471.003 Qualifications for practice, exemptions.--
(1) No person other than a duly registered engineer shall practice engineering or use the name or title of "registered engineer" or any other title, designation, words, letters, abbreviations, or device tending to indicate that such person holds an active registration as an engineer in this state.
(2) The following persons are not required to register under the provisions of ss. 471.001-471.037 as a registered engineer:
(a) Any person practicing engineering for the improvement of, or otherwise affecting, property legally owned by her or him, unless such practice involves a public utility or the public health, safety, or welfare or the safety or health of employees. This paragraph shall not be construed as authorizing the practice of engineering through an agent or employee who is not duly registered under the provisions of ss. 471.001-471.037.
(b)
1. A person acting as a public officer employed by any state, county, municipal, or other governmental unit of this state when working on any project the total estimated cost of which is $10,000 or less.
2. Persons who are employees of any state, county, municipal, or other governmental unit of this state and who are the subordinates of a person in responsible charge registered under ss. 471.001-471.037, to the extent that the supervision meets standards adopted by rule of the board.
(c) Regular full-time employees of a corporation not engaged in the practice of engineering as such, whose practice of engineering for such corporation is limited to the design or fabrication of manufactured products and servicing of such products.
(d) Regular full-time employees of a public utility or other entity subject to regulation by the Florida Public Service Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or Federal Communications Commission.
(e) Employees of a firm, corporation, or partnership who are the subordinates of a person in responsible charge, registered under ss. 471.001-471.037.
(f) Any full-time faculty member teaching the principles and methods of engineering design in any college or university located in the state, as of July 1, 1979, and any such faculty member initially employed after July 1, 1979, for a period of 4 years from the date of employment.
(g) Any person as contractor in the execution of work designed by a professional engineer or in the supervision of the construction of work as a foreman or superintendent.
(h) A registered surveyor and mapper who takes, or contracts for, professional engineering services incidental to her or his practice of surveying and mapping and who delegates such engineering services to a registered professional engineer qualified within her or his firm or contracts for such professional engineering services to be performed by others who are registered professional engineers under the provisions of ss. 471.001-471.037.
(i) Any electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning, or mechanical contractor whose practice includes the design and fabrication of electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning, or mechanical systems, respectively, which she or he installs by virtue of a license issued under chapter 489, under part I of chapter 553, or under any special act or ordinance when working on any construction project which:
1. Requires an electrical or plumbing or air-conditioning and refrigeration system with a value of $50,000 or less; and
2.
a. Requires an aggregate service capacity of 600 amperes (240 volts) or less on a residential electrical system or 800 amperes (240 volts) or less on a commercial or industrial electrical system;
b. Requires a plumbing system with fewer than 250 fixture units; or
c. Requires a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system not to exceed a 15-ton-per-system capacity, or if the project is designed to accommodate 100 or fewer persons.
(j) Any general contractor, certified or registered pursuant to the provisions of chapter 489, when negotiating or performing services under a design-build contract as long as the engineering services offered or rendered in connection with the contract are offered and rendered by an engineer licensed or registered in accordance with this chapter.
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of ss. 471.001-471.037 or of any other law, no registered engineer whose principal practice is civil or structural engineering, or employee or subordinate under the responsible supervision or control of the engineer, is precluded from performing architectural services which are purely incidental to her or his engineering practice, nor is any registered architect, or employee or subordinate under the responsible supervision or control of the architect, precluded from performing engineering services which are purely incidental to her or his architectural practice. However, no engineer shall practice architecture or use the designation "architect" or any term derived therefrom, and no architect shall practice engineering or use the designation "engineer" or any term derived therefrom.
History.--ss. 10, 42, ch. 79-243; ss. 3, 10, ch. 81-302; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; s. 5, ch. 82-179; s. 3, ch. 83-160; ss. 46, 119, ch. 83-329; s. 1, ch. 85-134; s. 57, ch. 87-225; s. 2, ch. 87-341; s. 2, ch. 87-349; ss. 1, 14, 15, ch. 89-30; s. 1, ch. 89-115; s. 67, ch. 89-162; s. 4, ch. 91-429; ss. 80, 118, ch. 94-119; s. 330, ch. 97-103.