API 1169 certification: the pipeline construction inspector exam, requirements and fees
API 1169 certification is API's credential for inspectors of new onshore pipeline construction, earned by documenting qualifying experience and passing one 115-question, 3-hour exam at a test center. It is built on API RP 1169, the recommended practice for basic inspection of new pipeline construction, and it is valid for three years. Here is who qualifies, what the exam covers, what it costs and when you can sit it, from API's pages as read on 29 October 2026.
What API 1169 covers
API's API 1169 page names four areas an applicant should know:
- General onshore pipeline construction inspection
- Inspector responsibilities
- Personnel and general pipeline safety
- Environmental and pollution control
The exam can be prepared from U.S. or Canadian references. Where a U.S. document has a Canadian equivalent, you may study either one, and API says the questions stay on the content the two share.
API counted 9,436 API 1169 certificates on 30 April 2026, in its ICP statistics.
API 1169 requirements
Your experience must fall within the last 20 years. API sorts it into five categories, and the years you need depend on the category and on your education or certifications. API verifies what you document on the application.
| Experience category | Examples API gives | Minimum years |
|---|---|---|
| Pipeline inspection | Utility, pressure and leak testing, welding, coating, safety and offshore pipeline inspection | 2 with a technical degree or military service, 3 with any or no education |
| General oil and gas inspection | Equipment, NDT, in-service, visual and welding inspection; tanks, piping or pressure vessels; source inspection | 3 with a technical degree or military service, 4 with high school, GED or no education |
| Non-inspection pipeline | Pipeline construction, surveying, operation, welding, fitting, coating, heavy equipment, pipeline safety supervision | 4 with a technical degree or military service, 5 with high school, GED or no education |
| General oil and gas industry | Operation, construction or repair of equipment at a refinery or petrochemical plant | 4 in total with at least 1 of pipeline work, or 6, each with a listed certification |
| Other heavy industry | Road building, civil construction, mining, power, shipbuilding, welding, coating, excavation | 5 with a technical degree or military service plus a listed certification, or 8 with a listed certification |
A technical degree here means a bachelor's or two-year degree in a technical discipline, engineering or technology. Military service means two years in a technical role. The listed certifications are AWS or CWB, AMPP Certified Coatings Inspector or Senior Coatings Inspector, any API certification, ASNT Level II or higher, and CGSB, PCN or another ISO 9712 accredited NDE certification. If you use education or a certification to qualify, you upload the document, in English, with your application.
Already working as an API 510 or API 570 inspector? Inspection of pressure vessels or piping sits in the general oil and gas inspection row.
The API 1169 exam
- Length: 3 hours, after a short tutorial on the computer-based test.
- Questions: 115, of which 100 are scored. The other 15 are pretest questions.
- Where: in person at designated test centers only.
- What you can bring: no paper, notes or reference materials.
- References on screen: PDFs of 29 CFR 1910 and 1926 (OSHA), 49 CFR 192 and 195 (gas and hazardous liquid pipelines), 50 CFR 21 (migratory bird permits) and the FERC Wetland and Waterbody Construction and Mitigation Procedures (May 2013). Canadian candidates get SOR/86-304 and the Migratory Bird Convention Act.
Questions are drawn from the publications on the window's Publications Effectivity Sheet, and not all of them are on screen during the exam. API publishes a sheet and a Body of Knowledge for the December 2025 to August 2026 exams and for the December 2026 to August 2027 exams.
Fees
From API's Schedules & Fees page, where API 1169 shares a row with API 1184:
| Fee | 2026 member / non-member | 2027 member / non-member |
|---|---|---|
| Initial certification | $435 / $580 | $445 / $590 |
| Recertification | $310 / $435 | $315 / $445 |
| Reschedule | $200 / $200 | $200 / $200 |
| Late application | $200 / $200 | $200 / $200 |
That is about half the API 510, 570 and 653 initial fee, which API's 2027 table lists as $890 for members and $1,140 for non-members and its 2026 table as $875 and $1,125.
