here, this is considered unlicensed practice. He would not be in business very long in my neck of the woods.
He’s got a lot of examples of drafting products on his web site, with a couple of guy’s stamps on their (possibly copyrighted) work, but nowhere are his initials on a box saying “drawn by”. If he’s going that route, he might as well have thrown a couple of surveys by Thomas Jefferson and George Washington on his site:
WORK SAMPLES
etc...
My thoughts exactly!
That reference would never have allowed himself to be mentioned on this website. This person has gone way beyond what is allowed in advertising to do all those surveys. He does not have a PLS supervising his work and should not be allowed to advertise the service.
Time for him to go back to work for a PLS so he can earn his own ticket to practice. The reason for the registration is not to keep someone like this from making a living, it is to protect the public! The public needs the Board of Registration to take this person down and make him stop offering surveying services that he has not shown the minimum technical competence to accomplish.
There are plenty of businesses out there that someone can be in which does not require registration. Let him do one of those until he gets the registration, if he feels the need to have a business. Until he meets the minimum qualifications he should not be allowed to advertise surveying services! Everyong should be putting pressure on the Board of Registration in every state this dude lists, to take action on putting him out of business.
In Florida, registered engineers who contract for surveying services that are related to their current engineering work are not bound by Florida Surveying regulations provided the surveying work that they use is provided to them by a professional surveyor and mapper who is licensed as required by the states. The surveyor in question here may work in the same firm as the engineer or for an independent firm which has no ties to the engineer.
Individuals who are performing construction layout work are not bound by Florida surveying regulations provided they are working from control previously established by a registered professional surveyor and mapper. These individuals include contractors building highways, railroads or utility services.
Section 472.003(3), F.S., provides an exemption from licensing for certain classes of individuals performing construction layout from boundary, horizontal and vertical controls that have been established by a licensed professional surveyor and mapper. This rule is designed to set out what constitutes horizontal and vertical controls.
Horizontal control monumentation for the purpose of this rule includes: Points of Curve, Points of Tangency, Points of Tangent Intersections, Points on Line and Points on Curve. Points of Intersection of other streets or roads. Angle points or changes in direction. Horizontal control monumentation for road center-lines, right-of-way lines, reference lines or base lines shall be at least a minimum of two (2) points placed so that no point on the line being monumented is more than 700 feet from a control monument. Horizontal control monumentation for main utility lines (such as water, sewer, storm drainage, electric, telephone, television, gas, etc.) when not constructed within or along a road right-of-way control shall be at least a minimum of two (2) points placed so that no point on the line being monumented is more than 700 feet from a control monument. All construction requiring benchmarks shall have a minimum of two (2) existent or established benchmarks for vertical control. Vertical control for linear type construction sites such as roads and sewer lines shall have a maximum of 1,100 feet between existent or established benchmarks. Vertical control for acreage construction sites shall have two (2) existent or established benchmarks on the first ten (10) acres plus an additional benchmark for each additional ten (10) acres. The only required documentation for this type of survey product shall be field notes.
Employees of county property appraisers and the Department of Revenue working strictly on local tax or property appraisal maps are not bound by Florida surveying regulations.
Government employees who work under the supervision of a properly licensed surveyor are not affected either. Likewise, employee leasing company workers and employees of properly licensed surveyors are not affected. In every case, the non-affected employees must be working under the supervision of a properly licensed land surveyor and this supervision must meet the standards established by the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers.
> In every case, the non-affected employees must be working under the supervision of a properly licensed land surveyor and this supervision must meet the standards established by the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers.
Exactly. Which is why he addressed his advertisement to Licensed Professionals, and not the general public.
To quote his website;
> Let us demonstrate how you, the Licensed Land Surveyor, Civil Engineer, Land Developer, or Architect can benefit from fast, accurate, reliable, high quality drafting and field surveying services without the cost of new employee training, office and surveying equipment, paying out benefits and insurance, or hassling with expensive headhunters.
> Our services as a sub-consultant is ideal for a firm or individual with a surplus of temporary work, or when you are not quite ready to hire a full-time employee. No job is too small. Although we do not have a licensed Land Surveyor on staff, we do our best to provide a full, turn-key solution for you within your time and budget requirements.
As I see it, he is not a competitor but probably an ally.
I hear this same argument all the time and it falls flat on its face. He is offering surveying services and unless he is licensed to do so then he should not be allowed to continue. and if you took the time to read his "home" page it says "We offer assistance and support to Licensed Land Surveyors, Engineers, Contractors, and other industries that require CAD (Computer Assisted Drafing) services, field surveying and construction staking, project research (record documents and utility plans), project management, general office support, survey technician services, and consulting. "
so he is offering services to anyone that asks.
If the guy is lying, it's a totally different matter. However, since I do not have any circumstantial evidence to prove the same, I will give him the presumption of truth in what he says in his "controversial" website.
If what he offers on different entities is similar to below, then it is reasonable to say no violation has occurred;
1) For Licensed Land Surveyors - survey technician services, CAD, project research, office support, field surveying & construction staking, equipment rental
2) For Licensed Civil Engineers / Architects / Contractors etc = CAD, project research, office support, surveying services that DOES NOT REQUIRE BOARD REGISTRATION TO PRACTICE, equipment rental
He is actually aware of his limitations on offering whatever services he knows, as exemplified by his own statements;
On HOME tab;
> Currently, we do not have a Licensed/Registered Surveyor on our staff, but if your project requires a licensed surveyor, we can recommend one or help you find one in your area.
On SERVICES tab;
> Note: Some of the following items may require the direction of a Licensed Land Surveyor.
If all the states he is operating strictly, clearly and legally does not permit anyone to do any surveying related work unless he is board certified and licensed, then what he does is wrong and you have all the right to stop him. Otherwise, let him be, he also has mouths to feed.
My point was only that advertising "surveying services" performed by an un-licensed individual, regardless if it's disclosed or not, is illegal in this state; as I would imagine it is in several others. I am not naive, I know un-licensed individuals and crews get contracted out under another person's license. It's just amazing to see it so blatantly displayed. It sounds like you acknowledge the shady-ness of the practice of paying $5000 for a stamp who gives what sounds like no oversight.
The idea that a guy is just out to make a living misses the point. The guy may be a fine surveyor in practice, I don't know...and you don't know.
The industry and the public have come up with a minimum standard to offer survey services, and that is to have a license in that state.