Applying for Licensure as a Civil Engineer

Initial Application Submittal Process
Do not submit your application for licensure until you have passed the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE-Civil) exam and confirmed that you meet the qualifying experience requirements (except for applicants applying for a Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam waiver).  For additional information view the Professional Engineer Application page.

Submit your application for licensure using BPELSG Connect. There is no final filing date. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.  For information on how to submit an application view the Professional Engineer Application Instructions.

Once you submit your application, you will be able to log in to monitor the status of the application review and address any deficiencies.  Do not contact the Board for status updates; log in to BPELSG Connect and refer to your dashboard for status updates. View the Application Status Definitions for detailed information.

California law requires that Civil Engineering applicants, including comity applicants, successfully pass the state-specific Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying exams. The state-specific exams are offered on a continuous quarterly basis. You will be eligible to sit for the state-specific exams once your application for licensure has been approved in technical review.

Exam Eligible Applicants (Initial and Re-Exam Applicants)

Log into BPELSG Connect, click the “Request Exam” link listed under the “Action” column on your dashboard, complete the request and make a payment. 

You will have the choice to take the exam(s) in one of two quarters following the quarter in which you make the exam request(s) and pay your exam fees in BPELSG Connect; however, you will not be able to take the exam(s) in the same quarter that you make the exam request(s) and pay your exam fees in BPELSG Connect.  For example, if you make your exam request(s) and pay your exam fees in Quarter 1, you will be able to schedule your exam(s) in Quarter 2 or Quarter 3, but not in Quarter 1.  See the chart below for details.  Once you have paid for an exam and selected a quarter, your eligibility is only valid for the quarter you selected.

After payment, you will receive Authorization to Test (ATT) notice(s) via email with instructions on how and when to schedule your exam(s) with Prometric.  Contact the Exam Unit at (916) 999-3644 or BOEXAM@dca.ca.gov if you have questions about scheduling your exam(s) or if you do not receive your ATT(s) after payment is made (check your SPAM and junk email boxes before contacting the Board).

You will receive your exam results via email the month following the month in which you took the exams.  The results are typically released by mid-month.  For example, if you took the exams in January, you will receive your results by mid-February.  Do not contact the Board regarding the anticipated release date, as there are several factors that can affect the release of the exam results, and an exact date cannot be provided.