# Alabama Changes Licensing Requirements



## BigWheel (Jul 18, 2018)

Senate Bill 316 has been signed by the Governor, making it Act 2018-550. This Act is in regards to the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. It encompasses a number of changes, but the most important change made was with respect to the sequence of events that need to be satisfied before one could become licensed as a Professional Engineer in the State of Alabama.

Under the previous Act (signed 1975), one had to accomplish the following:

1. Graduate from an "approved" four-year engineering college or school program,

2. Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE Exam),

3. Accumulate 48 months of progressive work experience (72 months of experience is required if graduating from a "non-approved" engineering college or school), and then

4. Pass the Principals and Practices of Engineering exam (PE Exam).

Under the new Act (signed 2018), you no longer have to accumulate the required working experience before you are allowed to sit for the PE Exam. You can now take the PE Exam whenever you wish (after completing steps 1 and 2 above, of course). Note, however, that you will *not *be eligible for licensure until you accumulate the requisite 48 months (or 72 months) of experience.

A summary of these changes and the marked-up Senate Bill can be found at the Alabama bels website: http://www.bels.alabama.gov/Index.aspx

I don't know when these changes will take effect, but hopefully it will be in time for some of you young'uns to take the September exam!


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