Frequently
Asked Questions
Architects || Engineers || Surveyors
Frequently Asked Questions About the Application and Licensure Process
Q: Am
I required to have any other qualifications if I've completed the
NCARB Intern Development Program (IDP)?
A: The Colorado Board recognizes, but does not require, successful
completion of NCARB's IDP as meeting the requirements to take the
ARE. Therefore, if you've completed IDP, you have met the experience
requirements required for licensure in Colorado and the last step
would be to take the ARE. Once you have successfully completed the
ARE, you would be ready for licensure in Colorado. When we receive
your IDP information and your ARE scores from NCARB, we will contact
you with the appropriate application for you to fill out to complete
the licensure process. Be advised that it can take several weeks
for NCARB to send the information to the Colorado Board.
Note: Effective January 1, 2014, NCARB’s IDP will be required of all Colorado applicants for original licensure.
Q: Do
I have to go through NCARB and IDP to get my experience verified?
A: No, IDP is not required now. However, you must have an NCARB File Number in order to take the ARE. You may apply directly to the Colorado Board without going through the entire NCARB IDP process; however, all applicants are required to apply online at www.ncarb.org to set up a NCARB record and obtain a NCARB file number. In addition, you must meet the Colorado experience requirements pursuant to the NCARB IDP training requirements (refer to Board Rule 4.4.1). Be aware that many states require completion of IDP for licensure and may not award endorsement or reciprocity licensure without it. Information about IDP and states that require it is available from NCARB’s website. If you decide to apply directly to the Colorado Board, complete the Application Material for Original License by Examination.
Q: What
do I do now if I've gone through the NCARB IDP and passed the ARE?
A: Once we receive your IDP information and your ARE scores
from NCARB, we will contact you with the appropriate application
for you to fill out to complete the licensure process. Be advised
that it can take several weeks for NCARB to send the information
to the Colorado Board.
Q: If
I've gone through the NCARB IDP, do I have to take the ARE through
NCARB, too?
A: No, you may apply to take the ARE directly through the
Colorado Board. However, it may be more convenient to continue through
the exam process with NCARB, which you may do if you have an NAAB
accredited degree in architecture. Then, NCARB will send your IDP
record and your exam scores to the Colorado Board after you've passed
the entire ARE. If you choose to take the ARE through Colorado rather
than NCARB, you will need to complete the Application
Material for Original License by Examination and have your NCARB
IDP record sent to the Colorado Board. Be advised that it can several
months for NCARB to send your IDP information to the Colorado Board.
Q: Do
I have to fill out an application if I have an NCARB Council Record?
A: Yes, however, the process is streamlined with the NCARB Council
Record. Please refer to the Application
for Original License by Endorsement.
Q: If
I have taken and passed some of the divisions of the ARE, can I
apply to finish out the licensing process in Colorado and how would
I do that?
A: Yes, you may apply to Colorado to transfer the portions of the
ARE that you have passed and to complete the licensing process in
Colorado. You would need to complete and submit the Application
for Original License by Examination.
Q. If I have passed all divisions of the exam in another state but have not been issued a license, can I transfer my scores to Colorado?
A: Yes, however, prior to January 1, 2011, Colorado did not allow early eligibility to take the exam and if you took the exam(s) in a state that allowed early eligibility, any exams taken prior to January 1, 2011 and prior to completing all of Colorado's education and experience requirements will not be accepted by the Colorado Board. If you took the exam after obtaining your education and experience, you would need to complete and submit the Application for Licensure by Transfer of Grades.
Q: What
process do I follow or form do I fill out if I need special examination
accommodations?
A: If you require examination administration accommodations that
comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, please
fill out the ADA
Examination Accommodation Request Form.
The following information is provided as a convenience to those applying to qualify for enrollment as an Engineer Intern (EI), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE), in the State of Colorado by examination or by endorsement (also commonly referred to as comity or reciprocity). These are questions that are regularly asked of staff and are intended to be helpful but are not all-inclusive. All applicants are required to follow all application instructions and to comply with the directions found in the application forms.
Q: I have two (2) ABET* Engineering
Master (MS) Degrees. Can I use both degrees for two years of education/experience
credit toward the engineering application requirements?
A. Yes. See Board
Rule 4.6.1.5.
*ABET - Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, the institution that is nationally recognized as setting the academic standard for engineering programs.
Q: I went to more than one college.