Exam windows and deadlines
API 1169 runs three windows a year, each three weeks long:
| Window | Application deadline |
|---|---|
| 4 to 25 December 2026 | 2 October 2026 (passed) |
| 9 to 30 April 2027 | 4 February 2027 |
| 6 to 27 August 2027 | 4 June 2027 |
| 3 to 24 December 2027 | 30 September 2027 |
The next window you can still apply for is April 2027.
How to get API 1169 certification
- Find your category. Match your last 20 years of work to one of the five rows above, and note whether you need a degree, military service or a listed certification to reach the years.
- Document it. List each period's employer, dates and work on the application, and upload any degree or certificate you rely on.
- Apply and pay. Apply through API's Individual Certification Programs portal before your window's deadline. The initial fee is $445 for members and $590 for non-members in API's 2027 table, and $435 and $580 in its 2026 table. Every window still taking applications tests in 2027.
- Study the sheet for your window. Work from the Body of Knowledge and Publications Effectivity Sheet that match your exam dates, in the U.S. or Canadian set.
- Sit the exam. 115 questions in 3 hours at a test center, with the listed regulations on screen.
Keeping API 1169 current
- Every three years: apply for recertification in the ICP portal, from 90 days before expiry to 90 days after it. Late fees apply after expiry, and missing the grace period means a new application and the full exam.
- Work: at least 20% of your time over the last three years on pipeline inspection or non-inspection pipeline work.
- Every six years: an open-book web quiz of 25 questions with a 4-hour limit and up to three pauses. Fail once and you can retake it; fail twice and you need a new application and the full exam.
API 1169 or API 570?
The names are close, but the work is not. API 1169 is for inspecting new onshore pipelines while they are built, with federal pipeline, safety and environmental rules on screen. API 570 is for inspecting in-service metallic piping systems, and its exam is a 170-question, 7.5-hour day with API 570, RP 574 and B31.3 among the references on screen. The API 570 certification guide covers that route, and the API 510 vs 570 vs 653 comparison sets the three in-service programs side by side.
Long Seam prepares you for API 510 and API 570. It has no API 1169 course.
FAQ
What is API 1169 certification?
It is the American Petroleum Institute's Pipeline Construction Inspector certification. It shows you have documented qualifying experience and passed API's 1169 exam on inspecting new onshore pipeline construction.
How do I get API 1169 certification?
Find the experience category your last 20 years fit, apply through API's ICP portal before your window's deadline with the experience documented, pay the initial fee and pass the 115-question exam at a test center.
What are the API 1169 certification requirements?
Between 2 and 8 years of experience from the last 20, depending on the category. Pipeline inspectors need 2 years with a technical degree or military service, or 3 with any education. Other oil and gas and heavy industry routes need more years, and some need an AWS, AMPP, API, ASNT Level II or ISO 9712 certification.
What is on the API 1169 exam?
General onshore pipeline construction inspection, inspector responsibilities, personnel and pipeline safety, and environmental and pollution control. It has 115 questions, 100 of them scored, in 3 hours.
Is the API 1169 exam open book?
You cannot bring paper, notes or books. PDFs of the listed federal regulations, such as 49 CFR 192 and 195 and the OSHA rules, are on screen during the exam.
How much does API 1169 certification cost?
API's initial fee is $445 for members and $590 for non-members in the 2027 table, and $435 and $580 in the 2026 table. Recertification is $315 and $445 in 2027, and $310 and $435 in 2026.
How long does API 1169 certification last?
Three years. You recertify through the ICP portal, and every six years that includes a 25-question open-book web quiz.
Taking API 510 or API 570 instead?
On pressure vessels, take the free 10-question API 510 check. It takes a few minutes, needs no signup and shows which Body of Knowledge domains to study first, with every answer explained. The Long Seam course adds a lesson for each domain, timed practice exams and a study plan from your exam date.
If your work is on in-service piping, the free API 570 check shows your weakest Body of Knowledge area in a few minutes, with every answer explained.
Sources
Show the list
- API 1169 Pipeline Construction Inspector, American Petroleum Institute
- ICP Schedules & Fees, American Petroleum Institute
- ICP statistics, April 2026, American Petroleum Institute
Facts come from the sources listed above. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.
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