The Nebraska Professional

Board Recognizes Newly Licensed 

Architects and Professional Engineers

On Friday, November 7th, the Board honored architects and professional engineers who earned their initial Nebraska licenses over the past year.

Board Chair Bruce Dvorak, Ph.D., P.E., led the ceremony held in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda, in which the new licensees received their license certificates. 

Jonathan Oswald, AIA, President-Elect of the Nebraska Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Brandon Figge, P.E., President of the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers, also gave remarks at the ceremony, recognizing each new professional’s commitment to licensure and highlighting its purpose in protecting the health, safety, and welfare of all Nebraskans. 

12 architects and 59 professional engineers attended the ceremony.  This is the 21st year the board has held a ceremony honoring individuals licensed by examination.

Board Rules Revised; Effective November 30, 2025

Governor Jim Pillen has approved the Board’s proposed updates to the Board’s rules and regulations (Title 110, Neb. Admin. Code). These changes follow a public hearing held earlier this year. These rule changes will become effective on Sunday, November 30, 2025.

An overview of the key updates to the rules include:

1.  In Chapter 1, a definition of “public works” is added, which reads:

Public Works: Structures such as roads or dams built by the government for public use and paid for by public funds.

The term “public works” is used in the E&A Act, but is not defined there. The Board adopted the definition directly from Black’s Law Dictionary, 12th edition.

2.  In Chapter 4, a rule was added clarifying that professional engineer applicants who meet or exceed the criteria of a Model Law Engineer (MLE) by NCEES but hold only a degree accredited by the Engineering Technology Accrediting Board of ABET do not qualify for licensure unless they have been licensed for 15 years in another jurisdiction recognized by the Board.  The Board’s position is that engineering technology degrees are not equivalent in rigor to the education requirements for licensure listed in N.R.S. § 81-3451.

3.  Also in Chapter 4, an additional licensure pathway for certain foreign-licensed professional engineers was added.  This path is available for professional engineer applicants to are both a) listed on the International Professional Engineers Register, and b) licensed in a country that is an Authorized Member of either the International Professional Engineers Agreement or the APEC Engineer Agreement.

4.  In Chapter 5, Rule 5.3.3 was modified to establish a 90-day reporting requirement for licensees who learn of a violation of the E&A Act or Board Rules:

Licensees who have knowledge or reason to believe that any person or organization has violated any rules or laws applying to the practice of architecture or engineering shall report it to the board within 90 days of discovering a suspected violation, may report it to appropriate legal authorities, and shall cooperate with the board and those authorities as requested.

The existing rule did not specify a time limit in which to report violations.

5.  In Chapter 6, a new rule (6.1.5.1) clarified the way large specifications may be appropriately sealed:

When sealing large specifications involving the work of multiple licensees where it may be cumbersome to coordinate sealing the first and last page of each specification section, the licensee may affix their seal on separate sheets, placed at both the front and back of the specification, listing each section that the licensee prepared in accordance with the E&A Act.

6.  In Chapter 9, American Institute of Architects-approved providers were added to the list of providers from which online, non-live continuing education (CE) activities may constitute all a licensee’s biennial CE requirement in Rule 9.3.1.

7.  Also in Chapter 9, a new rule limits the number of CE hours the Board will grant in any calendar day to 10, and minor revisions were made to CE recordkeeping rules described in Rule 9.3.6.

Click here for the updated E&A Act Handbook incorporating these changes, available online on our website at ea.nebraska.gov. For a hard copy of the E&A Act Handbook mailed to you free of charge, please email nbea.marketing@nebraska.gov.

Non-Compliant Plans: Issues to Avoid

The Board continues to receive plans that do not comply with the Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. §§81-3401 to 81-3455). Most violations fall into three categories:

1. Improper licensee seals

2. Improperly sealed technical submissions

3. No Coordinating Professional designated when required

Improper sealing and other violations may result in disciplinary action, including fines and, for repeated violations, more serious penalties. The summaries below highlight the most common issues and provide guidance on how to avoid them. For the current copy of the E&A Regulation Act Handbook, please click here.

Architect seals must include the architect’s name and license number, with STATE OF NEBRASKA at the bottom and ARCHITECT at the top. Any term other than ARCHITECT is not compliant with the Act.

Professional engineer seals must include the engineer’s name and license number, with STATE OF NEBRASKA at the bottom and PROFESSIONAL [DISCIPLINE] ENGINEER at the top. The term [DISCIPLINE] must be replaced with the engineer’s specific discipline. Seals that do not specify a discipline are not compliant with the Act.

