Proposed Board Rules

Proposed October 9, 2020 - The deadline for comment is November 8, 2020

The rules under 22 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 138 implement Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 1001, the Texas Engineering Practice Act, and Occupations Code, Chapter 1071, the Professional Land Surveying Practices Act.

The proposed rules implement necessary changes as required by House Bill (HB) 1523, 86th Legislature, Regular Session (2019), related to the merger of operations of the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying into the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS).

As required by HB 1523, the operations of the two agencies have been merged into one, including compliance and enforcement and professional practice requirements for Registered Professional Land Surveyors (RPLS) and Licensed State Land Surveyors (LSLS). The Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying's rules (22 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 663), relating to standards of professional responsibility and rules of conduct for land surveyors, have been merged into Chapter 138 per the guidance of the Secretary of State. These rules have been formatted to be similar to the compliance and professionalism rules for engineers (Chapter 137), and edited for formatting and clarity. The proposed sanction table for surveying violations has also been updated and added to Chapter 139.

https://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/archive/October92020/Proposed%20Rules/22.EXAMINING%20BOARDS.html#73

Any comments or request for a public hearing may be submitted, no later than 30 days after the publication of this notice, to Lance Kinney, Ph.D., P.E., Executive Director, Texas Board of Professional Engineers, 1917 S. Interstate 35, Austin, Texas 78741, faxed to his attention at (512) 440-0417 or sent by email to rules@pels.texas.gov.

Approved August 20, 2020

At the August 20, 2020, Regular Board Meeting, the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS), adopted an emergency rule amendment to Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Title 22, Part 6, Chapter 133, Subchapter G, amending 133.67, concerning Examination of the Principles and Practice of Engineering. This emergency rule is implemented as a result of the Governor's declaration of a statewide emergency over the coronavirus (COVID-19). The current rule provides a four consecutive year timeframe to successfully pass the examination. The purpose of the emergency rule is to extend the examination deadline by one year for applicants for licensure as a professional engineer in Texas who have been unable to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering examination as a result of examination cancelations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergency rule applies to applicants who have been approved prior to August 20, 2020. The deadline will be automatically updated in the TBPELS database and examinees / applicants will not have to take any action. https://engineers.texas.gov/downloads/EmergencyRule133_67_ExamExtension.pdf