Ask a licensed Texas engineer four things before work starts: what they were hired to investigate and what they were not; what they will inspect, measure or test and how; whether the report will be signed and sealed and what that seal covers; and what the report will and will not decide. Then ask who is responsible for each decision, who holds the file, and what the document will not tell you. Keep the answers in writing next to the proposal you are comparing, because vague answers are themselves a finding.

This page is general guidance from public sources only. It does not diagnose movement, recommend repairs, quote prices, or evaluate any particular engineer or firm.

Start with what the engineer was asked to do

Texas defines the practice of engineering broadly as public or private service or creative work that requires engineering education, training and experience in applying special knowledge or judgment of the mathematical, physical or engineering sciences ([TBPELS, “Is a Texas Licensed Engineer Required?”](https://pels.texas.gov/eng_req.htm)). That breadth is exactly why the scope question matters: a licensed engineer can be retained for a narrow written opinion or a full investigation, and the same title covers both.

Ask, in plain words:

  • What question is this engagement meant to answer?
  • What did you agree not to evaluate?
  • Is this a site visit, a document review, a testing program, or some combination?
  • Will you rely on the contractor's observations, and if so, which ones?

The TBPELS page links a flow chart for evaluating when a licensed engineer is required for a Texas project, and summarizes the statutory definition cited as Texas Occupations Code section 1001.003. Use those to understand the framework, not to answer your own case.

Ask what the investigation will actually contain

A useful question list turns an investigation into checkable parts. Ask whether the engineer will:

  • record observations of the property, and in what form (notes, photographs, measurements);
  • state the methods and instruments used, and any limits on their accuracy;
  • describe the soil, drainage or site conditions relevant to the question asked;
  • identify what additional testing would change the conclusion;
  • state assumptions clearly enough that a reader can tell when they fail.

Also ask how field findings reach the report, and whether anything observed on site was left out. “What did you see that is not in the report?” is a fair question, and a professional answer is not an insult.

Understand the seal before you rely on it

TBPELS material explains that signing and sealing indicates that work was done by the professional or under the professional's direct supervision, that the work is complete and accurate, and who is responsible; it carries professional responsibility for the work ([TBPELS webinar slides](https://pels.texas.gov/downloads/webinar/2025-feb-mar-webinar.pdf)). The same material states that it is not enough to review and seal another person's work — a professional engineer may seal only work personally generated or generated under direct supervision, and sealing another person's work is treated as a violation.

So ask:

  • Who will perform the work, and who supervises it directly?
  • Will the report be signed and sealed, and what parts does the seal cover?
  • Is it marked preliminary, and for what use (permit, bidding, information)?
  • What date was it issued, and how are revisions identified?

Hypothetical: a proposal includes a one-page letter from an engineer. Ask whether that letter is a sealed report, what it was based on, and whether the engineer ever visited the property. The answer changes what you can safely rely on.

Ask about competence, not just licensure

Texas does not license engineers by discipline, but professional engineers must not practice outside their competence, under Board Rules §137.59(a) as cited in TBPELS webinar material ([slides](https://pels.texas.gov/downloads/webinar/2025-feb-mar-webinar.pdf)). “Licensed” and “experienced with this kind of question” are different facts.

Ask:

  • What similar engagements have you handled, and what was your role?
  • What part of this work is outside your usual practice, if any?
  • Will any portion be referred to another professional, and who?
  • What continuing education or training relates to this kind of investigation?

These questions invite a description of the work, not a sales pitch. A careful answer names limits.

Ask what the engineer is not able or willing to do

TBPELS lists enforcement limits: the Legislature has not given the Board authority to assess monetary damages, settle disputed property boundaries, insert itself into engineering decisions made by local governments or other state agencies, force a licensee to “remedy” a problem, or investigate a registered firm's business practices such as billing and project timing ([slides](https://pels.texas.gov/downloads/webinar/2025-feb-mar-webinar.pdf)).

Ask the engineer directly which of these sit outside their role:

  • repair selection or contractor choice;
  • cost, schedule or billing disputes;
  • enforcing a contractor's promises or warranty;
  • appearing as an advocate in a dispute.

None of these are failures. They are boundaries that keep a technical opinion technical, and they belong in your notes when you decide what a proposal's engineer involvement really amounts to.

Connect the engineer to the permit and inspection record

San Antonio's contractor registration page states that registration as a Residential Building Contractor is required for “Foundation repairs or detached accessory buildings greater than 300 square feet,” with requirements including an FBI background check, government-issued photo ID, a $170 fee for two years, and liability insurance naming the City as certificate holder with minimum limits of $500,000 per occurrence, $1,000,000 total, and $500,000 for products and completed operations ([City of San Antonio DSD, Building & Home Improvement](https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/DSD/Contractor/Building-Home-Improvement?lang_update=639124367165887707)). Requirements and fees can change, so verify current terms with the City.

The City's inspections page (retrieved in a translated version, so wording is paraphrased here) describes inspections covering foundations, framing, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and states that for specialized work performed the City accepts a confirmation letter from an engineer or industry expert ([City of San Antonio DSD, Inspections](https://www.sa.gov/Directory/Departments/DSD/Constructing/Business-Commercial/Inspections?lang_update=639125961009306930)). Ask the engineer: is a letter or sealed document expected for this scope, and does it match what the City described to you?

That page also notes independent third-party special inspections performed by specially trained inspectors approved by the City, and that the City accepts reports of work without a permit or license. Those channels describe process, not your building.

Put the answers beside the proposal

When the answers come back, write them down in a comparable place. The private comparison matrix at Compare the scope, not just the headline price records what each proposal documents — observations, investigation specified, scope and method, exclusions, permits, warranty terms and unanswered questions — and flags missing information rather than scoring quality. Entries are editable, and you can export a local Markdown file or reset it.

Useful companions: What to gather before a foundation proposal and Record warranty terms and exclusions. If an answer stays missing, that gap is the finding — an unanswered question is not a negative opinion about any contractor, and it does not prove movement or require a repair.

What this page cannot do: it cannot tell you whether your property needs an engineer, which repair is correct, what anything should cost, or whether a specific person is competent or in compliance. Those are questions for a licensed professional and, where permits or registration are concerned, for the City of San Antonio.