What Oregon PE Board Disciplinary Actions Teach Us About License Compliance (2020–2025)

As a professional engineer, I’ve always believed that earning a PE license carries both privilege and responsibility. We’re trusted with public safety, and that trust extends beyond technical work – it includes how we maintain and manage our professional license.

Recently, I reviewed several years of disciplinary actions issued by the Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying (OSBEELS), covering cases from 2020 through 2025. What stood out wasn’t just the violations themselves, but how often the same few issues kept coming up – things that any of us could stumble into if we’re not paying attention.

In this article, I want to share some of the key takeaways from these real-world cases. While these cases involve Oregon engineers, the lessons apply to any PE licensed in any state.

Check out my related article – Case Study: A Multi-State Ethics Violation and Its Consequences.

Why Engineers Get Disciplined: The Big Picture

The majority of disciplinary actions I reviewed fall into a handful of very predictable categories:

1. Failing to report disciplinary actions from other states
2. Practicing engineering while unlicensed (either never licensed or after a license lapsed)
3. Problems with continuing education (PDHs)
4. Misrepresenting licensure status (falsifying stamps or credentials)

In most cases, these weren’t bad engineers doing bad work – they were administrative mistakes, oversights, or failures to follow reporting rules. But they still resulted in significant penalties.

Disciplinary Action 1 – The 45-Day Reporting Rule

One of the most common violations involved engineers who had been disciplined in another state but didn’t report it to Oregon within 45 days, as required. In some cases, engineers delayed reporting for months or even years. Even if the underlying violation was fairly minor in the other state, failing to report it to Oregon triggered its own separate disciplinary case.

Disciplinary Action 2 – Unlicensed Practice: The Risk of Letting Things Slide

Several cases involved engineers continuing to practice after their Oregon license had lapsed. In some situations, the engineers stamped drawings with expired stamps, backdated seals, or simply kept working without realizing their license status had changed.

The Board takes these cases seriously. Once your license expires, you are no longer authorized to practice engineering in Oregon — even if your lapse was unintentional.

Disciplinary Action 3 – Continuing Education (PDHs): Small Mistakes, Big Consequences

Oregon requires PEs to complete Professional Development Hours (PDHs) as part of license renewal. Some engineers failed to complete the required hours, while others failed to maintain proper records or provide documentation when audited.

In some ways, these may seem like technicalities, but the Board treats PDH violations as failures to meet the continuing competency requirement that supports public safety.

Disciplinary Action 4 – Misrepresentation and Falsification

The most serious cases involved knowingly falsifying stamps, credentials, or licensure status. For example, backdating stamps to make it appear work was performed while licensed, or impersonating a licensed PE. These types of violations generally carry the largest penalties.

Summary of Recent Oregon Disciplinary Cases (2020–2025)

Here’s a summary of the cases I reviewed directly from the Board’s Final Orders:

Note: “Default” means the engineer did not respond to the Board’s notice. “Consent” means the case was resolved by agreement.

How the numbers break down

The ethics violations for Oregon fall into the following four main categories.

1. Failure to Report includes all cases where the PE did not report another state’s disciplinary action within the 45-day reporting window. This is by far the most frequent violation.
2. Unlicensed Practice includes engineers who let their license lapse or never held an Oregon license while practicing.
3. PDH Violations includes cases where engineers failed to complete or document required continuing education.
4. Falsification / Misrepresentation includes stamp alterations, impersonating a licensed PE, or certifying work while unlicensed.

Summary Table of Oregon PE Board Violations (2020–2025)

Key Lessons for All Professional Engineers

These cases reinforce several important reminders for those of us who hold a PE license:

• Always report disciplinary actions from other states. Oregon’s 45-day rule is strictly enforced.
• Stay on top of your license status. It’s easy to lose track of renewal dates or paperwork, but the Board considers unlicensed practice a serious violation.
• Keep your PDH records in order. Be prepared to document your continuing education if audited.
• Never alter or backdate your PE stamp. This crosses into intentional misrepresentation and can carry severe penalties.
• Respond promptly to Board inquiries. Non-response often escalates what could have been a minor issue.

Final Thoughts

As professional engineers, we’re held to a higher standard – not only in the work we do but in how we maintain our licensure and professional standing. Many of these disciplinary cases involved situations that were preventable with better attention to compliance and documentation.

Personally, I see this kind of review as a valuable reminder to stay vigilant with my own license obligations. It’s easy to think these issues only happen to “other people” — but small oversights can lead to costly consequences.

If you’re a licensed PE in Oregon (or any state), I encourage you to review your license status, ensure your PDHs are up to date, and double-check your reporting obligations.

If you need help staying current with your PDH requirements, our continuing education courses are designed to make license renewal easy, compliant, and fully board-approved.