California Surveyors Forums

If a licensed surveyor works as a consultant for a civil engineering company which has a licensed surveyor as officer in responsible charge of surveying services, does the consultant's name need to appear on the Organization Record form for the civil engineering company? if yes, where? he/she is not an employee.
Is the officer in charge of surveying responsible for the work done by the consultant?
I would love to read your opinion.

No. I work as an employee of a firm operated by a pre 82 civil, a consultant for two other incorporated civil engineering firms and one survey firm and I contract for surveys with my own personally owned companies as well

No organization record is necessary, they all have their own licensed surveyors

David Kendall wrote:No. I work as an employee of a firm operated by a pre 82 civil, a consultant for two other incorporated civil engineering firms and one survey firm and I contract for surveys with my own personally owned companies as well

No organization record is necessary, they all have their own licensed surveyors

David, 2 questions:
1- Do you send contract for every single job you do for other companies as consultant?
2- Do you sign your maps ad documents with other companies logo or letterhead?

sako wrote:1- Do you send contract for every single job you do for other companies as consultant?
2- Do you sign your maps ad documents with other companies logo or letterhead?

1. With the engineering firms I have one contract covering all of the ongoing work. I don’t believe that it’s necessary but it’s a good idea to set boundaries. I don’t have a contract with the survey firm I consult with but it’s mostly just on call drafting and calcs.

2. I don’t sign anything for other firms at this time. I would consider it but it probably would require a different contract and rate schedule due to potential liability.

The primary purpose of the org form is for the board and the public to know where a licensed surveyor is employed. If you are associated with a firm, it is my opinion you should be listed. You can be listed with a couple of firms. If a surveyor named "John Smith" does some work, and that is all the person knows, the public needs to know where to find him.

Please note there is a disassociation form:

https://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/pubs/forms/disassoc.pdf


CCR 463.

Notice of Association or Disassociation With Partnership, Firm, or Corporation.

(a) A professional engineer who is associated as the partner, member, officer, or
employee in responsible charge of professional engineering services offered or performed by a
firm, partnership, or corporation shall notify the Board within thirty (30) days of such association
or termination of association on a form approved by the Board.

(b) A licensed land surveyor and/or civil engineer who practices or offers to practice land
surveying, according to the provisions of Section 8729 of the Code, as a partner, member, or
officer of a partnership, firm, or corporation shall advise the Board within thirty (30) days of
such association or termination of association on a form approved by the Board.

(c) A licensed photogrammetric surveyor who is associated as a member, partner, officer,
or employee in a firm, partnership, or corporation which offers or performs photogrammetric
surveying services according to the provisions of Article 5.5 of the Professional Land Surveyors’
Act shall notify the Board within thirty (30) days of such association or termination of
association on a form approved by the Board.

(d) A firm which contains partners, members or officers as described above will be
allowed six months following the death, disassociation, or retirement of a member, partner, or
officer whose name the firm, partnership, or corporation carried in its firm title to make a written
request to the Board for an investigation pursuant to the requirements of Section 6738(e) of the
Code. The Board will determine if such firm is eligible to continue use of its firm title without
change.

Or they could just use the mailing address on file on the DCA license lookup

Part of the problems stems from municipal employees who moonlight. In this scenario, they are the principles of their own firm (even though moonlighting). This presents a number of problems as to who is in "responsible charge" under those scenarios.

The primary purpose of the org form is for the board and the public to know where a licensed surveyor is employed.

I think you've got this turned around -- the purpose is to provide a record demonstrating that an organization offering land surveying services has a formal association with a licensee.

There's no legitimate public purpose in recording an individual's place of employment, but there is such a purpose in ensuring that an organization had the requisite association with a licensee.

Jim Frame wrote:There's no legitimate public purpose in recording an individual's place of employment, but there is such a purpose in ensuring that an organization had the requisite association with a licensee.

I suppose I ought to file organization record for my companies since they don't bear my name explicitly. I had not recently considered this.... dba, business license, organization record. They should be able to find me now!

If a surveyor named "John Smith" does some work, the Board can be contacted to track him down. We all keep the board abreast of the methods to do that.
If a "business" offers or performs work, they should inform the Board of identity the person in responsible charge.

Beyond that it is nobody's business.

Empire building at the Board level serves no public benefit.
...
Laws and regulations May differ with reasonable actions.

Folks, you don't have to work hard at tracking me down, I'm right here.

John M. Smith, LS 8070

I prefer J. Marty Smith...but I'll answer to either. :)

If I need to find a surveyor to clarify things on his/her survey, how can I get his/her phone number. The licensee lookup doesn't give you this info.

Sako:
Search the Yellow Pages from the Surveyor in question's area of record, then search the white pages.
If no luck, then call the Surveying\Engineering Companies in the Yellow Pages from the SIQ's area of record and ask if SIQ is known to anybody. I have nothing to go to beyond that besides google/facebook and such.

You could write a letter to the given address on the board website.

Remember those: letters?