Your qualifying engineer gave notice. What happens to the firm’s COA?

Last checked Sep 27, 2026. Covers Florida and Texas. Georgia is not yet verified. Not legal advice.

When a senior engineer resigns, often the engineer of record on open projects, the first question is whose seal goes on their sheets now. The second question gets missed more often: is this person also the one who makes the firm eligible to practice in some state?

States use different names for that person: qualifying agent, qualifier, engineer in responsible charge, principal. If that person leaves, the firm’s certificate of authorization or registration in that state may be at risk.

What a qualifier is, in plain terms

Many states tie a firm’s authorization to one or more licensed people. The wording varies:

• Florida requires a firm to be “qualified by a Professional Engineer licensed in Florida,” called the qualifying agent. (FBPE; s. 471.023(1), Florida Statutes)
• Texas requires at least one full-time active Texas license holder employed by the firm, and an active license holder who performs or directly supervises all engineering work in each office. The firm’s registration lists its Texas PEs and the engineer in responsible charge for each branch office. (22 TAC 137.77(b); 22 TAC 135.3(b))
• Georgia requires that “one or more of the principals, officers, members or partners of the entity and all its personnel who act in its behalf” be registered. (Georgia board, PE/LS Business Entity)

What the boards say happens when that person leaves

Only states we have checked on the board’s own site or in the state’s official rules, as of Sep 27, 2026.

Florida’s 60 days is not a grace period to keep working

Read the FBPE wording closely. The firm may no longer provide engineering services in Florida. The 60 days is the window to be requalified if it wants to resume. A temporary qualifier for incomplete contracts must be authorized by the board or FEMC. (FBPE; s. 471.023(4)(a)-(b), F.S.)

Texas sets a notice deadline, not a replacement window

We found no published grace period for a firm to keep offering services without a full-time Texas PE, in the rules or the TBPELS firm FAQ. Ask TBPELS before the next Texas set goes out.

The checklist for the day someone gives notice

This is a working list, not legal advice. Your licensed professionals and the board make the calls.

1. List every state where this person is named for the firm: qualifying agent, engineer in responsible charge, listed principal. Your firm registrations and COA applications will name them. If you don’t have copies, ask the board what it has on file.
2. For each of those states, is anyone else already named? If yes, the firm may be fine there. If no, that state is at risk.
3. Note each state’s notice deadline. Florida: 24 hours for the departing agent. Texas: 30 days for the firm. Others: ask the board. (FBPE; 22 TAC 137.73)
4. Find every open permit set with their name on it. Which sheets do they seal? Who else holds an active license in that state and discipline?
5. Check the dates. When is their last day, and when does each set go out? A sheet sealed before they leave and a sheet issued after they leave are different questions. Ask the board if you’re unsure.
6. Look at the title block. Georgia sheets carry the firm’s COA name, number and expiration date. Texas documents carry the firm’s name and registration number. (Ga. Rule 180-12-.02; 22 TAC 137.33(n)) If the firm’s authorization in that state lapses, that block is a problem.
7. Line up the replacement’s license. If the new qualifier needs a license by comity, that takes time. Filed isn’t issued.
8. Keep a dated record. Who was named where, who took over which sheets, and when you told each board.

A sample

Sample firm, not a client. Hartwell Process and everyone in it are made up.

Marcus Hale, Hartwell’s structural engineer, gives two weeks’ notice on a Monday. The principal’s first question is who seals the structural sheets now. The second is where Marcus is the firm’s listed person.

On the sample roster, he is Hartwell’s listed Texas engineer, the firm’s only full-time Texas PE, and the only person who seals its structural sheets in Texas. So in Texas the firm has two problems: nobody else on the roster can seal those sheets, and the firm has a 30-day written notice duty under 22 TAC 137.73. Before the next Texas set goes out, the principal calls TBPELS and lines up another full-time Texas PE.