§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) "Dual licensee" shall mean any person practicing or seeking to practice both
engineering and land surveying in the state of Louisiana who has received both licenses from
the board and is otherwise in good standing with the board. This term is often used
synonymously with the term "dual registrant".
(5) "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.
(6) "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.
(7) "Firm" shall mean any domestic or foreign firm, partnership, association,
cooperative, venture, corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or
any other entity.
(8) "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.
(9) "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.
(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) "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".
(12) "Person" shall mean any individual or firm.
(13)(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.
(14)(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 when
that person engages in land surveying and by verbal claim, sign, advertisement, letterhead,
card, or in any other way represents himself to be a land surveyor, or represents himself as
able to perform or does perform any land surveying service or work, or any other service
designated by the practitioner which is recognized as land surveying.
(15) "Responsible charge" shall mean the direct control and personal supervision of
engineering or land surveying service or work, as the case may be.
(16) "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; Acts 2020, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 2, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2021.