Architecture, Engineering & Planning: find professionals

Architecture, engineering and planning covers architects, structural, civil, mechanical and electrical engineers, and land surveyors, for homes, commercial buildings and development projects.

Architects design buildings and prepare drawings for permits. Structural engineers assess and design the parts of a building that carry loads; civil engineers work on sites, grading, drainage and infrastructure; mechanical and electrical engineers design heating, ventilation, plumbing, fire protection, power and lighting. Land surveyors define property boundaries and prepare survey plans.

These are licensed professions, and the license comes from a state board rather than a national one. Engineering and surveying boards across the fifty states, the District of Columbia and the territories license professional engineers and surveyors, and only a licensed engineer can prepare, sign, seal and submit engineering drawings. Architecture licenses are issued by each jurisdiction’s registration board, and each state sets its own rules for practicing architecture. Ask for the license number and the issuing state, and check it with that board before work starts.