American Samoa Professional Engineering Practice
American Samoa does not currently operate a conventional Professional Engineer licensing and renewal program comparable to those administered by U.S. state engineering boards.
Jurisdiction: American Samoa Government | Reviewed: August 3, 2026
American Samoa does not currently issue a territorial PE license with its own renewal cycle or continuing-education requirement. Territorial regulations may require engineering documents to be prepared, signed, and sealed by a Professional Engineer licensed in one of the 50 states. That engineer must maintain the underlying state license according to the issuing state's requirements.
Core Requirements
| Requirement | American Samoa treatment |
|---|---|
| Territorial PE license | American Samoa does not currently administer a conventional territorial Professional Engineer license comparable to a state-issued PE license. |
| Renewal cycle | No separate American Samoa PE renewal cycle is currently established. |
| PDH total | No territorial PDH or continuing-education total is currently required for PE renewal because American Samoa does not issue a separate renewable PE license. |
| Ethics requirement | No separate American Samoa ethics-hour requirement is currently published for Professional Engineers. |
| Carryover | No territorial PDH carryover provision applies. Carryover is governed by the rules of the state that issued the engineer's active license. |
| Recognized credential | Certain territorial regulations define a Professional Engineer as an engineer holding a PE license issued by one of the 50 states. |
| License maintenance | An engineer relying on a state-issued license must keep that license active and satisfy the issuing board's renewal, ethics, PDH, and recordkeeping requirements. |
| Project authorization | A valid state PE license does not automatically establish that every project may proceed. Territorial agencies may impose separate permits, plan-review procedures, business licenses, or project-specific approvals. |
Course Standards
Activities and Credit
| Activity | Applicable credit rule |
|---|---|
| Online or self-paced courses | Acceptance and credit are determined by the state board that issued the engineer's license. |
| Live instruction | Webinars, seminars, conferences, and workshops must comply with the issuing state's course and provider requirements. |
| College coursework | Semester-credit and quarter-credit conversions are determined by the issuing state. |
| Teaching or course development | Eligibility, multipliers, and repeat-teaching restrictions are determined by the issuing state. |
| Publications and patents | Any credit allowance is controlled by the issuing state board. |
| Professional participation | Credit for committee service, mentoring, presentations, or professional society activity depends on the issuing state's rules. |
| Territorial project training | American Samoa-specific technical training may qualify when it satisfies the issuing state's standards for relevance, documentation, and professional development. |
An Online-PDH course may satisfy the continuing-education requirements of the state that issued the engineer's license when the course meets that board's standards. Course acceptance should be evaluated against the issuing state's requirements rather than a separate American Samoa PDH rule.
Records and Compliance
American Samoa does not currently publish a separate PE continuing-education audit procedure or territorial PDH record-retention period.
The engineer should retain evidence that the supporting state license was active when professional services were performed. Continuing-education records must be retained for the period required by the issuing state. Project permits, agency approvals, sealed documents, and related correspondence should be maintained separately.
Special Circumstances
American Samoa environmental regulations require engineering drawings, specifications, and design reports for public water systems to be prepared by or under the supervision of a registered Professional Engineer and signed and sealed by that engineer.
For public-water-system regulations, a Professional Engineer is defined as an engineer licensed to practice professional engineering in one of the 50 states.
Engineering practice and construction contracting are different activities. A PE license does not necessarily replace a territorial business license, contractor license, or other authorization required for the services being offered.
The meaning of a registered Professional Engineer may be established within an individual agency regulation. Confirm the definition and submission requirements applicable to the particular project.
An engineer holding licenses in several states should identify which active license supports the American Samoa work and maintain that license according to the issuing board's renewal requirements.
Government solicitations and contracts may impose qualification, registration, insurance, responsible-charge, or licensing conditions beyond the requirements found in general territorial regulations.
Official Sources