Licensed Professional Engineers

Licensed Professional Engineers must meet education and experience requirements and pass rigorous exams administered by the state.  Passing this exam permits licensed Professional Engineers to offer engineering services directly to the public.  A licensed Professional Engineer is bound by a strict code of ethics.

  In the States of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, you can verify online that you are really hiring a licensed Professional Engineer.  Click here for more information on online license verification.

Professional Engineer
Licensing Requirements

Note:  Requirements vary slightly from state to state.  The requirements listed below are based on the requirements of the State of New York.

Becoming a licensed Professional Engineer typically requires at least 12 years of acceptable education/experience credit.  Some of this is often obtained through college study, although there are other ways of obtaining the required credit.  After obtaining six years of acceptable education/experience credit, the candidate takes the Fundamentals of Engineering exam.  After passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, and obtaining at least 12 years of acceptable engineering/education experience, the Engineer must pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam.  Only when all requirements have been met can an individual be considered a licensed Professional Engineer.

For the specifics of the New York State requirements, and the various ways to meet the requirements, go to State of New York Department of Education Professional Engineers web site, and go to the Education and Experience Requirements section.  For complete information on becoming a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of New York, please visit the State of New York Department of Education Professional Engineers web site.  In New Jersey, visit the Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors web site.  In Connecticut, visit Department of Consumer Protection web page and navigate to the licensing section.

The state engineering licensure board regulates the licensed practice of engineering within a state.  Individual state boards may have different requirements for becoming a licensed Professional Engineer.  However, similar exams are used in all states.  The Fundamentals of Engineering and the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam are prepared by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying and are used by all states.

Licensed Professional Engineers are ethically bound to place the public interest above everything else.  The licensing, experience, and commitment of a licensed Professional Engineer is your best protection when selecting someone to perform a pre-purchase home or building inspection.  For your protection, choose a licensed Professional Engineer to perform your pre-purchase inspection.  Click here to compare a non-engineer’s description with a licensed Professional Engineer’s evaluation and analysis.

Heimer Engineering's engineers are licensed in New York, New Jersey, and/or Connecticut, and are members of the National Academy of Building Inspection Engineers (NABIE®).  NABIE® is a national organization of licensed Professional Engineers who specialize in home inspections and building inspections.  NABIE® is a sub-group of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE®).  NSPE® is a national organization of licensed Professional Engineer.

You can verify online that you are really hiring a licensed Professional Engineer.  Click here for more information on online license verification.

The following statement regarding home inspection and building inspection was issued by the New York State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying:

It is the opinion of The Board that the inspection and examination of single or multiple family residential, commercial, industrial, or institutional buildings regarding their structural, electrical and mechanical subsystems for proper integrity or capacity constitutes the practice of engineering as defined by the "law."  Any attempt to determine the structural integrity, capacity of a building, or any subsystem thereof, other than the detection of problems by visual inspection or normal operation of the user’s controls, constitutes the practice of engineering. This would include the diagnosis and analysis of problems with buildings and/or the design of remedial actions.

Therefore, an individual who advertises or practices in this area shall be a registered professional engineer in the State of New York.

  Licensing helps assure that a professional is competent, trained, and is working in your interest.  These qualities are needed by anyone providing pre-purchase home or building inspections.  Choose a licensed Professional Engineer for your pre-purchase inspection.  Click here for more information on online license verification

The purchase of a home or building is a major investment.   Selecting an unlicensed inspector may save you a few dollars now, but think about what it could cost you later.  Click here to compare a non-engineer’s description with a licensed Professional Engineer’s evaluation and analysis.

Professional Engineers Exempt From
New Home Inspection Licensure Requirements

As of January 1, 2006, a license is required to perform home inspections in the State of New York except for those that are specifically excluded from this licensure requirement.  licensed Professional Engineers are excluded from this licensing requirement because of their extensive training. testing, and experience.  This new law has no affect on licensed Professional Engineers, as their training has always exceeded the requirements placed on Home Inspectors by this new law.  That is why Heimer Engineering only uses licensed Professional Engineers.  Even with the new licensing requirements, licensed Home Inspectors will not meet our standards.  See http://www.dos.state.ny.us/lcns/homeinspector.htm on the State of New York web site for confirmation that licensed Professional Engineers are not required to obtain a Home Inspection License.

Registered Architects

Registered Architects generally design buildings or building alterations.  For this reason, the training and experience of a Registered Architect overlaps the expertise of a licensed Professional Engineer in many areas.

Registered Architects, who have experience with pre-purchase home inspection and building inspections, can evaluate your home or building.  Just as you should with a licensed Professional Engineer, make sure that the Registered Architect has experience with pre-purchase inspections.

For more information on Registered Architects, visit the American Institute of Architects (AIA®) web site.

Why Choose a Licensed Professional Engineer?

• The Engineer brings many years of training and experience to each inspection.
• The Engineer can provide professional judgment on structural soundness.
• The Engineer can provide professional judgment on system capacity.
• The Engineer has the experience to evaluate unusual situations.
• The Engineer works for his/her client.  There is no conflict of interest.
• The Engineer is accountable to the State Registration Board.
• The Engineer is prudent in his/her judgment.  The Engineer will not understate or overstate the seriousness of a problem.

Click here to compare compare a non-engineer's description with a licensed Professional Engineer’s evaluation and analysis.

Insight and understanding that only an Engineer can provide.  Call 800.640.8090 or use the online form 24/7 for more information