Do you need transcripts from all of them?
A: If you graduated with an ABET* BS degree in engineering, only
the transcript from the college where the BS degree is conferred
is needed. However, if you do not have an ABET BS degree in engineering,
you should submit transcripts from all the higher education institutions
that you attended in order for all possible credit to be awarded
to you.
*ABET - Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, the institution that is nationally recognized as setting the academic standard for engineering programs.
Q: Can graduate students apply to take the exam as a student with their school?
A: No, this option is only available to students in senior status in an ABET accredited undergraduate program.
*ABET - Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, the institution that is nationally recognized as setting the academic standard for engineering programs.
Q: Can my student application be used for multiple exams?
A: No, the student application is good for one exam administration only. If you fail the exam and are still as student, you can apply again through your school. If you have graduated, you will be required to submit a regular application by the published deadlines.
*ABET - Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, the institution that is nationally recognized as setting the academic standard for engineering programs.
Q: Does Colorado recognize the
Washington Accord Agreement for foreign degrees?
A: The Washington
Accord status is no longer recognized by the Board as of February
10, 2006. The exception is any degree accredited by the Canadian
Accreditation Board (CAB). All other foreign degrees are required
to be evaluated by NCEES Credentials Evaluations Services* if the applicant wishes to have
his/her education considered for credit in the application review
process.
*NCEES Credentials Evaluations Services
PO Box 1686
Clemson SC 29633-1686Telephone: 865.654.6824
www.ncees.org/Credentials_evaluations
Q: How much experience do I need
to qualify for the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam
(also known as the PE exam)?
A: That all depends
on the amount of education that you have. The determination of
the total years required to take the PE exam begins with the education
of the applicant, as required by law. The chart
at this link should be useful in determining how much experience
you need.
Q: Do I need to have verified
experience for the last year even if it wasn't engineering experience?
A: Yes, per Board Policy
40.11 - Verification of Recent Experience.
40.11 - Verification of Recent Experience. An applicant must include verification of work experience within the twelve months prior to submittal of the application in addition to any engineering or surveying experience for which the applicant desires credit toward qualification for licensure. Adopted 12/10/04; Revised 1/14/05
Q: I am not able to have a licensed
Professional Engineer (PE) verify my work experience, what should
I do?
A: You do not have to have a licensed PE verify your experience.
It is preferred but it is not a requirement. You must have someone,
preferably a supervisor, that can verify the work and fill out
the Engineering Experience Verification form in the application.
That individual must have worked with you at the time that you
gained that experience and have enough knowledge about what you
did to be able to evaluate your performance.
Q: The Engineering Experience
Verification form has less room than the Engineering Experience
Summary forms. How can I make them match?
A: You are limited to three pages for the Engineering Experience
Summary forms but can have as many pages of the Engineering Experience
Verification forms as needed. You should cut and paste the information
from the Engineering Experience Summary form onto the Engineering
Experience Verification form. You can say "continued on page
2" and "continued from page 1" to make the continuation
clearer.
Q: How many different references
do I need for a period of time?
A: Only one if that reference can verify the entire work
engagement timeframe. If not, then you need as many as necessary
to cover that timeframe.
Q: Do I really need to show my
experience all the way back to high school?
A: Yes, but you do not have to have all of it verified;
it is suggested that you provide a one-line description of the
non-engineering experience since you are limited to three pages
for your Summary of Experience. Please be advised that non-engineering
experience gained within the 12 months prior to submitting your
application must be verified per Board
Policy 40.11.
Q: Can experience earned as part
of my Masters degree coursework be used for work experience?
A: No.
Q: Can experience earned outside
of my Masters degree coursework be used for work experience if
gained during the time I am getting my Masters degree?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I earn work experience
while earning my Bachelor of Science in Engineering?
A: No, per Board Rule 4.6.4 - Employment While a Full-Time Undergraduate Student. Full-time
engineering or land surveying undergraduate students will not
receive employment experience credit for summer jobs, part-time, or full-time
jobs.
Q: What are the application deadlines?
A: To be eligible for the April exam, your complete application must be received no later than December 1st; to be eligible for the October exam, your complete application must be received no later than June 1st.
Q: I have a question regarding
page 1 of the Engineering Application. There is a place for number
of hours and for Enrollment Number as it relates to the Fundamentals
of Engineering (FE) Exam.
A: You must have an older version the application form.
