Registered Civil Engineer
A registered civil engineer (RCE) is registered with the state board (California's Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors or BOPELS in CA). There are two primary documents that govern their practice (The Professional Engineers Act and The Board Rules in CA).
To become licensed as an engineer in California, a candidate must provide verification of minimum of 6 years of education (from an institution accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology - ABET, meeting their criteria) and cumulative work experience. They must successfully complete an 8 hour Engineer-In-Training examination, 8 hour General Civil Engineering examination, 2-1/2 hour Special Surveying Examination, 2-1/2 hour Special Civil Engineering - Seismic Principles examination and a take home examination on California Laws and Board Rules to obtain licensure. Much of the format of these examinations is determined by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).
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RCE's are required to adhere to a Code of Professional Conduct. The status of an individual's license can be verified through the licensee lookup feature on the BOPELS website. This is useful for determining whether or not an individual possesses a license, what type of license they possess, when it expires, what their license number is, the status of the license and whether or not there have been any actions against them. By California state law, a RCE may design and engineer any building of any type except hospitals and schools.