§682. Definitions

The following words and phrases when used in this Chapter shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(1) "Applicant" shall mean any person seeking to practice engineering or land surveying in the state of Louisiana, that has applied to the board for authority to practice the respective profession and render such engineering or land surveying services in the state of Louisiana, or an individual who has applied to the board for certification as an engineer intern or land surveyor intern.

(2) "Board" shall mean the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board, provided for by this Chapter.

(3) "Certification", "certified", or "certificate holder" shall mean the recognition granted by the board and its issuance of acertificate to any individual seeking such recognition as an engineer intern or land surveyor intern, who has been successfully examined and is otherwise in good standing with the board.

(4) "Engineer" or "professional engineer" shall mean an individual who, by reason of his special knowledge and ability to apply the mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences and the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design, acquired by an engineering education and engineering experience, is qualified to practice engineering, as evidenced by his licensure as such by the board.

(5) "Engineer intern" shall mean an individual who has complied with the requirements for education, experience, and character and has passed an examination in the fundamental engineering subjects, as provided in this Chapter, and has been issued a certificate by the board.

(6) "Firm" shall mean any domestic or foreign firm, partnership, association, cooperative, venture, corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or any other entity.

(7) "Land surveyor" or "professional land surveyor" shall mean an individual who is qualified to practice land surveying, as evidenced by his licensure as such by the board.

(8) "Land surveyor intern" shall mean an individual who has complied with the requirements for education, experience, and character and has passed an examination in the fundamental surveying subjects, as provided in this Chapter, and has been issued a certificate by the board.

(9) "Licensee" shall mean any person practicing or seeking to practice engineering or land surveying in the state of Louisiana that has received a license from the board and is otherwise in good standing with the board. The term is often used synonymously with the term "registrant".

(10) "Licensed" or "licensure" shall mean the recognition granted by the board and its issuance of a license to any person to practice engineering or land surveying in the state of Louisiana. These terms are often used synonymously with the terms "registered" or "registration".

(11) "Person" shall mean any individual or firm.

(12)(a) "Practice of engineering" shall mean responsible professional service which may include consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, designing, or inspection of construction in connection with any public or private utilities, structures, machines, equipment, processes, works, or projects wherein the public welfare or the safeguarding of life, health, and property is concerned or involved, when such professional service requires the application of engineering principles and the interpretation of engineering data.

(b) A person shall be construed to practice or offer to practice engineering: who practices in any discipline of the profession of engineering; or who, by verbal claim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, card, or in any other way represents himself to be a professional engineer; or who represents himself as able to perform; or who does perform any engineering service or work or any other professional service designated by the practitioner or recognized by educational authorities as engineering. The practice of engineering shall not include the work ordinarily performed by a person who himself operates or maintains machinery or equipment.

(13)(a) "Practice of land surveying" shall include the measuring of areas, land surfaces, streams, bodies of water, and swamps for correct determination and description, for the establishment, reestablishment, ascertainment, or description of land boundaries, corners, divisions, distances, and directions, the plotting and monumenting of lands and subdivisions thereof, and mapping and topographical work.

(b) A person shall be construed to practice or offer to practice land surveying who engages in land surveying and who by verbal claim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, card, or in any other way represents himself to be a land surveyor, or who represents himself as able to perform or who does perform any land surveying service or work, or any other service designated by the practitioner which is recognized as land surveying.

(14) "Responsible charge" shall mean the direct control and personal supervision of engineering or land surveying service or work, as the case may be.

(15) "Responsible professional services" shall mean the technical responsibility, control, and direction of the investigation, design, or construction of engineering service or work requiring initiative, engineering ability, and its use of independent judgment.

Acts 1980, No. 568, §1; Acts 1997, No. 361, §1; Acts 1999, No. 396, §1; Acts 2003, No. 279, §5.