MoreAfter nearly one year and many hours of discussion, writing and re-writing the text of Chapter 30 Article 13A of the West Virginia Code, WVALS has nearly completed the proposed text for the land surveying Bill to be introduced in the 2002 Legislative Session.
A brief overview of the Bill is as follows:
Many of the typographical, spelling and grammatical errors have been corrected.
Much of the inconsistent language has been uniformed; such as, every instance of the word "will" has been replaced with the word "shall" and "he" changed to "he/she".
The definitions of "direct supervision" and "mortgage/loan inspection survey" have been modified (30-13A-2 & 30-13A-18).
The ability of the Board to levy fines has been reinforced (30-13A-4).
The minimum qualifications for licensure has been increased. One must obtain at least a two year degree before being considered for licensure (30-13A-5).
The requirements for obtaining an underground surveying license has been increased (30-13A-5a).
Employees who survey exclusively for a firm or themselves and are monumenting or delineating boundaries which affect adjoining property owners must be under direct supervision of a licensee (30-13A-7).
County surveyors, on or after January 1, 2005, must be licensed as a professional surveyor before being installed into office (30-13A-7).
The Board may, at their discretion, hire lawyers to represent and advise them (30-13A-9, 30-13A-10 & 30-13A-13).
The language is clarified for the requirement of a plat to be certified by a licensee before it is recorded in the County Clerk's Office (30-13A-12).
The use of state plane coordinates to identify a legal boundary corner has been modernized (30-13A-17).
The minimum standards have been clarified and reinforced (30-13A-18).
The Bill text as it is currently being proposed may be viewed here [011011_distribute.pdf 102k]. Please bear in mind that there are still a few small changes to be made and is subject to the review of Legislative Services for the final format.