You should instead use the newest version, found on our Licensee
/ Applicant Services web page. Please destroy copies of any
other applications and instructions except what is currently found
online.
Q: There is not enough room to
put information in on the electronic forms online. What should
I do?
A: If you are having problems with the forms, contact our
technical support staff for assistance at registrations@dora.state.co.us.
Q: Who should I make my check
out to?
A: State of Colorado.
Q: Where do I mail my application
and, if needed, verifications to?
A: To the following address:
State of Colorado
Division of Registrations
Office of Licensing - PE/PLS
1560 Broadway, Suite 1350
Denver, CO 80202
Q: What is my EI/FE (Engineer-Intern/Fundamentals
of Engineering) enrollment number?
A: If you became enrolled after 1994, you do not have an
EI number. The law changed at that time and the Board stopped
issuing Engineer-Intern enrollment numbers.
Q: Do I have to include a self-addressed
stamped envelope (S.A.S.E.) with my application?
A: No. We no longer require this. You can track your application
status using Registrations
Online Services.
Q: What is the application deadline to apply for the Colorado examination?
A: To be eligible for the April exam, your complete application must be received no later than December 1st; to be eligible for the October exam, your complete application must be received no later than June 1st.
Q: Once I receive approval from
the State of Colorado to take the NCEES PE (Principles and Practice
of Engineering) or FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) exam, how
do I register for the examination?
A: You register and pay online at the www.ncees.org/Exams website.
Q: I was approved to take the
exam in October but did not take the exam. What do I need to do?
A: Non Student Applicants: You have two years from
the date you were approved to take the exam, or two years from
the date you took the exam and failed it, in which to re-take
the exam. You just need to register with NCEES/NCEES Exam Services per Board
Rule 4.3.2.
4.3.2 - Approved Applications. The board retains application forms and supporting documents for persons who have been approved to sit for the fundamentals of engineering, principles and practice of engineering, fundamentals of surveying, principles and practice of land surveying, or the Colorado state specific surveying examinations for a period of two years from the date of approval by the board. If an applicant does not take the examination within that two-year period, the application will be removed from the board files. If an applicant fails an examination, the applicant has two years from the date of that examination to retake the examination or the application will be removed from the board files.
Q: Do I pay for the NCEES exam
with my application and payment to the State of Colorado?
A: No, you will wait for the Board to approve your application
to take the exam. When you receive a letter from the Board, you
then log on to the NCEES website and pay to register to take your
exam.
Q: My EI (Engineer-Intern) record
is showing an expiration date on the Board's licensee database
and I thought they never expired?
A: Once you become a Professional Engineer in the State
of Colorado, we put the date you became a PE in the Engineer-Intern
expiration date, because you are no longer an intern and that
status is cancelled. We retain your EI enrollment information on file and can provide it to other states to which you may apply for a license.
Q: Why does the Board give me
a "Pass/Fail" status on my licensing examinations instead
of my actual scores?
A: The Colorado Board requires examinations to identify
candidate proficiency upon entry into the engineering and land
surveying professions. These credentialing examinations are not
developed to serve as achievement tests, i.e., provide information
regarding how much knowledge an individual has attained in relation
to learning objectives or relative to a normative group. They
also are not designed for job or placement decisions. Instead,
these examinations are created, and proficiency cut-points on
these measures are derived, to reliably ascertain pass/fail status
in relation to what an entry-level practitioner should be expected
to know and/or demonstrate for safe practice.
Q: Why did the Board previously
give scores, and now it will not?
A: In keeping with the Standards for Educational and Psychological
Testing (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological
Association, National Council on Measurement in Education, 1999)
and the psychometric principles that underlie the development
of the credentialing examinations, the Board made the decision
to report the pass/fail classifications the credentialing examinations
were intended to yield. By adopting the pass/fail examination
reporting policy, the Board also has taken the lead to prevent
the abuse and or misuse of scores from the examinations it uses
to determine dichotomous pass/fail classifications.
Q: If the Board will not give
me my actual scores, then how will I know either how well I passed
or how badly I failed my licensure examinations?
A: The tests required for licensure are intended to measure
whether candidates can demonstrate the competence that is needed
for safe practice at the time they enter into the engineering
and/or land surveying profession. These measures are not intended
to yield scores that may be interpreted inappropriately, e.g.,
scores are not predictors of success in the profession nor are
they indicative of the quality of the services that a licensee
may offer to a customer.
