§ 542B.2 — Terms defined

Iowa § 542B.2

• Jurisdiction: Iowa
• Title XIII: COMMERCE
• Ch. 542B: PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND LAND SURVEYORS

Text

As used in the chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
1. “Board” means the engineering and land surveying examining board provided by this
chapter.
2. “Design coordination” includes the review and coordination of technical submissions
prepared by others, including as appropriate and without limitation, consulting engineers,
architects, landscape architects, land surveyors, and other professionals working under the
direction of the engineer.
3. “Engineer intern” means a person who passes an examination in the fundamental
engineering subjects, but does not entitle the person to claim to be a professional engineer.
4. “Engineering documents” includes all plans, specifications, drawings, and reports, if
the preparation of such documents constitutes or requires the practice of engineering.
5. “Engineering surveys” includes all survey activities required to support the sound
conception, planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operation of engineered
projects, butexcludesthesurveyingofrealpropertyfortheestablishmentoflandboundaries,
rights-of-way, easements, and the dependent or independent surveys or resurveys of the
public land survey system.
6. “In responsible charge” means having direct control of and personal supervision over
any land surveying work or work involving the practice of engineering. One or more persons,
jointly or severally, may be in responsible charge.
§542B.2, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND LAND SURVEYORS 2
7. “Land surveying documents” includes all plats, maps, surveys, and reports, if the
preparation thereof constitutes or requires the practice of land surveying.
8. “Land surveyor” means a person who engages in the practice of professional land
surveying. Unless the context otherwise requires, any reference in this chapter to “land
surveyor” or “land surveying” means “professional land surveyor” or “professional land
surveying”.
9. a. “Practice of engineering” means any service or creative work, the adequate
performance of which requires engineering education, training, and experience in the
application of special knowledge of the mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences,
such as consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, design and design coordination of
engineering works and systems, planning the use of land and water, performing engineering
surveys and studies, and the review of construction for the purpose of monitoring compliance
with drawings and specifications, any of which embraces such services or creative work,
either public or private, in connection with any utilities, structures, buildings, machines,
equipment, processes, work systems, projects, and industrial or consumer products or
equipment of a mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or thermal nature, insofar as
they involve safeguarding life, health, or property, and including such other professional
services as may be necessary to the planning, progress, and completion of the services
identified in this subsection.
b. A person is construed to be engaged in the practice of engineering if the person does
any of the following:
(1) Practices any branch of the profession of engineering.
(2) Makesarepresentationbyverbalclaim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, card, orother
manner that the person is a professional engineer.
(3) Uses any title which implies that the person is a professional engineer or that the
person is certified under this chapter.
(4) The person holds the person’s self out as able to perform, or who does perform, any
service or work included in the practice of engineering.
10. a. “Practice of land surveying” includes providing professional services such as
consultation, investigation, testimony, evaluation, planning, mapping, assembling, and
interpreting reliable scientific measurements and information relative to the location of
property lines or boundaries, and the utilization, development, and interpretation of these
facts into an orderly survey, plat, or map. The practice of land surveying includes but is not
limited to the following:
(1) Locating, relocating, establishing, reestablishing, setting, or resetting of permanent
monumentation for any property line or boundary of any tract or parcel of land. Setting
permanent monuments constitutes an improvement to real property.
(2) Making any survey for the division or subdivision of any tract or parcel of land.
(3) Determination, by the use of the principles of land surveying, of the position for any
permanentsurveymonumentorreferencepoint, orsetting, resetting, orreplacinganysurvey
monument or reference point excluding the responsibility of engineers pursuant to section
314.8.
(4) Creating and writing metes and bounds descriptions as defined in section 354.2.
(5) Geodetic surveying for determination of the size and shape of the earth both
horizontally and vertically for the precise positioning of permanent land survey monuments
on the earth utilizing angular and linear measurements through spatially oriented spherical
geometry.
(6) Creation, preparation, or modification of electronic or computerized data, including
land information systems and geographical information systems, relative to the performance
of the activities identified in subparagraphs (1) through (5).
b. This subsection does not prohibit a professional engineer from practicing any aspect of
the practice of engineering. A land surveyor is not prohibited from performing engineering
surveys as defined in the practice of engineering.
c. A person is construed to be engaged in or offering to be engaged in the practice of land
surveying if the person does any of the following:
(1) Engages in land surveying.
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(2) Makesarepresentationbyverbalclaim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, card, orother
manner that the person is a land surveyor.
(3) Uses any title which implies that the person is a land surveyor or that the person is
licensed under this chapter.
(4) Holds the person’s self out as able to perform, or who does perform, any service or
work included in the practice of land surveying.
11. “Professional engineer” means a person, who, by reason of the person’s knowledge
of mathematics, the physical sciences, and the principles of engineering, acquired by
professional education or practical experience, is qualified to engage in the practice of
engineering. Unless the context otherwise requires, any reference in this chapter to
“engineer” or “engineering” means “professional engineer” or “professional engineering”.

Legislative History

[C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §1855; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §114.2]