§ 20-302 — Requirements for licensure.

No person shall practice or offer to practice the profession of engineering in any of its branches, including land surveying, or use any title or description tending to convey the impression that such person is a professional engineer or a land surveyor, unless such person has been licensed or is exempt under the provisions of this chapter. The following shall be considered as minimum evidence satisfactory to the board or Commissioner of Consumer Protection that the applicant is qualified for licensure as a professional engineer, engineer-in-training, land surveyor or surveyor-in-training, respectively: (1) Professional engineer: Graduation from an approved course in engineering in a school or college approved by the board or commissioner as of satisfactory standing, a specific record of an additional four years of active practice in engineering work, which shall be of a character satisfactory to the board or commissioner, and the successful passing of a written or written and oral examination prescribed by the board, with the consent of the commissioner, the first part of which shall test the applicant's knowledge of fundamental engineering subjects, including mathematics and the physical sciences, and the second part of which shall test the applicant's ability to apply the principles of engineering to the actual practice of engineering. In lieu of graduation as specified in this subdivision, the board or commissioner may accept, as an alternative, six years or more of experience in engineering work which shall be of a character satisfactory to the board and which shall indicate knowledge, skill and education approximating that attained through graduation from an approved course in engineering. The board or commissioner may waive the written examination requirement in the case of an applicant who submits a specific record of twenty years or more of lawful practice in engineering work which shall be of a character satisfactory to the board or commissioner and which shall indicate that the applicant is competent to be in responsible charge of such work, and may waive the first part of the written examination for an applicant who has completed an approved course in engineering and has at least eight years of engineering experience. (2) Engineer-in-training: The board or commissioner may license as an engineer-in-training a person who is a graduate of an approved course in engineering or who has had the alternative experience prescribed in subdivision (1) of this section and who has successfully passed the first part of the examination specified in said subdivision. Licensure as an engineer-in-training shall remain valid for a period of ten years from date of issuance of an applicant's first license toward meeting in part the requirements of subdivision (1) of this section. (3) Land surveyor: Graduation from a school or college approved by the board or commissioner as of satisfactory standing, including the completion of an approved course in surveying, a specific record of an additional three years of active practice in land surveying, which shall be of a character satisfactory to the board or commissioner, and the successful passing of a written or written and oral examination, prescribed by the board with the consent of the commissioner, for the purpose of testing the applicant's knowledge of the fundamentals of land surveying and the procedures pertaining to land surveying. In lieu of graduation as specified in this subdivision, the board or commissioner may accept, as an alternative, six years or more of experience in surveying work which shall be of a character satisfactory to the board or commissioner and which shall indicate knowledge, skill and education approximating that attained through completion of an approved course in surveying. The board or commissioner may waive the written examination requirement in the case of an applicant who submits a specific record of sixteen years or more of lawful practice in surveying work, at least ten of which shall have been in land surveying, of a character satisfactory to the board or commissioner and which shall indicate that the applicant is competent to be in responsible charge of such work. (4) Surveyor-in-training: The board or commissioner may license as a surveyor-in-training a person who is a graduate of a school or college approved by the board or commissioner or who is scheduled to graduate from such an institution within three months after applying for licensure, or who has had six years or more of experience in surveying work of a character satisfactory to the board or commissioner and which indicates knowledge, skill and education approximating that attained through completion of an approved course in surveying, provided any such person has successfully passed part 1 of the national examination relating to fundamentals of land surveying. Licensure as a surveyor-in-training shall remain valid for a period of ten years from the date of issuance of an applicant's first license toward meeting in part the requirements of subdivision (3) of this section.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 4623; 1951, S. 2311d; February, 1965, P.A. 547, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 634, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 849, S. 2; P.A. 77-614, S. 257, 258, 610; P.A. 81-253, S. 1; 81-472, S. 153, 159; P.A. 82-370, S. 5, 16; P.A. 83-360, S. 1; P.A. 84-546, S. 60, 173; P.A. 87-271, S. 1; P.A. 98-3, S. 12; P.A. 16-185, S. 19.) History: 1965 act raised waiver age and experience qualifications in Subsec. (a) from 40 and 15 years, respectively, and specified date of issuance as that of first certificate in Subsec. (b); 1969 act allowed waiver of first part of examination for applicants over 40 who have completed approved engineering course and possess at least 8 years of experience; 1971 act required 3 rather than 2 years of active practice as general qualification in Subsec. (c) and amended waiver provisions to raise years of practice required from 12 to 16 of which 10 rather than 8 years are in land surveying and to apply waiver specifically to persons 50 years old or more; P.A. 77-614 required commissioner's consent for professional engineer and land surveyor examinations, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 81-253 eliminated age requirement for waiver of examination in Subsec. (a); P.A. 81-472 made technical changes; P.A. 82-370 provided for licensure for professional engineers, engineers-in-training and land surveyors, thus eliminating references to registration and certification and allowed the board to waive the written examination requirement for land surveyor license applicants, regardless of their age, where previously waiver applied to those 50 or older; P.A. 83-360 amended section to establish surveyor-in-training license; P.A. 84-546 made technical change, restoring language inadvertently lost through mechanical error; P.A. 87-271 amended Subdiv. (4) by requiring an applicant to have 6 years or more of experience; P.A. 98-3 made technical changes; P.A. 16-185 added references to Commissioner of Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2016. Cited. 207 C. 496. Cited. 41 CA 827.