New Board Officers Elected
At the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects' meeting on March 27, 2026, new Board officers were elected. Board officers are elected each year in March.
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Lenora Nelson was elected Chair. A licensed architect with more than 20 years of experience in private practice, code regulations, and governmental projects, she has served on the Board since her appointment in 2016. Nelson earned her URS Corporation Project Management Certification in 2001 and has been a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional with the U.S. Green Building Council since 2006. |
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Daniel Thiele, P.E. was elected Vice-Chair. A licensed professional civil engineer with 30 years of experience in geotechnical and materials engineering, he has served on the Board since his appointment in 2018. Thiele is licensed in 15 states and brings expertise in geotechnical, materials, environmental, and structural engineering, with project experience throughout the Midwest and in the design of earth retention systems across the continental United States. |
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James Brisnehan was elected Secretary. A licensed architect with over 30 years of architectural experience, James has served on the Board since his appointment in 2024. Brisnehan has led a wide range of projects and currently serves as COO of CMBA Architects. He is an active member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the National Society of Healthcare Engineers (NSHE). |
Renovations to an Existing Building, Structure, or Work
Not every renovation requires the involvement of a design professional—but understanding when one is needed is critical to staying compliant and protecting public safety.
Per Board Rule 10.4, renovations and one-level additions to an existing building, structure, or work are exempt from the E&A Act if:
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The total adversely impacted area is less than the area set by Board Rule 10.3; and
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The area of renovation or addition does not adversely impact the mechanical system, electrical system, structural integrity, means of egress, and does not change or come into conflict with the occupancy classification of the existing or adjacent tenant space, building, structure or work. If the renovation or addition adversely impacts other areas, the additional areas that are adversely impacted shall be included in the occupancy and building area calculations set by Rule 10.3.
Rule 10.3 specifically describes when individuals who are not Nebraska-licensed architects or professional engineers may perform planning and design services for a building, structure, or work. This is also the case when dealing with renovations or one-level additions to an existing structure.
Occupancy classifications group structures by their primary use and are defined in the state building code. A school is classified as an Educational (E) occupancy, while a gym is classified as an Assembly (A) occupancy. Based on the projects occupancy classification and size, a licensed design professional may be required.
While some renovations may appear minor, even small changes can have broader impacts on building systems and safety features. One must count all building areas that the renovation adversely impacts, not just the area where construction is going to take place.
When the size of a project exceeds the exemption area limit for its occupancy classification, engaging a licensed design professional helps ensure compliance with applicable statutes and rules, while also safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Proactive consideration on the front end can prevent costly revisions, delays, or enforcement issues down the line.
NBEA Lunch and Learn Webinar Series
Thank you to everyone who attended the recent Lunch and Learn Webinar regarding professional practice and ethics.
The webinar is now available on the Board’s YouTube channel. View the PDF of the Board’s March webinar.
As a reminder, certificates will not be issued as attendance verification. If you participated in the entire presentation, you would have received an email confirming your attendance. Use this email as attendance verification if needed to substantiate CE hours for this webinar. You may need to check your email Junk folder for the email confirmation.
Additionally, it is anticipated the Board will give continuing education credit for the webinar, but as a reminder, the Board DOES NOT pre-approve continuing education offerings.
Please follow us on all the Board’s social media platforms for upcoming NBEA Lunch and Learn Webinar Series presentations and never miss any important updates or information! Additionally, visit our website for upcoming webinar information, as well as past webinar YouTube videos and presentation documents.
If you have any suggested topics for future webinars, please email nbea.marketing@nebraska.gov.
FAQ’s from our Latest Webinar
What is the maximum number of continuing education (CE) hours licensees may earn through web-based offerings?
Per Board Rule 9.3.1, web-based course offerings provided by the following types of providers may constitute the entire biennial requirement:
1. International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) approved providers,
2. Institutions of higher education that have an accredited program in architecture or engineering,
3. Professional engineering or architectural societies,
4. Technical societies and associations recognized at a national level,
5. Governmental agencies,
6. NCARB and NCEES, or
7. American Institute of Architects-approved providers
Web-based, non-live course offerings provided by providers other than those specified above may constitute no more than one-fourth of the biennial education requirement, which is six hours for architects or seven and one-half hours for professional engineers.
Live courses are led by an instructor that enables both the instructor and attendees to give, receive, and discuss information in real time.
Does the Board require one-fourth of CE courses to be completed in person?
Board Rules do not require that licensees complete all or a portion of their CE hours through in-person formats. To learn more about the CE guidelines and restrictions, see Chapter 9 of the Board's Rules.
Are there any responsibilities for reporting unlicensed practice?
Per Board Rule 5.3.3, 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.
NCEES News
NCEES Seeks Licensed Engineers and Engineering Faculty for FE Exam Survey
NCEES is seeking licensed engineers and engineering faculty to participate in an online survey for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam.
To access the online survey, please click here. The survey will remain open until April 6, 2026.
NCEES Seeks Licensed Engineers’ Expertise and Advice for PE Nuclear and PE Industrial and Systems Exams
NCEES is seeking nuclear engineers to participate in a professional activities and knowledge study, or PAKS, for the PE Nuclear exam.
NCEES is also currently seeking licensed industrial and systems engineers to participate in a PAKS for the PE Industrial and Systems exam.
The results of these online surveys will be used to update exam specifications, used throughout the United States for licensing purposes.
Visit NCEES’ website to learn more about the PE Nuclear exam PAKS and the PE Industrial and Systems PAKS.
Both surveys close in early June 2026.
