Fla. Stat. § 471.001
Purpose
The Legislature deems it necessary in the interest of public health and safety to regulate the practice of engineering in this state.
Florida Statutes Chapter 471 — ENGINEERING
Florida · statute · Fla. Stat. ch. 471 · 24 active provisions
Fla. Stat. § 471.003
Qualifications for practice; exemptions
(1) No person other than a duly licensed engineer shall practice engineering or use the name or title of “licensed engineer,” “professional engineer,” or any other title, designation, words, letters, abbreviations, or device tending to indicate that such person holds an active license as an engineer in this state.(2) T…
Fla. Stat. § 471.0035
Instructors in postsecondary educational institutions; exemption from licensure requirement
For the sole purpose of teaching the principles and methods of engineering design, notwithstanding the provisions of s. 471.005(7), a person employed by a public postsecondary educational institution, or by an independent postsecondary educational institution licensed or exempt from licensure pursuant to the provisions…
Fla. Stat. § 471.005
Definitions
As used in this chapter, the term:(1) “Board” means the Board of Professional Engineers.(2) “Board of directors” means the board of directors of the Florida Engineers Management Corporation.(3) “Defense company” means any business entity that holds a valid Department of Defense contract or any business entity that is a…
Fla. Stat. § 471.007
Board of Professional Engineers
(1) There is created in the department the Board of Professional Engineers. The board shall consist of 11 members, 9 of whom shall be licensed engineers and 2 of whom shall be laypersons who are not and have never been engineers or members of any closely related profession or occupation. A member of the board who is a…
Fla. Stat. § 471.008
Rulemaking authority
The board has authority to adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement provisions of this chapter or chapter 455 conferring duties upon it.
Fla. Stat. § 471.009
Board headquarters
The location of the Board of Professional Engineers shall be in Leon County.
Fla. Stat. § 471.011
Fees
(1) The board by rule may establish fees to be paid for applications, examination, reexamination, licensing and renewal, inactive status application and reactivation of inactive licenses, and recordmaking and recordkeeping. The board may also establish by rule a delinquency fee. The board shall establish fees that are…
Fla. Stat. § 471.013
Examinations; prerequisites
(1)(a) A person shall be entitled to take an examination for the purpose of determining whether she or he is qualified to practice in this state as an engineer if the person is of good moral character and:1. Is a graduate from an approved engineering science curriculum of 4 years or more in a school, college, or univer…
Fla. Stat. § 471.015
Licensure
(1) The management corporation shall issue a license to any applicant who the board certifies is qualified to practice engineering and who has passed the fundamentals examination and the principles and practice examination.(2)(a) The board shall certify for licensure any applicant who has submitted proof satisfactory t…
Fla. Stat. § 471.017
Renewal of license
(1) The management corporation shall renew a license upon receipt of the renewal application and fee.(2) The board shall adopt rules establishing a procedure for the biennial renewal of licenses.(3)(a) The board shall require a demonstration of continuing professional competency of engineers as a condition of license r…
Fla. Stat. § 471.019
Reactivation
The board shall establish by rule a reinstatement process for void licenses. The rule shall prescribe appropriate continuing education requirements for reactivating a license. The continuing education requirements for reactivating a license for a licensed engineer may not exceed the continuing education requirements pr…
Fla. Stat. § 471.0195
Florida Building Code training for engineers
All licensees actively participating in the design of engineering works or systems in connection with buildings, structures, or facilities and systems covered by the Florida Building Code shall take continuing education courses and submit proof to the board, at such times and in such manner as established by the board…
Fla. Stat. § 471.021
Engineers and firms of other states; temporary registration to practice in Florida
(1) Upon approval of the board and payment of the fee set in s. 471.011, the management corporation shall issue a temporary registration for work on one specified project in this state for a period not to exceed 1 year to an engineer holding a certificate to practice in another state, provided Florida licensees are sim…
Fla. Stat. § 471.023
Qualification of business organizations
(1) The practice of, or the offer to practice, engineering by licensees or offering engineering services to the public through a business organization, including a partnership, corporation, business trust, or other legal entity or by a business organization, including a corporation, partnership, business trust, or othe…
Fla. Stat. § 471.025
Seals
(1) The board shall prescribe, by rule, one or more forms of seal to be used by licensees. Each licensee shall obtain at least one seal in the form approved by rule of the board and may, in addition, register his or her seal electronically in accordance with ss. 668.001-668.006. All final drawings, specifications, plan…
Fla. Stat. § 471.027
Engineers authorized to enter lands of third parties under certain conditions
Engineers are hereby granted permission and authority to go on, over, and upon the lands of others when necessary to make engineering surveys and, in so doing, to carry with them their agents and employees necessary for that purpose. Entry under the right hereby granted shall not constitute trespass, and engineers and…
Fla. Stat. § 471.031
Prohibitions; penalties
(1) A person may not:(a) Practice engineering unless the person is licensed or exempt from licensure under this chapter.(b)1. Except as provided in subparagraph 2. or subparagraph 3., use the name or title “professional engineer” or any other title, designation, words, letters, abbreviations, or device tending to indic…
Fla. Stat. § 471.033
Disciplinary proceedings
(1) The following acts constitute grounds for which the disciplinary actions in subsection (3) may be taken:(a) Violating any provision of s. 455.227(1), s. 471.025, or s. 471.031, or any other provision of this chapter or rule of the board or department.(b) Attempting to procure a license to practice engineering by br…
Fla. Stat. § 471.037
Effect of chapter locally
(1) Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to repeal, amend, limit, or otherwise affect any local building code or zoning law or ordinance, now or hereafter enacted, which is more restrictive with respect to the services of licensed engineers than the provisions of this chapter.(2) In counties or municipa…
Fla. Stat. § 471.038
Florida Engineers Management Corporation
(1) This section may be cited as the “Florida Engineers Management Corporation Act.”(2) The purpose of this section is to create a public-private partnership by providing that a single nonprofit corporation be established to provide administrative, investigative, and prosecutorial services to the board and that no addi…
Fla. Stat. § 471.0385
Court action; effect
If any provision of s. 471.038 is held to be unconstitutional or is held to violate the state or federal antitrust laws, the following shall occur:(1) The corporation shall cease and desist from exercising any powers and duties enumerated in the act.(2) The Department of Business and Professional Regulation shall resum…
Fla. Stat. § 471.045
Professional engineers performing building code inspector duties
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who is currently licensed under this chapter to practice as a professional engineer may provide building code inspection services described in s. 468.603(5) and (8) to a local government or state agency upon its request, without being certified by the Florida Buildin…
Fla. Stat. § 471.055
Structural Engineering Recognition Program for Professional Engineers
(1) The board shall establish the Structural Engineering Recognition Program for Professional Engineers to recognize professional engineers who specialize in structural engineering and have gone above and beyond the required minimum professional engineer licensing standards. The board shall establish minimum requiremen…