Design Standards and Codes for the Civil PE and Structural Exams

Structural Design Standards

Per NCEES, solutions to examination problems that reference a standard of practice are scored based on this list. Solutions based on other editions or standards will not receive credit. All problems are in English units.

AASHTO: LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, 3rd edition, 2004, with 2005 and 2006 Interim Revisions, American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, Washington, DC.

ACI 318: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, 2002, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI.

ACI 530 & ACI 530.1-05: Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures (and related commentaries), 2005; American Concrete Institute, Detroit, MI; Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA; and The Masonry Society, Boulder, CO.
Note: Examinees will use only the Allowable Stress Design (ASD) method.

AISC/ASD: Manual of Steel Construction, Allowable Stress Design, 13th edition, American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., Chicago, IL.
Note: Examination candidates may choose between the AISC/ASD and AISC/LRFD design following the 13th edition only.

Seismic Design Manual, American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., Chicago, IL.
Note: This manual was released to the public in spring 2007. It includes 341-05 and the 2006 supplement.

NDS: National Design Specification for Wood Construction ASD/LRFD, 2005 edition & National Design Specification Supplement, Design Values for Wood Construction, 2005 edition, American Forest and Paper Association (formerly National Forest Products Association), Washington, DC.

PCI: PCI Design Handbook, Sixth Ed., 2004, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago, IL.

ASCE 7: Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, 2002, American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY.

IBC: International Building Code, 2006 edition (without supplements), International Code Council, Falls Church, VA. Available here.

Transportation Design Standards

AASHTO: A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2004 Ed. (5th Ed.), American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, Washington, DC. Available here.

AASHTO: Design of Pavement Structures, 1993 Ed. (4th Ed.), American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, Washington, DC., plus 1998 supplement.

AASHTO: Roadside Design Guide, 2002 Ed., American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, Washington, DC.
Note: Including 2006 Chapter 6 Update.

AI: The Asphalt Handbook (MS-4), 1989 Ed., Asphalt Institute, College Park, MD.

HCM: Highway Capacity Manual, 2000 Ed. (HCM 2000), Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC. The US Customary version is required. Available here.
Note: Including all changes adopted through October 1, 2006.

MUTCD: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 2003, US Dept. of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC.

PCA: Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, 2002, 14th Ed., Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL.

ITE: Traffic Engineering Handbook, 1999, Fifth Ed., Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington, DC.

Construction Design Standards

ASCE 37-02: Design Loads on Structures During Construction, 2002, American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA.

NDS: National Design Specification for Wood Construction, 2005, American Forest & Paper Association/American Wood Council, Washington, DC.

CMWB: Standard Practice for Bracing Masonry Walls During Construction, 2001, Council for Masonry Wall Bracing, Mason Contractors Association of America, Lombard, IL.

AISC: Steel Construction Manual, 13th ed. (or 9th edition ASD, or 3rd edition LRFD), American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., Chicago, IL.

ACI 347-04: Guide to Formwork for Concrete, 2004, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, (in ACI SP-4, 7th edition appendix).

ACI SP-4: Formwork for Concrete, 7th ed., 2005, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI.

OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction Industry, 29 CFR Part 1926, (US federal version), US Department of Labor, Washington, DC.

MUTCD-Pt 6: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices — Part 6 Temporary Traffic Control, 2003, US Federal Highway Administration.

For more information on the Construction Design Standards see the NCEES.