this website, scroll over the Consumers tab and then click on How to File a Complaint.

It is not within the Board’s jurisdiction to resolve property line disputes. As a part of an investigation, the Board may review surveys for compliance with the Minimum Standards for the Practice of Land Surveying and other statutes and rules. Only a court of law or the parties themselves can resolve property line disputes.

Most fee and contract disputes result from a lack of communication or misunderstanding between the parties or a direct breech of contract. In most cases these kinds of disputes do not fall within the jurisdiction of the Board and must be resolved by the individual parties or in the court system. The Board has no authority to collect fees, enforce a contract or award monetary damages.

Disciplinary action may include in any combination:

• Reprimand,
• Revocation of certificate of licensure and/or certificate of authorization,
• Suspension of certificate of licensure and/or certificate of authorization,
• Place on Probation,
• Levy an administrative fine of not less than $250.00 and not more than $10,000.00 for each separate violation, and
• Any other action as agreed upon by the Board and Respondent(s) and outlined in a Consent Agreement.

Disciplinary action may include in any combination:

• Levy an administrative fine of not less than $250.00 and not more than $10,000.00 for each separate violation, and
• Any other action as agreed upon by the Board and Respondent(s) and outlined in a Consent Agreement.

No, not unless you are licensed here.

No, you cannot offer to perform services until you are licensed here, and if you are offering services through a firm, the firm must have a Certificate of Authorization issued by this Board prior to offering or performing professional services as well. Board Rules OAC 245:15-23-1(a)(5) describes in detail what an individual and firm may do without being in violation prior to licensure or authorization in Oklahoma. You may respond to a letter of inquiry regarding a request for qualifications and interest.

Yes. Beginning May 11, 2009, licensees must select from a list of disciplines of engineering to declare an area or areas of competence in which to practice.

The following criteria must be met to designate a discipline of engineering:

• A degree in the discipline of engineering, or
• An experience record documenting at least 4 years of experience in the discipline of engineering verified by at least one PE reference provider that has personal knowledge of the license holder’s character, reputation, suitability for licensure, and engineering experience, or
• Verification of successful passage of the examination on the principles and practice of engineering exam in the discipline of engineering designated.

No. For example, listing "Civil" as your primary discipline does not necessarily mean that you are competent to do all types of civil engineering projects. The civil engineer's specialty may be in wastewater, but not transportation. In this case, the engineer would simply list "Civil". Another example: Listing "Mechanical" as your primary discipline of engineering and "Electrical" as a secondary discipline might mean that you are a degreed mechanical engineer and took and passed the mechanical PE exam. You then went to work for a MEP firm, and after working under the supervision of the PE in charge of the electrical department for 10 years, you have gained competency to perform some electrical engineering work. You may not be competent to design a power plant, but are competent to perform electrical engineering on smaller electrical projects relating specifically to HVAC.

Contact: Bruce Pitts, Director of Enforcement at bpitts@pels.ok.gov or by phone at (405) 522-3445, or contact Mark Caruthers, Senior Investigator at mcaruthers@pels.ok.gov or (405) 522-3325.