California Surveyors Forums

I just had a general send me a contract where the "sub" needed a contractor's license. I scratched it out since I don't have one and don't need one to perform survey layout (Per State Law it falls under the Business and Professions Code under the Practice of Land Surveying). Anyway, he is telling me that all his surveyor's have one (contractor's license). Have anyone ever heard of this before? I don' t know any surveyor's that go out and get contractor's licenses to do layout. Non of the companies I've worked for have had one and I've never been asked to get one before.

I even threw out a couple of names of guys he used and he said yes they did.

Nope. Never heard of it. I think you can check the names you gave him and check on the contractors board website.

need a contractors license to perform layout for construction.

I know, but how to you tell a GC that when he isn't willing to agree? I'm sending him a copy of the LS Act that defines landing surveying just so he can see that he has nothing to worry about.

I would verify about the other surveyors having contractor's licenses. Many contractors have problems with the truth.

Hi Eric;

Tell the contractor that you provide professional services as a Land Surveyor, not contracting services such as a grading contractor. You really should be signing a professional services sub-consultant contract. I have run into problems with this in the past also.

Good Luck,

things. Surveyors tell them where to build it. Huge difference.

I agree with Scott.

I had this happen once and just put down my LS number in the Contractor's License spot. Worked okay then.

I think that they've been confused for years and I finally got them to understand. I told them to find a professional services contract. Do you guys have them sign you own contract too?

Thanks for all the replies.

At the company I worked at for years, we could only make the tiny contractors sign our contracts. The big guys always made us sign their contracts, with only a tiny bit of language negotiation allowed.

rpost wrote:I had this happen once and just put down my LS number in the Contractor's License spot. Worked okay then.

+1

I bet they ask for a bond too.

All the Constuction and Enviro company contracts are written by Attys to cover EVERYONE. And with what the bottom feeder charges them for the contract they are not about to change it. If all engrs and surveyors refused to sign them then they might revise their contracts to fit our services, but that will never happen.

My biggest complaint is the requirement that I give up my right to subragration (sp), That I can't sue them for my fees if their client did not pay them and they are not pursuing getting paid. But surveyor's must be willing to take that chance as they have survey work done. Not me.

Never heard of such a thing. I agree with those who said to check online for contractors' licenses of his previous surveyors to prove the point to him.

He called back and told me that he was mistaken and was "really surprised" that the other firms he used didn't have a contractor's license.

I sent him the LS act on what "defines" a Land Surveyor and that helped. I guess most of these guys never think that we do other things besides construction staking.