Entries Open for the 2026 NCEES Engineering Education Awards
The 2026 NCEES Engineering Education Award competition is open for entries. All projects must be received by May 1, 2026.
The NCEES Engineering Education Awards recognize programs that have a broad and robust curriculum and best reflect NCEES’ mission to advance licensure in both fields in order to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
The awards are intended to encourage programs to engage their students with other professionals, introduce them to new technology, and promote licensure.
The University of Nebraska—Lincoln’s Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction won the 2025 NCEES Engineering Education Award grand prize. The department received the $25,000 award for its submission, Carson Headquarters.
Visit NCEES to learn more about the NCEES Engineering & Surveying Education Awards.
NCARB News
Updated Practice Exams Available for ARE
NCARB has released six updated Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) practice exams that reflect upcoming changes to the exam’s case study format and exam objectives. These changes are part of NCARB’s efforts to align existing licensure programs with the NCARB Competency Standard for Architects. Licensure candidates can access both the updated and existing practice exams through April 26, 2026. Beginning April 27, only the updated practice exams will be available.
The new updates include minor adjustments to 12 out of the 91 exam objectives, clarifying revisions to several objective descriptions, and formatting changes to case studies. All changes are reflected in a new version of the ARE Guidelines, which also goes into effect on April 27.
Licensure candidates can access the practice exams through their NCARB Record:
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ARE candidates with active eligibilities can access the updated and existing practice exams through the Practice Exam Dashboard on the “Exams” tab of their Record.
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Licensure candidates without exam eligibilities can access the updated and existing practice exams through “Practice the ARE” on the “Quick Links” tab of their Record.
Other customers, such as AXP supervisors and mentors, can also access PDF versions of both the updated and existing practice exams for reference.
ICOR Leads Cross-Profession Partnership to Address Overlapping Practice in Design Field
The Interorganizational Council on Regulation (ICOR)—comprised of design profession regulatory associations including the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)—released landmark guidance to help regulatory board address longstanding challenges related to overlapping and incidental practice among licensed and certified design professions.
Guided by a steering committee and informed by dozens of volunteer subject matter experts from across 27 jurisdictions, the initiative analyzed licensure and certification standards across all five professions—including definitions of practice, education, experience, and examination requirements. The review identified 53 topic areas where overlap may occur, which were organized into several groups, outlining tasks where shared involvement is appropriate and does not create regulatory conflict and where clear delineation and regulation is required to ensure competent practice.
The resulting guidance offers shared benefits across professions by:
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Providing a clearer, more consistent understanding of who is qualified to perform specific tasks,
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Supporting interdisciplinary work without unnecessary restrictions,
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Strengthening the credibility and value of licensure,
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Highlighting areas where qualified professionals may be underrecognized, and
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Reducing conflict by identifying logical overlaps based on competence to practice safely.
Read ICOR’s report on practice overlap guidance.
Licensure Updates
Recently Resolved Compliance Cases
Case 24.52 – Unlicensed Practice of E&A; §81-3442(1)(a)
Summary: The Board was notified of the submission of unsealed plans to another state agency for the construction of a single-story building [Assembly (A) and Storage (S) occupancies] comprising approximately 5,000 square feet. The plans did not bear the seal of a Nebraska-licensed architect or professional engineer.
Any structure that contains two or more occupancies is governed by the most restrictive occupancy for purposes of determining whether the project is exempt (Neb. Admin. Code, Title 110, Chapter 10.3.11). The exemption level for Assembly occupancies is 1,000 or more square feet (Neb. Admin. Code, Title 110, Chapter 10.3.1). The exemption level for Storage occupancies is 5,000 or more square feet (Neb. Admin. Code, Title 110, Chapter 10.3.9). In this case, the most restrictive occupancy is Assembly, and therefore, the entire project is considered an Assembly occupancy.
Because this project’s size is more than 1,000 square feet, the project is subject to the Act.
Action: The Board authorized architecture and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering remediation to bring the project into compliance with the Act.
Per Board Rule 8.4, the project owner engaged a Nebraska-licensed architect, along with licensed tradespeople to perform the MEP review, to evaluate the project for compliance with the Act. During this review, the remediation professionals identified deficiencies and recommended design solutions. The project owner corrected the identified deficiencies based on the recommendations from the remediation professionals. As a result, the Board dismissed the complaint based on the successful completion of architecture and MEP remediation.
Case 25.05 – Unlicensed Individual Practice; §81-3442(1)(a)
Summary: The Board was notified of the submission of unsealed plans to another state agency for the renovation of a single-story building [Assembly (A) occupancy] comprising approximately 8,435 square feet. The exemption level for Assembly occupancies is less than 1,000 square feet, as noted in Neb. Admin. Code, Title 110, Rule 10.3.1. Because this project’s size is more than that amount, the project is subject to the Act.
The plans did not bear the seal of a Nebraska-licensed architect or professional engineer.
Action: The Board authorized architecture and engineering remediation to bring the project into compliance with the Act.
Per Board Rule 8.4, the project owner engaged a Nebraska-licensed architect and professional engineer as remediation professionals to review the project for compliance with the Act. During this review, the remediation professionals identified deficiencies and recommended design solutions. The project owner corrected the identified deficiencies based on the recommendations from the remediation professionals. As a result, the Board dismissed the complaint without disciplinary action based on the successful completion of architecture and engineering remediation.
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For further information regarding the enforcement process, please click here.
For a full list of formal disciplinary actions taken by the Board, please click here.
The Nebraska Professional Archive
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