Brief Description: Requiring continuing education for land surveyors.

Sponsors: By Representatives Williams, Alexander, Springer, DeBolt, Conway, Wood, McCoy, Condotta and Armstrong.

House Committee on Commerce & Labor
Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development

Background:

Land surveyors must be registered in order to practice land surveying in Washington. The Washington State Board of Registration for Engineers and Land Surveyors (Board), through the Department of Licensing, Business and Professions Division, regulates the practice of land surveying in Washington. Candidates for registration must have graduated from an approved program, have eight years of work experience, and have passed the required examinations. There are approximately 1,113 registered land surveyors and 174 land surveyors in training in Washington.

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is an organization composed of the professional regulatory boards of all states. This organization has drafted model rules requiring that licensees complete 15 hours of continuing professional development each year. Seminars, workshops, college courses, professional or technical presentations, publication of papers, and various types of video and correspondence courses may all be used to meet this requirement. Most states have adopted these model rules and require continuing professional development hours (PDH) for land surveyors. Twenty-three states require at least 15 hours, and five states require eight to 10 hours.

Summary:

By July 1, 2006, the Board of Registration for Engineers and Land Surveyors (Board) must adopt rules "governing continuing professional development for land surveyors that are generally patterned after the model rules" of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Beginning July 1, 2007, land surveyors renewing their registration certificates must verify to the Board that they have completed 15 professional development hours per year.

Votes on Final Passage:

House   87   10
Senate   48   1

Effective: July 24, 2005