Use of PE after name 9

[NateB]

I am a registered professional engineer in a handful of states. Recently our office came across some articles that reference ethical issues surrounding the use of P.E. after the engineer's name. The idea is that the use of these initials can be misconstrued as registration in a state that an engineer is not licensed in.

For example, John Doe P.E., registered only in Maryland, gives his business card to a potential client in West Virginia. Clearly, soliciting work by falsely claiming that you are registered in WV is unethical; however, what if John Doe's business card has a MD address and John's office has engineers who are registered in WV.

Additionally, is it unethical to use P.E. on correspondence (letters, emails, etc.) for a project in a state in which the engineer is not registered? This would apply in the common case of a project manager who does the bulk of the design and contract administration work on a project but does not stamp the contract documents. Most of the correspondence will be written and signed by the project manager and will likely not require a seal and signature. This leads to a situation where the project manager will be placing their name and P.E. on correspondence in relation to a project in a state in which they are not registered. The PM at that point is not claiming to be registered in the state, but is a licensed professional in the state in which their design office is located and in the state shown on the letter head (or email).

We have read articles that suggest listing states of licensure after the name of the engineer as a way to clearly define licensure and avoid a misunderstanding. However, providing a list of states can also be detrimental to an engineering firm. The firm's clients may see states that are not listed and no longer feel comfortable using a particular engineer at that firm. However, not all engineers at one firm need to be registered in all states where they practice engineering. Not to mention, for some engineers a list of states would not fit on a business card.

I would appreciate any feedback on this issue.

Additional reading on this attached.

 

[BRGENG]

Since each State could play by a different set of rules you could get 50 answers on here that are different but yet all correct. So why not just ask the State Board since they would be the one to punish you if you did break a State rule?

I am always amazed that people ask for clarifications of State Statues/ Rules on here instead of calling the State Board itself. No offense to anyone on here but if I want to know an answer that could affect my career or get me disciplined I am asking the rule maker and requesting the answer in writing.

 

[NateB]

Agreed BRDENG. Obviously the states have their own sets of rules and could tell you their rule regarding this issue. However, the question at hand is not so much what the rules are, but how to address the rules that are in place. I do not plan on having 50 different buisness cards to adapt to each state's set of rules.

As with most threads on this website, we are just looking for opinions on how practicing engineer's handle this issue, if at all.

 

[hidalgoe]

BRGENG,

Just a kind reminder that US territories like Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands, also have licensing boards and are NCEES recognized.

Hidalgoe

 

[alehman]

Being registered in 27 states and two territories, it would be really awkward to list all of them on my business card and emails.

The other thing to keep in mind is that if you are practicing as an employee of a company, many states require the company to be registered with the license board or have a certificate of authority in that state/territory. A P.E. can be held responsible for the violation for sealing a document for use in a state in which his company is not properly registered.

Alan
“The engineer's first problem in any design situation is to discover what the problem really is.” Unk.

 

[bridgebuster]

I think this thread shows that as a society we're over complicating things. In law, courts sometimes apply what is known as a "reasonableness" test. For example, I'm registered in three states, but suppose I give my business card - which says PE - to someone in a state where I'm not registered, am I breaking the law? Yes? No? Maybe? Actually, it depends on my intentions.

If I'm giving the card to someone solely for the purpose of contact information I'm not breaking any law. If I'm marketing my firm, maybe but probably not. There's no law against saying my firm is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

If I take on a project and have no intention of complying with state law, then I'm breaking the law. Most of my work is with public agancies in a particular state. When they issue an RFP one of the qualifications is that the project manager must be licensed in the state or have the ability to become licensed within six months. That's reasonable.

Sometimes a state board is unreasonable; sometimes not. Here's an example. 15 years ago I moved from state A to state B; shortly after I needed to obtain a license in state C. State C rejected my application because I wasn't registered in my home state. I called the board in state C, explained the situation about moving. They agreed to issue the license provided that I obtain a license in my home state within one year. They were reasonable.