AN ACT Relating to registration requirements for land surveyors; and amending RCW 18.43.040.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. Section 7, chapter 283, Laws of 1947 and RCW 18.43.040 are each amended to read as follows:

The following will be considered as minimum evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant is qualified for registration as a professional engineer, engineer-in-training, ((or)) professional land surveyor, or land surveyor-in-training, respectively, to wit:

As a professional engineer: A specific record of eight years or more of experience in engineering work of a character satisfactory to the board and indicating that the applicant is competent to practice engineering; and successfully passing a written or oral examination, or both, in engineering as prescribed by the board.

Graduation in an approved engineering curriculum of four years or more from a school or college approved by the board as of satisfactory standing shall be considered equivalent to four years of such required experience. The satisfactory completion of each year of such an approved engineering course without graduation shall be considered as equivalent to a year of such required experience. Graduation in a curriculum other than engineering from a school or college approved by the board shall be considered as equivalent to two years of such required experience: PROVIDED, That no applicant shall receive credit for more than four years of experience because of undergraduate educational qualifications. The board may, at its discretion, give credit as experience not in excess of one year, for satisfactory postgraduate study in engineering.

As an engineer-in-training: The board shall permit an applicant for registration as a professional engineer, upon his request, to take the prescribed examination in two stages. The first stage of the examination may be taken upon submission of his application for certification as an engineer-in-training and payment of the application fee herein prescribed, at any time after the applicant has completed four years of the required engineering experience as defined above. The first stage of the examination shall test the applicant's knowledge of appropriate fundamentals of engineering subjects, including mathematics and the basic sciences.

At any time after the completion of the required eight years of engineering experience as defined above, the applicant may take the second stage of the examination, upon submission of application for registration and payment of the application fee herein prescribed. This stage of the examination shall test the applicant's ability, upon the basis of his greater experience, to apply his knowledge and experience in the field of his specific training and qualifications.

As a professional land surveyor: ((A specific record of six years or more of experience in land surveying work of a character satisfactory to the board and indicating that the applicant is competent to practice land surveying, and successfully passing a written or oral examination, or both, in surveying as prescribed by the board.

Graduation from a school or college approved by the board as of satisfactory standing, including the completion of an approved course in surveying, shall be considered equivalent to four years of such required experience.))

Graduation in an approved land surveying curriculum of four years or more from a school or college approved by the board, and a specific record of four years or more of experience following graduation in land surveying work of a character satisfactory to the board and indicating that the applicant is competent to practice land surveying. The board may at its discretion, give credit as experience, not in excess of one year, for satisfactory postgraduate study in land surveying.

The applicant must pass a written or oral exam, or both, in land surveying as prescribed by the board. The examination is to be in two stages as follows: (1) The first stage of the examination shall test the applicant's knowledge of appropriate fundamentals of land surveying, including mathematics and the basic sciences; and (2) the second stage of the examination shall test the applicant's ability, upon the basis of greater experience, to apply his knowledge and experience in the field of land surveying. The first stage must be successfully completed before the second may be attempted.

The board shall adopt rules providing education and experience requirements in lieu of the requirements of graduation in an approved curriculum.

For those persons born before September 1, 1970, four years of experience in land surveying work of a character satisfactory to the board may be substituted for the requirement for graduation in an approved curriculum.

As a land-surveyor-in-training:

The board requires an applicant for registration as a professional land surveyor to take the prescribed examination in two stages. The first stage of the examination may be taken upon submission of an application for certification as a land surveyor-in-training and payment of the application fee, at any time after the applicant has completed graduation in an approved land surveying curriculum, or met the requirements in lieu thereof if appropriate.

At any time after the completion of the required graduation from an approved land surveying curriculum or the requirements in lieu thereof, plus the completion of the four years of required experience, the applicant may take the second stage of the examination, upon submission of application for registration and payment of the application fee.

No person shall be eligible for registration as a professional engineer, engineer-in-training, ((or)) professional land surveyor, or land surveyor-in-training, who is not of good character and reputation.

Engineering teaching, of a character satisfactory to the board, shall be considered as experience not in excess of two years for ((~~professional engineering and one year for land surveying~~)) the appropriate discipline.

The mere execution, as a contractor, of work designed by a professional engineer, or the supervision of the construction of such work as a foreman or superintendent shall not be deemed to be practice of engineering.

Any person having the necessary qualifications prescribed in this chapter to entitle him to registration shall be eligible for such registration although he may not be practicing his profession at the time of making his application.