Engineers and Land Surveyors in Iowa fall under the purview of the Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board. The Professional Licensing Bureau houses information for engineers and land surveyors about disciplinary action, license renewals, helpful resources, and more.
The Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board allows applicants to register for the PE Exam without applying to the Board for pre-approval. Examinees may register for the PE Exam through NCEES at their convenience.
After passing the PE Exam, applicants may proceed to submit an application to the Iowa Board for the PE license. The four-year experience requirement, references, project statement and ethics questionnaire will be required with the license application.
View the Disciplinary Index
Disciplinary action against non-licensees and discipline against licensees can be found in our online index. Search the index to locate information about a specific action.
| Type of Fee | Specific Fee | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal | Active license renewal |
$100 |
| Inactive license renewal | $40 | |
| Reinstatement of lapse license (In addition to the reinstatement fee, the applicant must also pay the appropriate prorated reinstated license fee) | $100 | |
| Reinstatement of inactive to active license | $60 | |
| New or reinstated license (In addition to the appropriate prorated reinstated license fee, the applicant for reinstatement must also pay the reinstatement fee above) | $100 - prorated at six-month intervals | |
| Application for examinations | Principles and Practice of Engineering | $100 |
| Principles and Practice of Land Surveying | $100 | |
| Examinations | Fees for NCEES examinations are paid directly to the examination service at the rate established by contract based upon cost of the examination materials and processing expenses | Variable |
| Iowa State Specific Land Surveying Examination | $30 | |
| Application for licensure by comity as a professional engineer or professional land surveyor | $150 | |
| Certificates | Initial professional engineer or professional land surveyor certificate | $15 |
| Additional or duplicate certificate | $25 | |
| Engineer or land surveyor intern certificate | No charge | |
| Check returned for insufficient funds | $15 | |
| Verification of records for lapsed licenses | $15 per verification | |
| Late renewal fee (for renewals postmarked after December 31 and before February 1) | $25 |
The Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board was created by the General Assembly
in 1919. A person cannot practice professional engineering or land surveying without first being
registered with the board.
The law provides that the membership of the board consists of seven members appointed by the
Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Three of these members must be professional engineers, two members must be a land surveyor/or a professional engineer who is also a land surveyor, and two members who are not licensed professional engineers or land surveyors who represent the general public.
Board Members
Todde Folkerts, PE/PLS
Chariton
2nd Term ends April 30, 2023
Paul Herold, PLS
Fort Atkinson
2nd Term Ends April 30, 2025
Jack Jones, Public Member, Chair
Mondamin
2nd term ends April 30, 2025
Rita Perea, Public Member
Des Moines
3rd Term ends April 30, 2023
Laura Sievers, PE
Rock Rapids
3rd Term ends April 30, 2024
James Sweeney, PE, Vice-Chair
Alden
1st Term ends April 30, 2023
Lisa VanDenBerg, PE
Johnston
3rd Term ends April 30, 2024
Board Staff
Robert E. Lampe, Executive Officer—515.725.9024
Demetria Witt, Licensing Specialist—515.725.9021
Jacob Larson, Assistant Attorney General
Meeting Agendas & Minutes
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- Administrative Rules 193C
- Iowa Code 542B
- Iowa Code 355/Standards for Land Surveying
- Iowa Code Chapter 17A - Iowa Administrative Procedure Act
- Iowa Code Chapter 272C - Continuing Education and Regulation - Professional and Occupational
- Iowa Administrative Rules: 193 – Professional Licensing Bureau
- List of criminal offenses directly related to the professions of engineering and land surveying
- 2019 Iowa Building Code Official’s Handbook - New!
Pursuant to Executive Order 10, the Iowa Professional Licensing & Regulation Bureau will be reviewing its existing Administrative Rules in accordance with the schedule. More information about Executive Order 10 is available on the Department of Management’s website.
Agency Rules Administrator
The Agency Rules Administrator is the official responsible for the administration of the agency rulemaking process. If you have any questions about current or pending agency rules for the Board, contact the Agency Rules Administrator:
Agency Rules Administrator
Engineering and Surveying Examining Board
200 E Grand Ave, Ste. 350
Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: (515) 725-9022
Fax: (515) 725-9033
Email: EngineeringandLandSurveyBoard@iowa.gov
The Iowa Legislature has tools available in order to keep up-to-date with the rulemaking process.
- Administrative Rules Agency Changes Subscription: To subscribe to receive a notice of any rule changes from an agency, visit https://www.legis.iowa.gov/subscribe/agencyChanges and select the agency (or agencies) from which you want to get notices.
- Rules Tracker: To track the progress of each rule-making document, visit https://www.legis.iowa.gov/law/administrativeRules/tracker.
- To learn more about the rule-making process, visit https://www.legis.iowa.gov/law/administrativeRules/howDoRulesWork.
FLS and PLS Exam Applications Accepted Year-Round
The Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board now accepts FLS and PLS applications year-round. See below for the amended rules.
Applications with all required components (see below) received by the first day of each month will be reviewed at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. Check with NCEES for registration information including deadlines. Note that qualifying experience must be received by the date of your application to Iowa is received, not the exam date.
Review 193C—3.2(542B) for examination application components and due dates.
Engineer Forms
- Engineer Reference Form - to be used for PE exam and comity applicants
- Unlicensed Supervisor Form - to be used if direct supervisor is not a licensee
- PE Project Statement Form - to be used for PE exam application
- Ethics Questionnaire - to be used for PE exam and comity applicants
Land Surveyor Forms
FLS and PLS Exam Applicants
Requirements for PLS licensure can be found in Chapter 5 of Iowa's rules found here: IAC193C
All FLS and PLS exam applicants must apply to the Iowa Board and be approved before registering for the exam with NCEES. Applications must be sent to the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board and will be reviewed at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.
- The FLS is a computer-based exam administered year-round by NCEES.
- The national portion of the PLS exam is computer-based and administered year-round by NCEES.
- The Iowa State Specific Land Surveying Examination is administered by the Iowa Board twice a year (April/October) for initial licensees, and every other month for comity applicants.
- The syllabus for the Iowa State Specific Land Surveying Examination can be found here.
Comity Applicants
ALL PLS comity applicants must apply to the Iowa Board. Applications will be reviewed at the next regularly scheduled board meeting.
- PLS Reference Form - to be used for PLS exam, and comity applications
- FLS Reference Form - to be used for FLS exam applicants with an experience requirement
- Unlicensed Supervisor Form - to be used if direct supervisor is not a licensee
- PLS Project Statement Form - to be used for PLS exam application
- Ethics Questionnaire - to be used for PLS exam and comity applicants
- Syllabus - to be used in preparation for the Iowa State Specific Land Surveying Examination
- Verification of Record - link for information regarding NCEES online verification
- License & Exam Verification
- Declaratory Order, January 14, 2021
- 2023 List of Lapsed Licenses
- NCEES - National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
- NSPE - National Society of Professional Engineers
- IES - Iowa Engineering Society
- NSPS - National Society of Professional Surveyors
- SLSI - Society of Land Surveyors of Iowa