Fingerprinting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Questions About the Process:

A: The mission of the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (Board) is to diligently protect the life, health, property, and welfare of the public. By conducting a background check of licensees, the Board ensures standards for licensure and actively enforces laws and regulations.

Title 16, California Code of Regulations (CCR) Sections 420.1 and 3021.1 read, in part, “Pursuant to Section 144 of the Business and Professions Code, the Board has the authority to obtain and review criminal offender record information.” Please refer to 16 CCR §420.1 and 16 CCR §3021.1 for further information.
A: 16 CCR §420.1(g) states that, “This section shall apply to all applicants, including those applicants who submit applications pursuant to Sections 6750, 6758, 6759, 6763, 6796.3, 8740, 8746, 8748, and 8803 of the Business and Professions Code.”

16 CCR §3021.1(g) states that, “This section shall apply to all applicants, including those applicants who submit applications pursuant to Sections 7840, 7841, 7841.1, 7841.2, 7842, 7842.1, 7843, 7846, 7847, and 7884 of the Business and Professions Code.”
A: 16 CCR §420.1(e) and 16 CCR §3021.1(e) state that, “Failure to comply with the requirements of this section renders the application for license incomplete, and the application shall not be considered until the applicant demonstrates compliance with all requirements of this section.”
A: Yes. 16 CCR §420.1(h) and CCR §3021.1(h) read, in part, “As used in this section, “license” includes certification as …” an Engineer-in-Training or a Land Surveyor-in-Training or a Geologist-in-Training.
A: EIT/LSIT/GIT, Professional Land Surveyor (PLS), Professional Engineer (PE) (Excluding: Traffic and Geotechnical), Structural Engineer, and Professional Geologist (PG) Applicants (Excluding: CEG and CHG): If you have submitted fingerprints with a previous application to the Board, resubmittal with a subsequent application is required if it has been 24 months or more since your last submittal of fingerprints.

Traffic Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Professional Geophysicist, Certified Engineering Geologist (CEG), and Certified Hydrogeologist (CHG) Applicants: You do not need to resubmit fingerprints if you have submitted fingerprints with a prior application to the Board.

A: California Applicants Applicants residing in California must use the electronic Live Scan fingerprinting process. Only Live Scan centers located in California are authorized for this process. Find an approved Live Scan location near you. The Live Scan location link includes location specific information pertaining to the need for appointments, hours of availability and rolling fees.

Completely fill out and carefully follow the directions on the Board’s Live Scan form (only use this Live Scan form). Take the completed form to the Live Scan location of your choice. You must present a valid government issued photo identification when being fingerprinted. Expired identifications will not be accepted.

The last section of the form requires information from the Live Scan operator. Please ensure that the Live Scan operator completes this information and submits the digital prints to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

After completing the Live Scan process, the Live Scan operator will retain the original Live Scan form and give you two (2) copies. Applicants must submit one (1) copy of the form with their application to the Board to document the scanning of their fingerprints and keep one (1) copy of the form for their records. Traffic Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Professional Geophysicist, Certified Engineering Geologist (CEG), and Certified Hydrogeologist (CHG) applicants must submit a copy of their Live Scan form along with their paper application to the Board. EIT/LSIT/GIT, Professional Land Surveyor (PLS), Professional Engineer (PE) (Excluding: Traffic and Geotechnical), Structural Engineer, and Professional Geologist (PG) applicants (Excluding: CEG and CHG) must upload their Live Scan form as part of the online application process in BPELSG Connect; they do not need to mail a copy of the Live Scan form to the Board.

Your fingerprints will be sent to both the DOJ and the FBI to search for any criminal history. The results of the Live Scan are processed electronically by the DOJ and FBI and are typically received by the Board within two (2) to three (3) weeks. Results from DOJ and FBI must be received and approved prior to the issuance of a license or certificate in California. If you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, the record of the conviction(s) will be reported to the Board.

Out-of-State Applicants Out-of-state applicants may either submit two (2) FD-258 fingerprint cards (see the next question for additional information) or travel to California to use Live Scan (the process explained above).
A: EIT/LSIT/GIT, Professional Land Surveyor (PLS), Professional Engineer (PE) (Excluding: Traffic and Geotechnical), Structural Engineer, and Professional Geologist (PG) Applicants (Excluding: CEG and CHG): You will be mailed two (2) FD-258 fingerprint cards after you have submitted your application and fees using BPELSG Connect. Please allow up to 10 business days for the fingerprint cards to be mailed to you. Do not submit a separate request for fingerprint cards; doing so may delay the processing of your application.

You may use two (2) FD-258 fingerprint cards as an alternative to requesting fingerprint cards from the Board.

Once you receive the fingerprint cards, take the fingerprint cards to your local licensed fingerprinting agency, or other authorized agency, to have your fingerprints rolled (a rolling fee may be required). The fingerprinting agency may process the cards with “wet” ink or electronically print the fingerprints on the cards. You must present a valid government issued photo identification when being fingerprinted. Expired identifications will not be accepted.

Mail the two (2) completed and signed fingerprint cards to the Board along with a copy of your receipt from BPELSG Connect. Before submitting the fingerprint cards to the Board, check to make sure that the cards are complete and signed. You will need to be fingerprinted again if you submit unsigned fingerprint cards.