What does and should matter to licensing
boards is whether a licensure candidate can demonstrate the required
entry-level competence on licensing examinations. This focus is
grounded in the principle that all new licensees are at least
able to demonstrate a level of competence that is believed necessary
for safe practice.
In the case of failing candidates,
the Board issues a diagnostic report that provides strengths and
weaknesses feedback on the examinations. This information may
serve as guidance by identifying the areas a failing candidate
did not demonstrate entry-level proficiency.
Please also refer to this document for source references.
Q: What can I take into the exam
location?
A: A: Please refer to NCEES’ Exam Day Policies at www.ncees.org/Exams/Exam-day_policies for detailed information.
Q: I already have a license as
a Professional Engineer (PE) in another state. Is there a list
of states that are "substantially equivalent" to Colorado's
requirements for endorsement applications to get a license as
a PE?
A: No. Basically your application is reviewed as if you are
applying to take the PE examination. Therefore, you need to submit
all documentation required by the application instructions.
Q: Does Colorado allow for "reciprocity"
or "comity" with entities that are not in the United
States?
A: No. You must file a complete application for licensure including an NCEES Credentials Evaluation* if you want credit for your foreign degree. The exception to the requirement for evaluation of foreign degrees are those obtained from programs accredited by the Canadian Accreditation Board (CAB).
*NCEES Credentials Evaluations Services
PO Box 1686
Clemson SC 29633-1686
Telephone: 865.654.6824
www.ncees.org/Credentials_evaluations
Q: I took my FE (Fundamentals
of Engineering) exam in another state. I was never enrolled in
that state as an Engineer-Intern (EI). What option should I pick
on the engineering application?
A: You will need to select
"transfer my engineer-intern enrollment from another US jurisdiction."
Even though you were never enrolled as an EI, the Board will recognize
that you took and passed the NCEES FE exam in the other state
as long as you meet the qualifications to become an EI in Colorado.
Q: How do I do reciprocity or
comity of PE license?
A: Colorado does not have direct reciprocity or comity
with other U.S. states or foreign countries. Colorado allows for
the endorsement of a license from another U.S. state, which includes
acceptance of the NCEES FE and PE examination scores. You
are required to meet Colorado's education and experience rules,
thus you must complete the entire application and attach all supporting
documents (official sealed transcripts, experience summary and
sealed experience verification forms and the fee). You will need
to request the state(s) where you took your FE, PE exam(s)
as well as where you have an active PE to verify and mail the information directly to the State of
Colorado.
Q: If I want to endorse my active
PE license from another US jurisdiction, and I am an NCEES Council
Record holder, do I need to include all the supporting documents
with my application?
A: No. The official transcripts, experience summary, experience
verification and verifications of examinations and licenses are
part of the NCEES Council Record and will be submitted to Colorado
from NCEES upon your request. However, if these documents are
not part of the council record, then you are responsible for obtaining
them in order to complete your application. NOTE: You must complete the Affidavit of Eligibility form and submit it with your application, as this form is NOT part of your NCEES Council Record.
Q: What checklist requirements
are needed for NCEES Council Record holders? If the NCEES box
is checked, do the boxes for attachments need to be
checked and are there any requirements for these items?
A: No, you do not check the boxes for supporting documents. All this information is provided by NCEES. You must check the
Engineering Application and NCEES Council Record Holders boxes
only.
Q: Does Colorado offer a way to
do a one-time job in Colorado without filling out the entire endorsement
PE (Professional Engineer) application?
A: No. To practice in Colorado, you must be a licensed
PE in Colorado. Temporary licenses are not authorized by law or
granted.
Q: Does Colorado have a residency
requirement?
A: No.
Q: Does our firm have to be licensed
to practice engineering in Colorado?
A: No. Colorado does not license firms. To practice engineering
in Colorado you must be licensed as an engineer in Colorado. The
Board's statute addresses forms of organization that are permitted
to practice in Colorado. Refer to the PE
Statute (CRS 12-25-104) or the PLS
Statute (CRS 12-25-204).
Q:
How does the application process work?
A: First, you apply to the State of Colorado for permission to take the examination. After you receive written notice from the State of Colorado, you then register online with the Board's examination administration vendor NCEES. Please keep in mind that each phase has different deadlines dates.
