Background:

The Washington Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (Board) regulates the practice of land surveying in Washington. Land surveyors must be registered in order to practice. Candidates for registration must have graduated from an approved program, have eight years of work experience, and have passed the required examinations.

The "practice of land surveying" is defined as assuming responsible charge of the surveying of land for the establishment of corners, lines, boundaries, and monuments, the laying out and subdivision of land, the defining and locating of corners, lines, boundaries and monuments of land after they have been established, the survey of land areas for the purpose of determining the topography thereof, the making of topographical delineations and the preparing of maps and accurate records thereof, when the proper performance of such services requires technical knowledge and skill.

Summary of Bill:

DefinitionsThe definition of the "practice of land surveying" is expanded to include assuming responsible charge of or providing, or offering to provide, professional services related to the following activities:

determining the size, shape, and contour of the earth's surface, any point on the earth, or the position of fixed objects on earth by means of measuring;
determining the position of any boundary or nonboundary survey control monument or reference point, and the setting, resetting, or replacing of any monument or reference point;
locating, relocating, establishing, laying out, or retracing any property line, right-of-way, or easement;
locating, relocating, establishing, or laying out any primary horizontal or vertical control for construction alignment, or any survey for determining final as-constructed locations;
making any survey for the subdivision of real property;
locating, relocating, laying out, or retracing any lines that restrict the use of real property;
creating or modifying the descriptions of the limits of real property interests; and
creating, preparing, or modifying documents, maps, electronic data, or computerized data related to any of these activities.

Professional services included in the "practice of land surveying" are: consultation; investigations; testimony evaluation; planning; preparation of descriptions; reports and maps; and assembling and interpreting gathered measurements.

Photogrammetric mapping and the graphical representational of the resulting data performed by programmetrists are not subject to regulation under these provisions. "Photogrammetric mapping" is defined as evaluating and measuring land that is limited to the determination of the topography, area, contours, and location of planimetric features, by using photogrammetric methods or a similar remote sensing mapping process. A "photogrammetrist" is a person certified by a national organization of photogrammetry and remote sensing that is approved by the Board.

Definitions for "responsible charge," "survey," and "surveying" are also added. "Responsible charge" is defined as the practice of engineering or land surveying performed by a registrant or under the direct supervision of a registrant. "Survey" is defined as determining or delineating the form, extent, and position of objects and legal boundaries by taking linear and angular measurements of the earth's surface, and by applying the principles of geometry and trigonometry. "Surveying" is defined as the practice of land surveying.Requirements for Government EntitiesIf a professional land surveying judgment is required in the review, approval, or examination by a government entity of any survey data, documents prepared by a registered land surveyor, or services performed by a registered land surveyor, the government entity must do so using a registered land surveyor or under the direct supervision of a registered land surveyor.

Rules Authority: The bill does not address the rule-making powers of an agency.