Your fingerprints will be sent to both the DOJ and the FBI to search for any criminal history. Results from DOJ and FBI must be received and approved prior to the issuance of a license or certificate in California. If you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, the record of the conviction(s) will be reported to the Board.

Traffic Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Professional Geophysicist, Certified Engineering Geologist (CEG), and Certified Hydrogeologist (CHG) Applicants: Request a set of fingerprint cards via the online request form. You will be mailed two (2) FD-258 fingerprint cards. Please allow up to 10 business days for the fingerprint cards to be mailed to you.

You may use two (2) FD-258 fingerprint cards as an alternative to requesting fingerprint cards from the Board.

Once you receive the fingerprint cards, take the fingerprint cards to your local licensed fingerprinting agency, or other authorized agency, to have your fingerprints rolled (a rolling fee may be required). The fingerprinting agency may process the cards with “wet” ink or electronically print the fingerprints on the cards. You must present a valid government issued photo identification when being fingerprinted. Expired identifications will not be accepted.

Mail the two (2) completed and signed fingerprint cards to the Board with your application for licensure or certification. Before submitting the fingerprint cards to the Board, check to make sure that the cards are complete and signed. You will need to be fingerprinted again if you submit unsigned fingerprint cards.

Your fingerprints will be sent to both the DOJ and the FBI to search for any criminal history. Results from DOJ and FBI must be received and approved prior to the issuance of a license or certificate in California. If you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, the record of the conviction(s) will be reported to the Board.
A: Yes. 16 CCR 420.1(c) and 16 CCR 3021.1(c) state, “The applicant shall pay any costs for furnishing the fingerprints and conducting the searches.”

California Applicants
You are required to pay the Live Scan operator the $49 processing fees ($32 DOJ and $17 FBI), in addition to the Live Scan “rolling” fee. The rolling fee varies because each Live Scan location sets its own fee. The listing of Live Scan locations includes information about the rolling fee for each location. No additional fingerprinting fees are due to the Board.

Out-of-State Applicants
If you live out-of-state and are using fingerprint cards, you will need to pay the rolling fee to the local licensed fingerprinting agency or other authorized agency that is rolling your prints. This is in addition to the $49 fingerprint processing fee ($32 DOJ and $17 FBI) that must be paid to the Board. Note: The fingerprint fees are not set by the Board and are subject to change without notice.
A: [Note: This question does not apply to EIT/LSIT/GIT, Professional Land Surveyor (PLS), Professional Engineer (PE) (Excluding: Traffic and Geotechnical), Structural Engineer, and Professional Geologist (PG) applicants (Excluding: CEG and CHG) who pay their application and fingerprint fees by credit card in BPELSG Connect.]

Make one check or money order payable to the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA).
A: No. Federal law allows a Criminal Records Report to be released only to the requesting agency. You need to undergo the fingerprinting and criminal history check process again specifically for the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists.
A: No. At this time, the law only requires that “new” applicants for licensure furnish a full set of fingerprints.
A: If your fingerprints are rejected it is typically because the fingerprint impressions are of poor quality and they cannot be searched in the DOJ or FBI fingerprint databases. In this case, reprints will be necessary. This can happen with Live Scan or fingerprint cards. If your fingerprints are rejected, Board staff will contact you.

Questions About Criminal Convictions:

A: The Board is unable to provide legal advice to applicants or their representatives. Every situation is unique and is addressed on an individual basis. The Board reviews each conviction based not only on the conviction itself in relation to the statutes, but also on the underlying issues that led to the conviction.

A conviction that does not, at first glance, appear to be substantially related to the qualifications, functions or duties of an engineer, land surveyor, geologist or geophysicist may, under closer scrutiny, be revealed otherwise. All information related to an applicant’s criminal history is considered including: The specific conviction; when it occurred; the circumstances surrounding the conviction; the number of convictions; compliance with the court’s terms and conditions; and rehabilitation are all factors considered when determining an applicant’s eligibility for licensure.

Further information can be found in the regulations relating to Substantial Relationship Criteria, 16 CCR §416 and 16 CCR §3060, and Criteria for Rehabilitation, 16 CCR §418 and 16 CCR §3061.
A: Applicants have the opportunity to explain any criminal conviction. You may be asked to do this in writing. In addition to providing an explanation, you may provide evidence of rehabilitation such as counseling, gainful employment, completion of an appropriate rehabilitation program, etc.

Further information can be found in the regulations relating to Criteria for Rehabilitation, 16 CCR §418 and 16 CCR §3061.
A: If your application has been denied, you have the right to appeal the denial by requesting a Statement of Issues hearing, pursuant to the California Administrative Procedure Act (Government Code Section 11500, et seq.). Engineering and land surveying applicants must submit a written request for a hearing within 60 days of the date of denial, pursuant to 16 CCR §429 (e). Geologist and geophysicist applicants must submit a written request for a hearing within 30 days of the date of denial, pursuant to B&P Code §7855.

Additional Information:

A: If you have any other questions about the fingerprint process you can contact the Board’s fingerprint coordinator, by email at bpelsg.fingerprint.questions@dca.ca.gov or by calling (916) 999-3631.