Colorado has two deadline dates: December 1st for the April examinations and June 1st for the October examinations. If your application is not fully complete by the current deadline, your application will be eligible and reviewed for the following examination.
Q: How do I submit additional education or experience documentation
for an application that was turned down due to insufficient experience
or education?
A: You will need to complete the Engineering
application and write RE-
or Reapplication at the top. Then submit the new documents for
education/experience that were missing or incomplete. For experience,
you must complete the Engineering Experience Summary and the Engineering
Experience Verification. You can document additional experience
in the Experience Summary where you left off on the previous application.
For education, you must submit an official transcript in a sealed
envelope.
Q: Do I need to pay an additional
fee with my reapplication?
A: No, as long as you reapply within the timeframe indicated
in the status letter from the Office of Licensing.
The following information is provided as a convenience to those applying to qualify for enrollment as a Land Surveyor Intern (LSI), or licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor (PLS), in the State of Colorado by examination or by endorsement (also commonly referred to as comity or reciprocity). These are questions that are regularly asked of staff and are intended to be helpful but are not all-inclusive. All applicants are required to follow all application instructions and to comply with the directions found in the application forms.
Q: I went to more than one college.
Do you need transcripts from all of them?
A. If you graduated
with a Board approved BS degree in Land Surveying, only the transcript
from the college where the BS degree is conferred is needed. However,
if you do not have an ABET* BS degree in Land Surveying, you should
submit transcripts from all the higher education institutions
that you attended in order for all possible credit to be awarded
to you.
Q: Does Colorado recognize the
Washington Accord Agreement for foreign degrees?
A: The Washington Accord status is no longer
recognized by the Board as of February 10, 2006. All foreign degrees
are required to be evaluated by NCEES Credentials Evaluations Services* if the applicant wishes to
have his/her education considered for credit in the application
review process.
*NCEES Credentials Evaluations Services
PO Box 1686
Clemson SC 29633-1686Telephone: 865.654.6824
www.ncees.org/Credentials_evaluations
A: Yes.
Q: How much experience do I need
to qualify for the Land Surveying examinations (also known as
the LSI/PLS examinations)?
A: That all depends
on the amount of education that you have. The determination of
the total years required to take the LSI/PLS exam begins with
the education of the applicant, as required by law. The chart
at this link should be useful in determining how much experience
you need.
Q: Do I need to have verified
experience for the last year even if it wasn't land surveying
experience?
A: Yes, per Board Policy
40.11 - Verification of Recent Experience.
40.11 - Verification of Recent Experience. An applicant must include verification of work experience within the twelve months prior to submittal of the application in addition to any engineering or surveying experience for which the applicant desires credit toward qualification for licensure. Adopted 12/10/04; Revised 1/14/05
Q: The Land Surveyor Verification
form has less room than the Land Surveyor Experience Summary forms.
How can I make them match?
A: You are limited to three pages for the Land Surveyor Experience
Summary forms but can have as many pages of the Land Surveyor
Experience Verification forms as needed. You should cut and paste
the information from the Land Surveyor Experience Summary form
onto the Land Surveyor Experience Verification form. You can say
"continued on page 2" and "continued from page
1" to make the continuation clearer.
Q: How many different references
do I need for a period of time?
A: Only one if that reference can verify the entire work
engagement timeframe. If not, then you need as many as necessary
to cover that timeframe.
Q: Do I really need to show my
experience all the way back to high school?
A: Yes, but you do not have to have all of it verified;
it is suggested that you provide a one-line description of the
non-land surveyor experience since you are limited to three pages
for your Summary of Experience. Please be advised that non-land
surveyor experience gained within the 12 months prior to submitting
your application must be verified per Board
Policy 40.11.
Q: Can I earn work experience
while earning my Bachelor of Science in Land Surveying?
A: No, per Board Rule 4.6.4 - Employment While a Full-Time Undergraduate Student. Full-time
engineering or land surveying undergraduate students will not
receive employment experience credit for summer jobs, part-time, or full-time
jobs.
Q: There is not enough room to
put information in on the electronic forms online. What should
I do?
A: If you are having problems with the forms, contact our
technical support staff for assistance at registrations@dora.state.co.us.
Q: Who should I make my check
out to?
A: State of Colorado.
Q: Where do I mail my application
and, if needed, verifications to?
A: To the following address:
State of Colorado
Division of Registrations
Office of Licensing - PE/PLS
1560 Broadway, Suite 1350
Denver, CO 80202
Q: What is my LSI/FS (Land Surveyor-Intern/Fundamentals
of Surveying) enrollment number?
A: If you became enrolled after 1994, you do not have an
LSI number. The law changed at that time and the Board stopped
issuing Land Surveyor-Intern enrollment numbers.
Q: Do I have to include a self-addressed
stamped envelope (S.A.S.E.) with my application?
A: No. We no longer require this. You can track your application
status using Registrations
Online Services.
Q: Once I receive approval from
the State of Colorado to take the NCEES PLS (Principles and Practice
of Land Surveying) or FS (Fundamentals of Surveying) exam,
how do I register for the examination?
A: You register and pay online at the www.ncees.org/Exams website.
Q: I was approved to take the
exam in October but did not take the exam. What do I need to do?
A: You have two years from the date you were approved to
take the exam, or two years from the date you took the exam and
failed it, in which to re-take the exam. You just need to register
with NCEES/NCEES Exam Services per Board Rule 4.3.2.
4.3.2 - Approved Applications. The board retains application forms and supporting documents for persons who have been approved to sit for the fundamentals of engineering, principles and practice of engineering, fundamentals of surveying, principles and practice of land surveying, or the Colorado state specific surveying examinations for a period of two years from the date of approval by the board. If an applicant does not take the examination within that two-year period, the application will be removed from the board files. If an applicant fails an examination, the applicant has two years from the date of that examination to retake the examination or the application will be removed from the board files.
Q: Do I pay for the NCEES exam
with my application and payment to the State of Colorado?
A: No, you will wait for the Board to approve your application
to take the exam. When you receive a letter from the Board, you
then log on to the NCEES website and pay to register to take your
exam.
Q: My LSI (Land Surveyor-Intern)
record is showing an expiration date on the Board's licensee database
and I thought they never expired?
A: Once you become a Professional Land Surveyor in the
State of Colorado, we put the date you became a PLS in the Land
Surveyor-Intern expiration date, because you are no longer an
intern and that status is cancelled. We retain your LSI enrollment information on file and can provide it to other states to which you may apply for a license.
Q: Why does the Board give me
a "Pass/Fail" status on my licensing examinations instead
of my actual scores?
A: The Colorado Board requires examinations to identify
candidate proficiency upon entry into the engineering and land
surveying professions. These credentialing examinations are not
developed to serve as achievement tests, i.e., provide information
regarding how much knowledge an individual has attained in relation
to learning objectives or relative to a normative group. They
also are not designed for job or placement decisions. Instead,
these examinations are created, and proficiency cut-points on
these measures are derived, to reliably ascertain pass/fail status
in relation to what an entry-level practitioner should be expected
to know and/or demonstrate for safe practice.
Q: Why did the Board previously
give scores, and now it will not?
A: In keeping with the Standards for Educational and Psychological
Testing (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological
Association, National Council on Measurement in Education, 1999)
and the psychometric principles that underlie the development
of the credentialing examinations, the Board made the decision
to report the pass/fail classifications the credentialing examinations
were intended to yield. By adopting the pass/fail examination
reporting policy, the Board also has taken the lead to prevent
the abuse and or misuse of scores from the examinations it uses
to determine dichotomous pass/fail classifications.
Q: If the Board will not give
me my actual scores, then how will I know either how well I passed
or how badly I failed my licensure examinations?
A: The tests required for licensure are intended to measure
whether candidates can demonstrate the competence that is needed
for safe practice at the time they enter into the engineering
and/or land surveying profession. These measures are not intended
to yield scores that may be interpreted inappropriately, e.g.,
scores are not predictors of success in the profession nor are
they indicative of the quality of the services that a licensee
may offer to a customer.
What does and should matter to licensing
boards is whether a licensure candidate can demonstrate the required
entry-level competence on licensing examinations. This focus is
grounded in the principle that all new licensees are at least
able to demonstrate a level of competence that is believed necessary
for safe practice.
In the case of failing candidates,
the Board issues a diagnostic report that provides strengths and
weaknesses feedback on the examinations. This information may
serve as guidance by identifying the areas a failing candidate
did not demonstrate entry-level proficiency.
Please also refer to this document for source references.
Q: I already have a license as
a Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) in another state. Is there
a list of states that are "substantially equivalent"
to Colorado's requirements for endorsement applications to get
a license as a PLS?
