Federal Law (FCRA)
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) establishes the federal minimum requirements for employment background checks, including disclosure and authorization requirements, consumer rights, and the adverse action process. Many states impose additional requirements that employers must also follow.
Read FCRA OverviewRecommended Screening Components
The components below reflect common elements of an engineering screening package. Requirements change based on licensure, the data the role reaches, and whether the work is safety critical.
| Screening Component | What It Covers | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Degree, field of study, and accreditation status, confirmed through the institution. | ||
| Names and addresses associated with the applicant, which identify where to search. | ||
| Criminal records in the counties where the applicant has lived and worked. | ||
| Broad multi-state coverage that points toward records a county search would miss. | ||
| Federal court records, added where the work involves controlled data or federal contracts. | ||
| Past employers, dates, and titles, which establish the scope of prior technical work. | ||
| PE license status and board discipline, or technical certifications. Licensed roles only. | ||
| Foreign degrees and work history, common in a field with many internationally trained staff. | ||
| Pre-employment testing, common where engineers work on plant floors or job sites. | ||
| Driving history, where the role travels to field sites in a company vehicle. | ||
| Medical clearance for respirator use or site access, where field work requires it. | ||
| Payment history and public records. Rarely relevant to engineering duties. |
Screening components should always be job-related and consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
Notes on This Package
Education carries unusual weight here. An engineering degree is the entry credential for most of these roles and the prerequisite for licensure. Accreditation matters as much as the degree itself, since a state board will not accept a degree from an unaccredited program toward a license. Verification confirms the degree was awarded; accreditation is a separate question the institution’s status answers.
Foreign credentials are common and slower to verify. Engineering draws heavily on internationally trained professionals. Degrees earned abroad are confirmed through the issuing institution, sometimes with a credential evaluation, and the process runs weeks rather than days. State boards apply their own standards to foreign degrees for licensure purposes.
Defense and aerospace work restricts access. Where technical data is export controlled, access is limited to U.S. persons and verified by the employer from documentation. This is not a background check and involves no criminal history review. See Manufacturing for how those restrictions work.
Field work changes the package. Engineers who visit plants, job sites, and refineries are covered by the site’s access requirements, which commonly include drug testing, safety training, and medical clearance. Those requirements come from the site rather than from the engineering role.
Licensed and Unlicensed Engineers
Most engineers hold no license, and the reason is a legal exemption rather than an oversight.
What the PE license covers
A Professional Engineer license is issued by a state board after an accredited degree, a period of supervised experience, and two examinations. It authorizes a person to offer engineering services to the public and to seal drawings and calculations submitted for permits or public review. Civil, structural, and consulting practice depends on it.
The industrial exemption
Most states exempt engineers working for a manufacturer on the company’s own products from licensure requirements. An engineer designing consumer electronics, vehicles, or production equipment for their employer generally does not need a license, because nothing is being offered to the public and no seal is applied. That exemption covers a large share of the profession.
What that means for verification
A license search on an unlicensed engineer returns nothing, and no board record exists to check. Technical certifications from professional societies fill part of that space and are verified through the issuing body. For licensed engineers, the state board shows current status and any disciplinary action, with a separate record in each state of licensure.
Where Screening Changes
The same job title carries different requirements depending on the setting.
| Manufacturing | Plant environments add drug testing and site access requirements, and export controlled technical data limits access to U.S. persons. |
| Construction | Design and structural work requires a PE license, and site visits bring driving records and safety training into the package. |
| Technology | Software engineering carries no licensure, and customer security agreements set the screening requirements instead. |
| Government | Federal engineering work requires suitability determinations, and defense projects add a security clearance for some roles. |
| Professional Services | Consulting engineers seal work for clients, which makes licensure and board discipline central to the package. |
| Food Production | Process and packaging engineers enter production areas, where facility access and hygiene requirements apply. |
Screening Considerations
Degree and Accreditation
Verification confirms the degree was awarded. Whether the program was accredited is a separate question, and state boards will not accept an unaccredited degree toward licensure.
PE License Status
State boards show current status and published discipline. An engineer licensed in several states carries a separate record in each, and licenses lapse when continuing education is not completed.
The Industrial Exemption
Most states exempt engineers working on a manufacturer’s own products from licensure. A license search on those engineers returns nothing, which reflects the exemption rather than a gap.
Technical Certifications
Professional societies issue certifications in specialties such as welding inspection, quality, and safety. These are verified through the issuing body and carry their own renewal requirements.
Foreign Education
Degrees earned abroad are verified through the institution and can require a credential evaluation. Timelines run weeks, and state boards apply their own standards for licensure purposes.
Export Controlled Access
Where technical data is export controlled, access is limited to U.S. persons and verified from documentation. This is a document review rather than a background check.
Field Site Requirements
Plants, job sites, and refineries set their own access standards, commonly including drug testing, safety training, and medical clearance. Those requirements come from the site rather than the employer.
Contract and Consulting Work
Engineering is frequently staffed through firms and agencies. The employer of record runs the screening, and the client can set additional requirements before granting site or system access.
Common Questions
Do engineers need a license?
Only for work offered to the public or requiring a seal. Most states exempt engineers working on a manufacturer’s own products.
What is a PE license?
A state credential requiring an accredited degree, supervised experience, and two examinations. It authorizes sealing engineering work for public review.
Why does accreditation matter?
State boards accept only accredited degrees toward licensure. Verification confirms a degree exists, which is a separate question from whether the program was accredited.
How are foreign degrees verified?
Through the issuing institution, sometimes with a credential evaluation. The process takes weeks rather than days.
Is a license search worth running?
For roles that seal work, yes. For exempt industrial roles the search returns nothing, since no license was ever required.
Do software engineers need licensure?
No. Software engineering falls outside state licensure, and screening requirements come from customers and company policy instead.
Why drug test an engineer?
Where the role works on plant floors or job sites. The requirement comes from the site’s access rules rather than from the engineering work.
What restricts defense engineering roles?
Export control rules limit access to controlled technical data to U.S. persons. The employer verifies status from documentation, with no criminal history involved.
Worth Knowing
Most Engineers Are Not Licensed
State licensure applies to engineering offered to the public, and most states exempt engineers working on their employer’s own products. A license search on those engineers returns nothing because no license was ever required.