Master vs Engineer

[pushpins]

I have a Texas masters lic. I have heard we are allowed to sign blueprints just as an engineer can. Can anyone define where the line is drawn.
I would like to do some consultant and design work.

[jeff43222]

I'd do some research into whether a master electrician can sign blueprints just like an engineer can, rather than relying on what "someone" may have told you. I took a look at the rules and laws for Texas (http://www.license.state.tx.us/electricians/eleclaw.htm), and I didn't see anything there about master electricians being able to sign blueprints.

Electricians and engineers are usually regulated and licensed by different agencies, and the qualifications to be licensed as an engineer are far more demanding than (and different from) those required to become a master electrician.

[charlie b]

I have worked for a “Design/Build” contracting firm. For many of their projects, the design work was performed by persons who started out as electricians or as drafters. No engineer’s signature was required. But there were several constraints on this situation. One was that the same company had to do the design work and the installation work. If one company did the design, and a different company did the installation, then it was no longer “design/build,” and an engineer had to supervise the design. Another constraint was that the project could not be for certain government agencies or companies that specifically required a PE signature.

In general, if you wish to perform design work, then you have to be a licensed professional engineer (PE). That requires a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline, passing an 8-hour “Fundamentals of Engineering” exam (covering physics, chemistry, mathematics through differential and integral calculus, engineering economics, thermodynamics, statics, mechanics, and a number of basic engineering topics), having at least four years of practical design experience under the supervision of another PE, and then passing an 8-hour “Principles and Practices” exam (covering your specific discipline in depth). To give you an idea of the difficulty of the second exam, it has only 8 questions, and you need every bit of one hour to answer each question.

What is not always understood by contractors is the purpose and intent of the PE’s seal and signature. By signing a blueprint, you are saying one thing, and that one thing only. You are saying, “This work was done by me or under my supervision.” Behind that statement is the additional assertion that, “By virtue of presenting evidence of my education, experience, ethical conduct, and successful completion of the required exams, I have been authorized by the state government to perform this type of work and to sign this document.”

In one sense, the PE seal and signature can be construed as “Send your lawsuits this way.” But in the broader sense, what is being said here is, “We, the state government, based upon our review of your capabilities and experience, extend to you our confidence that in your design work, you will protect the health and safety of the public.”

[justin]

Can anyone point me in the right direction as far as finding out any info on "design/build" restrictions in the state of FL?, thanks, justin

[bphgravity]

I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for? But maybe you will find answers here:

Florida Building Codes and Standards (http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fhcd/fbc/)

[tshephard]

In VA, is it defined in the state code and referenced from there to contactors and board documents.
For instance, in certain occupancies, I can engineer a 3 story building or less, but I can't use the word engneer for electrical. I can for controls. Weird, huh?

[sandsnow]

In CA a licensed C-10 can produce plans if his company is doing the work.