Seals that use term such as REGISTERED ARCHITECT or REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER are invalid.

While the Board does not require a certain size or diameter, the seal should be legible whether applied via embossing, ink, or electronically rendered.

Seals must be signed across the face of the seal, and dated with the date the material was signed. 

Additionally, seals must be placed on:

• All originals, copies, tracings, and reproducible drawings

• The first and last pages of specifications, reports, and studies

A seal is not required if the work is clearly marked as “Draft,” unless the agency otherwise requires.

Under Board Rule 6.5, all technical submissions must clearly identify the individuals and organizations responsible for the work.

Technical submissions that constitute the practice of architecture or engineering must include the project name and address or location.

If the work is being performed through an organization(s), technical submissions must include, in addition to the project name and address/location, the organization(s):

• legal name or DBA

• contact information, and

• Certificate of Authorization number(s)

If the work is not being performed through an organization, technical submissions must also include, in addition to the project name and address/location:

• the licensee’s name, and

• the licensee’s contact information

When providing the project address, be as specific as possible. If a street address hasn’t been determined, a legal description is allowed. Be sure to provide enough detail to allow a reasonable person to locate the project.

A Coordinating Professional is a licensed professional engineer, architect, or landscape architect, and is required when more than one licensed professional is involved with a project (e.g., two engineers, an engineer and an architect, two architects, etc.).

The Coordinating Professional is recognized as such by the project owner. Their role is to:

• Coordinate communication between the design professionals related to technical documents on the project;

• Act as project liaison with the governing building official; and

• Verify that all design disciplines involved in a project are working in coordination with one another and that any changes made to the design are approved by the corresponding discipline.

The Coordinating Professional must use the following language in conjunction with their individual seal for identification as the Coordinating Professional: “I, (name of licensee), am the Coordinating Professional on the (name of project) project.”

The Coordinating Professional applies his or her seal to the cover sheet of all documents in accordance with the E&A Act and denotes the seal as that of the Coordinating Professional.

FAQ’s from our Latest Webinar

How does an individual who elected emeritus status reinstate their license?

Per Board Rule 1.11.4.4, to be reinstated to practice, an architect or professional engineer who has elected emeritus status must submit a new Application for Licensure of an Architect or Application for Licensure of a Professional Engineer to the Board, submit a License Reinstatement Affidavit attesting they have not practiced architecture or engineering during the emeritus period, and meet the requirements of Rule 9.6.1.4 of the Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act (the “E&A Act”).

Do licensees on their initial renewal period have to meet CE requirements?

Per Board Rule 9.6.1.1, architects and professional engineers licensed by examination or comity are exempt from continuing education requirements for their initial renewal period. This licensee must satisfy the mandatory continuing education requirements in every subsequent renewal period.

If an individual is licensed as an architect and professional engineer, can an event or activity satisfy both CE hour requirements?

Per Board Rule 9.3.4, only activities that are both architectural- and engineering-related learning activities would apply to both license CE requirements.

What happens if the Board disallows any CE hours claimed?

Per Board Rule 9.7.3, the applicant must, within 60 days after notification of disallowance, substantiate the original claim or to earn other credit to satisfy the continuing education requirement. Extension of time may be granted by the Board on an individual basis but must be requested by the licensee within 30 days after notification of disallowance, and may not exceed an additional 60 days.

Board Outreach & Speakers Bureau

Over the last several months, board staff have been speaking with organizations regarding various topics, including when an engineer or architect is required to be involved in a project, proposed rules changes, and licensee seals. Additionally, board staff have been holding exhibitor booths at several conferences to raise awareness of the Board and answer any questions attendees may have.

Board staff can offer more information on the Act and Board rules. We can provide this information through video, phone call, or in-person meeting, depending on what works best for you! 

Through this outreach, our goal is to foster collaboration between the Board and your area to protect life, health, and property, and the citizens of Nebraska. 

If you have any questions or would like board staff to speak at an event, please contact PIO Allyson Bennett at nbea.marketing@nebraska.gov or (402) 471-3044. Board staff are more than happy to spread awareness on the Board and answer any questions regarding the E&A Act.   

NCEES News

NCEES has launched an essential ethics training course for professional engineers and surveyors. The Ethics 101 course provides ethics training designed to meet continuing education requirements. The comprehensive online module offers foundational knowledge of professional ethics and standards of practice in the engineering and surveying professions.

