AB 2435: Professional engineering, geology, geophysics, and land surveying: practice without a license: administrative penalties.

Existing law establishes the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists to license and regulate professional engineers under the Professional Engineers Act, to license and regulate land surveyors under the Professional Land Surveyors Act, and to license and regulate geologists and geophysicists under the Geologist and Geophysicist Act. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to practice or to offer to practice civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering, geology, geophysics, or land surveying without being licensed under those acts, unless the person is exempt from licensure. Existing law requires fees and civil penalties received pursuant to the Professional Engineers Act, the Professional Land Surveyors Act, and the Geologist and Geophysicist Act to be deposited in the Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists Fund, and continuously appropriates those funds to the board for purposes of those acts.

This bill would authorize the executive officer of the board to issue a citation to a person or entity that subjects the person or entity to an administrative fine of not less than $500 and no more than $20,000 for each violation of practicing or offering to practice civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, geology, geophysics, or land surveying without a license unless the person or entity is otherwise authorized by law. By authorizing additional penalties to be deposited into a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation.