Code of

Ethics
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

Page 1 of 3
PREAMBLE
c. e
 xpress professional opinions truthfully
Members of The American Society of Civil and only when founded on adequate
Engineers conduct themselves with integrity knowledge and honest conviction;
and professionalism, and above all else protect
and advance the health, safety, and welfare d. h
 ave zero tolerance for bribery, fraud,
of the public through the practice of Civil and corruption in all forms, and report
Engineering. violations to the proper authorities;
e. endeavor to be of service in civic affairs;
Engineers govern their professional careers on
f. t reat all persons with respect, dignity,
the following fundamental principles:
and fairness, and reject all forms of
z c reate safe, resilient, and sustainable discrimination and harassment;
infrastructure; g. a
 cknowledge the diverse historical, social,
z t reat all persons with respect, dignity, and and cultural needs of the community, and
fairness in a manner that fosters equitable incorporate these considerations in their
participation without regard to personal work;
identity; h. c onsider the capabilities, limitations, and
z c onsider the current and anticipated needs implications of current and emerging
of society; and technologies when part of their work; and

z u
 tilize their knowledge and skills to i. r eport misconduct to the appropriate
enhance the quality of life for humanity. authorities where necessary to protect the
health, safety, and welfare of the public.
All members of The American Society of Civil
Engineers, regardless of their membership 2.  NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
grade or job description, commit to all of the
Engineers:
following ethical responsibilities. In the case
of a conflict between ethical responsibilities, a. a
 dhere to the principles of sustainable
the five stakeholders are listed in the order of development;
priority. There is no priority of responsibilities
within a given stakeholder group with the b. c onsider and balance societal,
exception that 1a. takes precedence over all environmental, and economic
other responsibilities. 1 impacts, along with opportunities for
improvement, in their work;
c. m
 itigate adverse societal, environmental,
CODE OF ETHICS and economic effects; and

1.  SOCIETY d. u
 se resources wisely while minimizing
resource depletion.
Engineers:
a. fi
 rst and foremost, protect the health,
safety, and welfare of the public;
b. enhance the quality of life for humanity;

1  This Code does not establish a standard of care, nor should it be interpreted as such.

Page 2 of 3
3.  PROFESSION e. k
 eep clients’ and employers’ identified
proprietary information confidential;
Engineers:
f. p
 erform services only in areas of their
a. u
 phold the honor, integrity, and dignity of competence; and
the profession;
g. a
 pprove, sign, or seal only work products
b. p
 ractice engineering in compliance with that have been prepared or reviewed by
all legal requirements in the jurisdiction them or under their responsible charge.
of practice;
c. r epresent their professional qualifications 5.  PEERS
and experience truthfully;
Engineers:
d. reject practices of unfair competition;
a. o
 nly take credit for professional work they
e. p
 romote mentorship and have personally completed;
knowledge-sharing equitably with current
and future engineers; b. provide attribution for the work of others;

f. e
 ducate the public on the role of civil c. foster health and safety in the workplace;
engineering in society; and
d. p
 romote and exhibit inclusive, equitable,
g. c ontinue professional development and ethical behavior in all engagements
to enhance their technical and with colleagues;
non-technical competencies.
e. a
 ct with honesty and fairness on
collaborative work efforts;
4.  CLIENTS AND EMPLOYERS f. e
 ncourage and enable the education and
Engineers: development of other engineers and
prospective members of the profession;
a. a
 ct as faithful agents of their clients
and employers with integrity and g. supervise equitably and respectfully;
professionalism;
h. c omment only in a professional manner
b. m
 ake clear to clients and employers any on the work, professional reputation, and
real, potential, or perceived conflicts of personal character of other engineers;
interest; and

c. c ommunicate in a timely manner to i. r eport violations of the Code of Ethics to

Page 3 of 3