Key topics include:

• An overview of professional ethics fundamentals

• A review of the NCEES Model Law and Model Rules, with practical applications

• Codes of ethics from professional societies

• A review of the concept of standard of care and its legal implications

• Common ethical violations and disciplinary procedures

Through video instruction, case studies, and interactive activities, participants will develop practical skills for making ethical decisions in professional practice. The course is self-paced online learning that includes five segments featuring instructional video and interactive activities and is worth one hour of continuing education credit upon successful completion of 80 percent or higher on the final quiz. Course details and a completion certificate will be automatically loaded into the NCEES continuing professional competency (CPC) tracking service.

NCEES CEO Davy McDowell, P.E., shared, “As a licensed professional, you shoulder a considerable amount of responsibility. When ethical lapses or violations do occur, they can have great impacts. The course reflects our commitment as an organization to promote professional ethics among all engineers and surveyors.”

For more information and to access the Ethics 101 course, create or log in to your MyNCEES account at ncees.org.

Have you considered giving back to your profession? Volunteer your time and expertise to the exam development process by helping write and evaluate exam questions. 

Every year, hundreds of licensed engineers—some of the best and brightest in their fields—come to NCEES headquarters to help write and evaluate exam questions. For many, it is a great chance to strengthen their profession while meeting colleagues from a variety of professional backgrounds and earning professional development hours.

Don’t forget that participation in development of items for NCEES and NCARB examinations may qualify for 15 hours of CE credit per calendar year.

If you are interested in volunteering with NCEES and would like to learn more, click here.

In April, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) will implement updates to the national licensing exam in order to align it with the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects. As part of these updates, NCARB will clarify language in select exam objectives and reformat the exam’s scenario-based case studies. These changes to the exam represent the next phase in NCARB’s Pathways to Practice initiative, which seeks to expand access to architectural licensure while maintaining the rigor needed to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare.

“By aligning the exam with the Competency Standard, NCARB is ensuring that licensure candidates demonstrate the appropriate level of knowledge and skill before practicing as architects,” said NCARB President Edward T. Marley, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP. “NCARB’s dedication to reviewing and improving its programs allows us to maintain best practices while addressing pinch points on the path to licensure.”

The updates to the exam will not impact the program’s existing divisional structure, which is based on typical phases of architectural practice. Instead, the updates will ensure that the objectives within the exam’s six divisions are aligned with the competencies defined in the Competency Standard. This includes adjustments to 12 of the exam’s 91 objectives; most of these adjustments are minor clarifying changes, but several will narrow the scope of the competency being assessed.

Additionally, NCARB will reformat the exam’s case studies, which evaluate candidates’ responses to questions based on a specific project-based scenario. The reformat is designed to make case studies more effective and efficient for candidates by reducing the number of resources and items per case study—improving exam loading and reading comprehension times.

The updates to the ARE will not impact the number of items per division or testing time per division. Candidates’ passed exams, including exams reinstated as part of the retirement of the ARE’s former rolling clock policy, will not be impacted by these changes. An updated version of the ARE 5.0 Guidelines reflecting the upcoming changes will be available in early 2026.

NCARB previously announced updates to align the Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®) with the Competency Standard. These changes went into effect on November 18, 2025, and include adjustments to the descriptions of the AXP’s six practice-based experience areas.

In addition, NCARB will replace the experience program’s five-year reporting requirement, which limited the window of time in which candidates could gain AXP credit for professional experience, with a more flexible reporting policy that has no five-year time limit for reporting experience.

An updated version of the AXP Guidelines reflecting the upcoming changes is now available.

The NCARB Competency Standard for Architects will shape NCARB’s Pathways to Practice effort. Launched in 2023, Pathways to Practice seeks to expand licensure access to individuals of all backgrounds by creating a more flexible licensure model outside of the traditional combination of education, experience, and examination.

The Competency Standard is a framing document that establishes 16 knowledge areas, skills, abilities, and behaviors—called competencies—necessary at the point of initial licensure as an architect. NCARB released the Competency Standard in October 2024, following an industry-wide Analysis of Practice and several years of research and development.

NCARB will use the competencies defined in the standard to envision new pathways—and refresh traditional pathways—to become an architect, including expanded options for individuals who don’t hold a degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

For more information, visit www.ncarb.org/pathways.

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