What are the California civil seismic and surveying exams?

California requires civil engineering applicants, including comity applicants who already hold a PE license in another state, to pass the state-specific Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying exams. The California board offers these exams every quarter, and you become eligible once your licensure application is approved in technical review. The board tells civil applicants not to apply for licensure until they have passed the FE and the PE Civil and met the qualifying experience requirements.

Who must take these exams

Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying are part of the path to a California civil engineering license, and the board applies that requirement to comity applicants as well. Holding a PE license from another state does not exempt you, since there is no single nationwide PE license and each state or territory board grants its own. PE license basics in Texas, California, Florida, and New York explains why the California board, not another state’s license, is the decision maker on your application. Check the board’s civil licensure page to confirm your application is classified as civil, and ask the board which exams apply if you are pursuing a different California license.

When your application makes you eligible

Eligibility begins when the California board approves your civil licensure application in technical review, and that approval is what opens Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying. File that application only after you have passed the FE and the PE Civil and met the qualifying experience requirements, since the board expects those steps to be finished first. How much experience you need before the PE exam can help you plan for the professional exam, though the experience standard that qualifies for a California license is set by the board itself.

How the quarterly offerings work

Because the board offers these exams every quarter, you sit for them in the next quarter after your licensure application clears technical review. The board’s civil licensure page lists exam dates and any fee, along with which quarter is open to approved applicants. If your application is still in technical review, wait for approval before you register for a quarter, since only approved applicants may test.

What order to follow with the FE and the PE Civil

The board’s timing rule sets the order. Complete it in this sequence:

1. Pass the FE. California does not require an application or an extra fee before you register. How you register for the FE exam walks through registration. After you pass, apply to the California board for engineer-in-training (EIT) certification, which What EIT or EI certification is, and how you get it covers in detail.
2. Pass the PE Civil. The format of the PE Civil exam describes the exam, and How you apply for the PE exam covers the application for the exam itself, which is separate from the later California licensure application.
3. Meet the qualifying experience requirements California uses for civil licensure.
4. Apply for California civil licensure once the FE, the PE Civil, and the experience requirement are complete.
5. Wait for the board to approve that application in technical review.
6. Take Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying in a quarter offered after that approval.

Which other licenses the California board issues

Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying apply only to civil applicants. California also licenses engineers in other branches, grouped below by license type.

Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical are practice acts, while Structural and Geotechnical are title authorities. The remaining branches in the table are title acts. Choose the application that matches the branch you want.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the California seismic exam if I have a PE in another state?

Yes. The California board requires civil engineering applicants, including comity applicants, to pass Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying, since no single nationwide PE license replaces these state exams. You become eligible once your California licensure application is approved in technical review, and the board tells you not to apply until you have passed the FE and the PE Civil and met the qualifying experience requirements.

When can I take the California state civil exams?

You can take them in any quarter offered after your licensure application is approved in technical review, since the board offers the exams every quarter. Civil applicants are told not to apply for licensure until they have passed the FE and the PE Civil and met the qualifying experience requirements. Check the board’s civil licensure page for which quarter is open to approved applicants.

Are the California civil exams given by NCEES?

Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying are state-specific exams the California board requires of civil applicants, including comity applicants, and they are separate from the FE and the PE Civil. Eligibility comes from technical review approval of your California licensure application, and the board offers the exams every quarter. Check the board’s civil licensure page for who administers each sitting and how you sign up after approval.

Does California require an application before the FE exam?

No. California does not require an application or an extra fee before you register for the FE. After you pass, you apply to the California board for engineer-in-training (EIT) certification, a request that is separate from the civil licensure application, which must clear technical review before you can take the seismic and surveying exams.

Sources

1. California board: Applying for licensure as a civil engineer. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
2. California board: Professional Engineer application. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
3. California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Retrieved October 3, 2026.