A: No. Basically your application is reviewed as if you are
applying to take the PLS examination. Therefore, you need to submit
all documentation required by the application instructions.
Q: Does Colorado allow for "reciprocity"
or "comity" with entities that are not in the United
States?
A: No. You must file a complete application for licensure including an NCEES Credentials Evaluation* if you want credit for your foreign degree. The exception to the requirement for evaluation of foreign degrees are those obtained from programs accredited by the Canadian Accreditation Board (CAB).
*NCEES Credentials Evaluations Services
PO Box 1686
Clemson SC 29633-1686
Telephone: 865.654.6824
www.ncees.org/Credentials_evaluations
Q: I took my FS (Fundamentals
of Surveying) exam in another state. I was never enrolled
in that state as a Land Surveyor-Intern (LSI). What option should
I pick on the land surveying application?
A: You will need to select
"transfer my land surveying-intern enrollment from another
US jurisdiction." Even though you were never enrolled as
an LSI, the Board will recognize that you took and passed the
NCEES FS exam in the other state as long as you meet the qualifications
to become an LSI in Colorado.
Q: How do I do reciprocity or
comity of PLS license?
A: Colorado does not have direct reciprocity or comity
with other U.S. states or foreign countries. Colorado allows for
the endorsement of a license from another U.S. state, which includes
acceptance of the NCEES FS and PLS examination scores. You are
required to meet Colorado's education and experience rules, thus
you must complete the entire application and attach all supporting
documents (official sealed transcripts, experience summary and
sealed experience verification forms and the fee). You will need
to request the state(s) where you took your FS, PLS exam(s) as
well as where you have an active PLS license to
verify and mail the information directly to the State of Colorado.
Q: If I want to endorse my active
PLS license from another US jurisdiction, and I am an NCEES Council
Record holder, do I need to include all the supporting documents
with my application?
A: No. The official transcripts, experience summary, experience
verification and verifications of examinations and licenses are
part of the NCEES Council Record and will be submitted to Colorado
from NCEES upon your request. However, if these documents are
not part of the Council Record, then you are responsible for obtaining
them in order to complete your application. NOTE: You must complete the Affidavit of Eligibility form and submit it with your application, as this form is NOT part of your NCEES Council Record.
Q: What checklist requirements
are needed for NCEES Council Record holders? If the NCEES box
is checked, do the boxes for attachments need to be
checked and are there any requirements for these items?
A: No, you do not check the boxes for supporting documents.
All this information is provided by NCEES. You must check the
Land Surveying Application and NCEES Council Record Holders boxes
only.
Q: Does Colorado offer a way to
do a one-time job in Colorado without filling out the entire endorsement
PLS (Professional Land Surveyor) application?
A: No. To practice in Colorado, you must be a licensed
PLS in Colorado. Temporary licenses are not authorized by law
or granted.
Q: Does Colorado have a residency
requirement?
A: No.
Q: Does our firm have to be licensed
to practice land surveying in Colorado?
A: No. Colorado does not license firms. To practice land
surveying in Colorado you must be licensed as a land surveyor
in Colorado. The Board's statute addresses forms of organization
that are permitted to practice in Colorado. Refer to the PE
Statute (CRS 12-25-104) or the PLS
Statute (CRS 12-25-204).
Q:
How does the application process work?
A: First, you apply to the State of Colorado for permission to take the examination. After you receive written notice from the State of Colorado, you then register online with the Board's examination administration vendor NCEES. Please keep in mind that each phase has different deadlines dates.
Colorado has two deadline dates: December 1st for the April examinations and June 1st for the October examinations. If your application is not fully complete by the current deadline, your application will be eligible and reviewed for the following examination.
Q: How do I submit additional education or experience documentation
for an application that was turned down due to insufficient experience
or education?
A: You will need to complete the Land
Surveyor application and write RE- or Reapplication at the
top. Then submit the new documents for education/experience that
were missing or incomplete. For experience, you must complete
the Land Surveyor Experience Summary and the Land Surveyor Experience
Verification. You can document additional experience in the Experience
Summary where you left off on the previous application. For education,
you must submit an official transcript in a sealed envelope.
Q: Do I need to pay an additional
fee with my reapplication?
A: No, as long as you reapply within the timeframe indicated
in the status letter from the Office of Licensing.
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