Engineers and Land Surveyors in Iowa are licensed and regulated by the Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board. The Professional Licensing Bureau is a resource for information about disciplinary action, license renewals, helpful resources, and more.
View the Disciplinary Index
Discipline is 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 board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Three 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 who represent the general public.
For more information about the board, visit the Iowa Talent Bank.
Board Staff
Robert E. Lampe, Executive Officer—515.725.9024
Demetria Witt, Licensing Specialist—515.725.9021
Jennifer Klein, Assistant Attorney General
Meeting Agendas & Minutes
| 2022 | 2023 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
November September
|
November
|
||||||
|
|
July |
||||||
|
|
June May |
||||||
|
|
April March |
||||||
|
|
January |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
|
- 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.
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 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 year-round 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