Should I maintain my PE license in the state I originally got my first license in?

[justincaseph1]

I will be getting a license in California as my first PE license at my 2 year post university experience mark, however, once I reach my 4 year mark I plan to get my Oregon license since that is the state I reside in. I have read by some others that it is a good practice to maintain the license for the state you first got your license in as well as whatever state you currently live in (or work in). So it is recommended to maintain the California and the Oregon license?

Can someone please explain the reasoning behind maintaining a license in the first state? A couple of my bosses already have the California license so its not like I will need to maintain it to stamp work. I am getting the license now for other reasons. Thanks.

 

[jimstructures]

Justincaseph1,

The way it was explained to me, was that you keep the first one so you can say that you have been a PE for X continuous years, measured from the first PE.

Your mileage may vary on that solution.

Jim

 

[JoelTXCive]

It's such a pain in the butt to get these licenses that I would maintain it. I just added a Tennessee license and it took 2.5 months.

I would especially maintain it if I could put the fee on my expense report.

 

[justincaseph1]

jimstructures, if i get my Oregon license before letting the California license lapse would it still be X continuous years or is the standard for that based off of your first license?

Joel, i've heard that it can be a pain in the butt to get the license for a new state and even more of a pain in the butt if you let it expire, i just dont know if i will need the california one for more than a couple of years so i am seeing if it is worth it to maintain it beyond that, especially if i get licensed in another state before letting the california one go.

 

[jimstructures]

justincaseph1,

It depends on each state engineering boards standards and will vary per their requirements.

We had a Canadian P-eng license holder who let his license lapse and had a substantial amount of difficulty getting it reinstated.


You would have to check with each state board for your answer.

Jim

 

[phamENG]

Given your proximity to CA, maintaining it would be in your best interest. I live on the east coast and maintain my current residence (and original), as well as all neighboring states and a few up and down the coast for good measure. You may not need it to stamp work now as you're not the boss, but someday you will be. You may want to look up California's reinstatement procedures. Most of them sound like a real PIA. In most cases it's a matter of paying maybe $150/year (some as low as 40, some as high as 200 over here) and saying you did your CE. If their CE requirements are more stringent, then do that and OR will be covered. More practical education is usually better in our line of work.

 

[KootK]

I've filled out a lot of paperwork for jurisdictions that seemed to express a preference for working the reciprocity thing through my "home license". My home license is rightfully Wisconsin. For a spell, I had to give that license up because I left the country and could no longer satisfy their immigration status requirements. This became a hassle because, as soon as I would indicated that my home license was no longer active, it triggered a bunch of annoying questions about that. You know:

1) Am I a newly minted criminal of some sort?

2) Has any jurisdiction booted me for unethical behavior?

3) Am I behind on child support?

Ultimately, I ended up just pretending that my home state was Washington instead of Wisconsin until I got Wisconsin reinstated. It worked well. Obviously, however, there are some conveniences to be had by maintaining your home state.

Like phamENG, I would think that your proximity to California alone would be enough of a reason to maintain that license. California is a massive market, particularly compared to Oregon. Unless you plan to be doing something other than engineering with a couple of years, it hard to imagine that the California license wouldn't have some marketing advantages for you. That, especially if you might open your own business sometime in the future.

We had a Canadian P-eng license holder who let his license lapse and had a substantial amount of difficulty getting it reinstated.

I've walked that road and it's very annoying. I won't ever let a US SE license expire for just that reason. The states do change their positions on thing as time goes by. Sometimes that pertains to immigration, sometimes order of exams (looking at you OR),... whatever. I'm actually just now getting a NY license because they lost a supreme court case over, effectively, baring foreigners. Meanwhile, I've got Canadian friends who already hold NY because they got in before anybody was paying any attention to foreign status. Ditto for Nevada.

 

[JStephen]

When I got my original license, I had no intention of ever working in other states, and didn't see a need for licensing in any other states. Now, I'm up to 22 licenses. So yes, things change, your career doesn't always go the way you anticipate, and hang onto those licenses as you go, they're liable to pop up again later.

 

[skeletron]

Can we add a slightly related question to this post just for curiosity:
-How many licenses do you maintain?
-How much energy (energy+money) does the maintaining of a license in a non-residing state take up?

I have 3 and I think that's about my limit. When I took a hiatus, I "resigned in good-standing" from my original province. I reapplied within the 3-year time limit (quite literally a week before the deadline) that allowed me to get back in with only fees. That enabled me to use the national mobility (Canada's system) to get registered in the province I now operate in. It would have been significantly harder if I let the original license fully expire. So my advice is to keep the original just for karma.

 

[TigerGuy]

I'm keeping my initial license current, but it's only $35 to renew. I did work in 2 adjacent states, but have let those licenses go. I've relocated several states away and am working with a firm that does no work in those states. I spoke with the central licensing offices in both states and was told that if I choose to reactivate my license, I get to keep the same number. No major issues to be expected.

I was up to 5 states, working on the 6th. Now, I'm licensed in 3 working on the 4th, and will let another expire when it comes time.

 

[PEinc]

I would maintain my license in the state where I took my PE test and where I was first licensed. Keep things simple. Continuity is good.

http://www.PeirceEngineering.com

 

[NorthCivil]

As a sole practitioner, I maintain the least I can. all the jurisdictions I practice in cost ~500/year, which starts to add up.

In New Zealand its really silly, there are multiple useless categories of membership within the engineering organization. You need to be registered as a CPEng to practice (500/year), but also you can be a "member" of engineering new zealand which is pretty useless at an additional 500$/year. and pay another 100$ for the title of "IntPE" or international professional engineer, which is a title only and not recognized as useful anywhere either within or outside new zealand.

 

[MotorCity]

Is the cost of keeping it worth the hassle trying to get it back if you ever need it?

 

[sandman21]

From CA's Board: "If your license is five (5) or more years delinquent, you cannot renew and will need to go through the application process to acquire a new license." Do you want to retake the tests if you ever need or want a CA license? If I recall it costs $100 per year.