Designated Structural Engineer FAQs

If you currently require a Struct.Eng. designation to meet municipal requirements, contractual obligations, employer expectations, or professional practice needs, you may continue to renew the designation and comply with all applicable Continuing Education and Continuing Active Practice reporting requirements. 

It is important to note that the Struct.Eng. designation does not provide additional reserved practice rights beyond those already held by a professional engineer (P.Eng.). The designation recognizes additional education, examination, and experience in structural engineering and has primarily been used by certain municipalities as a qualification requirement for specific structural engineering work. 

As we develop a transition plan, Engineers and Geoscientists BC will communicate any future changes to fees, reporting obligations, and transition timelines to current Struct.Eng. registrants. 

Decommissioning the Struct.Eng. program and enhancing other regulatory tools that will address identified conduct and quality-management risks in structural engineering practice is expected to take two years and includes the following:  

• The review and enhancement of existing regulatory tools and approaches, including: 
  • Increasing continuing education offerings; 
  • Expanding outreach and awareness activities;
  • Updating professional practice guidance; 
  • Strengthening independent review requirements; and 
• Evaluating structural audit and oversight activities to strengthen effectiveness. 
• Consultation with those directly impacted before finalizing the implementation plan. 
• Monitoring of structural engineering practice over time and adjustment of regulatory enhancements as needed. 

Applicants who wish to discontinue or withdraw their Struct.Eng. application can contact us at [email protected]. Struct.Eng. applicants will be entitled to receive a refund of the: 

• Struct.Eng. application fee; and  
• BC Codes and Practices exam fee if registered for an upcoming exam sitting. 

Applicants may choose to continue with their Struct.Eng. application while the program remains in operation during this period of transition if their work with the Cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Langley requires it.  

The next offering of the BC Codes and Practices exam is scheduled to take place on December 1, 2026 (deadline to apply is October 2, 2026).  

Staff will be in contact with existing applicants directly.  

Engineers and Geoscientists BC gathered data and consulted with a working group of structural engineers (P.Eng. and Struct.Eng.), municipalities, and industry organizations across the province.  

Additionally, two surveys (2024 and 2026) were sent to structural engineers (with and without the designation), municipalities across BC, expert organizations in the built environment, and other Engineers and Geoscientists BC registrants.

A Designated Structural Engineer (Struct.Eng.) is a registrant of Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia who has met specific experience and knowledge requirements beyond what is required for P.Eng. registration, including but not limited to additional experience, additional continuing education, additional character references, and technical exams.  

While the Engineers and Geoscientists BC regulations do not grant additional practice rights to those registrants with the Struct.Eng. designation, three municipalities (Cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, Langley) have adopted it as the minimum requirement for the design of Part 3 building’s primary structural system. P.Eng./P.L.Eng. registrants are permitted to design the same Part 3 buildings in all other municipalities in BC.

The Designated Structural Engineer (Struct.Eng.) program was first initiated in December 2001 following the Station Square parking deck collapse in Burnaby, BC. Following an investigation into that incident, a report was issued with a series of recommendations to improve the practice of structural engineering in BC. This included requiring structural engineers to pass special examinations in order to practice. This recommendation led to the formation of the current Struct. Eng. program. 

During the 2023 organizational review of programs, it was identified that the Struct.Eng. program required review to determine if it was still meeting its intended function of public protection and whether the program should be kept, modified, or discontinued. In April 2023, the Board directed staff to develop a consultation plan to engage with the structural engineering community and bring forward recommendations to better support the practice of structural engineering. 

While the primary trigger for the review of the program was to ensure the appropriate level of public protection in the practice of structural engineering was being provided, other factors warranted a review of the program, including:

• The program’s alignment with the Professional Governance Act 
• Recent high-profile structural investigation and discipline cases that involved registrants with the designation 
• Lack of objective and holistic review of the program since it first began in 2001 
• Public confusion regarding the competency and practice rights of structural engineers with a Struct. Eng. designation versus structural engineers without the designation (P.Eng./P.L.Eng.) 
• Resource implications of administering the program 

Ten evaluation criteria were used to assess different priorities and dimensions of impact related to the structural design of Part 3 buildings. The criteria were used to both develop and assess the alternatives. The criteria were:  

1. Public Safety 
2. Consistency with Engineers and Geoscientists BC's Mandate 
3. Right-Touch Regulation 
4. Labour Mobility 
5. Technical Excellence 
6. Municipal Confidence 
7. Implementation Certainty 
8. Impact – Registrants 
9. Impact – Municipalities 
10. Impact – Engineers and Geoscientists BC Resources 

No, public safety will not decrease when the Struct.Eng. program is discontinued.  

One of the key findings of this program review was that building structural engineering failures and near misses stem mainly from conduct and quality management issues rather than a lack of technical competence. Furthermore, while there is a perception that buildings designed by Struct.Eng. registrants are safer, the data collected did not support this conclusion.  

The working group and survey respondents agreed that public safety is primarily supported through existing regulatory measures including the building code, letters of assurance, independent reviews, field reviews, and P.Eng./P.L.Eng. registration requirements. These measures will remain in place after the Struct.Eng. program is phased out; public safety of the structural design of Part 3 buildings will be maintained.  

Public safety and technical excellence are related but distinct concepts. Public safety focuses on reducing the risk of loss of life and injury by ensuring that engineering work meets the minimum standards necessary to protect the public. Technical excellence, by contrast, relates to advancing knowledge, innovation, efficiency, resilience, and professional expertise beyond that minimum threshold. An engineer may demonstrate a high degree of technical excellence, but this does not necessarily translate into greater public safety. For example, a safe design does not require exceptional technical excellence if it meets applicable codes, standards, and professional obligations. For this reason, public safety and technical excellence were evaluated separately: public safety considers the effectiveness of mitigating risks to the public, while technical excellence considers its ability to encourage and recognize expertise beyond the baseline requirements for professional practice.  

The Practice Advisors ([email protected]) will be happy to answer questions about the decision and implementation. As with the survey responses, all questions and feedback will be tracked and used to inform future decisions and communications.