Does anyone know if you need a license to do a topographic survey for a civil engineer?
Yes, no and "It Depends".
let's start with; What state are you in?
- I live in California. Bay area.
Unless you are an employee of the engineer, there is no question in California.?ÿ Yes you do need a LS license to perform topo surveys in California.?ÿ Engineers can also perform them providing that they limit their topographic work to plane geometry calculations.?ÿ Once geodetic calcs come into play, it is solely a land surveyor's function in California.?ÿActions against unlicensed practice?ÿare actively?ÿpursued.?ÿ Proliferation of gps, drones photogrammetry, etc etc has made it a dynamic situation with still static laws.?ÿ While there have been and are efforts to upgrade the law, it is already explicit in the lawful domain belonging to surveyors.
thank you all. I called The California Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and Geologists, and the lady said that I do need a license to perform topographic surveys and construction staking.?ÿ
Does anyone know if you need a license to do a topographic survey for a civil engineer?
Given the location (CA) and the way the question is worded, the answer is an unqualified "Yes."?ÿ Unless the person conducting the survey is a bona fide employee working under the direct supervision of a licensee, he/she can't legally perform a topo survey for anyone except him/her self.?ÿ Any other relationship puts him/her in the position of offering regulated services for hire without a license to do so.
