Texas PE Ethics 2026: Real Cases, Current Rules

BasePDH  |  Course No. 013  |  1 PDH

Source: TBPELS Acts and Rules, Effective January 7, 2026

Publisher: Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
Effective Date: January 7, 2026
Prior Edition: September 1, 2025
Address: 1917 S. Interstate 35, Austin, TX 78741-3702
Statute Links: Occupations Code Ch. 1001 (Engineers), Ch. 1071 (Surveyors)
Rules: 22 TAC Chapters 131–140

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Table of Contents

1. What's New for 2026
   • 1.1 Continuing Education and Renewal Are Now Biennial
   • 1.2 Inactive Status Rules Were Updated
   • 1.3 The Advisory Opinions Process Was Overhauled
   • 1.4 Administrative Updates Worth Knowing
   • 1.5 What Did Not Change
2. The Canons in Practice
   • §137.51 General Practice
   • §137.53 Compliance with the Professional Services Procurement Act
   • §137.55 Engineers Shall Protect the Public
   • §137.57 Engineers Shall Be Objective and Truthful
   • §137.59 Engineers' Actions Shall Be Competent
   • §137.61 Engineers Shall Maintain Confidentiality of Clients
   • §137.63 Engineers' Responsibility to the Profession
   • §137.65 Action in Another Jurisdiction
   • Cross-References Within Subchapter C
3. Case Studies
   • Case 1: The Structural Plans That Didn't Add Up
   • Case 2: Two Employers, One Engineer, and a Threatening Letter
   • Case 3: The Seal That Was Never Earned
   • Case 4: The Rubber Stamp
   • Case 5: Lying About the Hours You Didn't Take
   • Cross-Case Synthesis
4. Knowledge Check

Section 1: What's New for 2026

The TBPELS rules took effect January 7, 2026, replacing the September 1, 2025 edition. The changes most relevant to a practicing Texas PE are concentrated in administrative and procedural rules. The substantive ethics canons in 22 TAC Subchapter C (§§137.51–137.65) were not amended. The duties to protect the public, be objective and truthful, practice within competence, maintain client confidentiality, and uphold responsibility to the profession remain as written.

What did change touches how PEs renew, how they request guidance from the Board, and how inactive license holders return to practice. The four items below are the ones a Texas PE needs to know going into the 2026 renewal cycle.

1.1 Continuing Education and Renewal Are Now Biennial (§137.7, §137.17)

The most consequential change for every active license holder. Under the amended §137.7(a), license renewal is now every two years rather than annually. Section §137.17(c) sets the corresponding CE requirement at 30 PDH units per renewal period, and §137.17(d) requires a minimum of 2 PDH units per renewal period in professional ethics, roles and responsibilities of professional engineering, or review of the Texas Engineering Practice Act and Board Rules.

What this means in practice:

• The 1-PDH-per-year ethics minimum becomes a 2-PDH-per-renewal-period minimum. A PE can satisfy this with two one-hour ethics courses or a single two-hour course.
• §137.17(e) preserves the no-carry-forward rule: PDH earned in one renewal period cannot roll into the next.
• A PE in mid-transition should confirm their specific renewal date with TBPELS. The agency assigns renewal dates individually, and the move to biennial cycles affects PEs on a staggered schedule rather than all at once.

1.2 Inactive Status Rules Were Updated (§137.13)

Section §137.13 was amended to clarify the path back to active practice. Key points a PE should know: