20250AB__243596AMD INTRODUCED 2026-02-20 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-03-16 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-04-15 AMENDED_SENATE 2026-06-10 2025 AB AMD Introduced by Assembly Member Chen LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Chen

An act to add Sections 6787.5, 7872.5, and 8792.5 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to professions, and making an appropriation therefor. professions, and making an appropriation therefor 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 Engineer’s, Land Surveyor’s, and Geologist’s 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.

Existing law, the Professional Land Surveyors’ Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of land surveyors by the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. The act prohibits a person from practicing land surveying unless appropriately licensed or specifically exempted from licensure.

Under the act, a person who practices, or offers to practice, land surveying without applicable legal authorization is guilty of a misdemeanor.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>This bill would specify tiered penalties, including specified fines and jail time, for a first, 2nd, or 3rd conviction for practicing land surveying without legal authorization.</xhtml:p>"?> MAJORITY YES YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION

Section 6787.5 is added to the Business and Professions Code , to read: 6787.5. Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of subdivision (

b) of

Section 125.9 and

Section 148, the executive officer may issue a citation to a person or entity, and that person or entity shall be subject to an administrative fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) and not more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for each violation of practicing or offering to practice civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering without a license issued by the board pursuant to this

chapter unless the person or entity is otherwise authorized by law. The maximum fine for unlicensed activity is separate from and not inclusive of fines for other violations.

SEC.

Section 7872.5 is added to the Business and Professions Code , to read: 7872.5. Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of subdivision (

b) of

Section 125.9 and

Section 148, the executive officer may issue a citation to a person or entity, and that person or entity shall be subject to an administrative fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) and not more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for each violation of practicing or offering to practice geology or geophysics without a license issued by the board pursuant to this

chapter unless the person or entity is otherwise authorized by law. The maximum fine for unlicensed activity is separate from and not inclusive of fines for other violations.

SEC.

Section 8792.5 is added to the Business and Professions Code , to read: 8792.5. Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of subdivision (

b) of

Section 125.9 and

Section 148, the executive officer may issue a citation to a person or entity, and that person or entity shall be subject to an administrative fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) and not more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for each violation of practicing or offering to practice land surveying without a license issued by the board pursuant to this

chapter unless the person or entity is otherwise authorized by law.

The maximum fine for unlicensed activity is separate from and not inclusive of fines for other violations. <caml:Num>SECTION 1.</caml:Num><caml:ActionLine action="IS_AMENDED" xlink:href="urn:caml:codes:BPC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'DIVISION'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'3.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'CHAPTER'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'15.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawHeading%5B%40type%3D'ARTICLE'%20and%20caml%3ANum%3D'7.'%5D%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'8792.'%5D)" xlink:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION" xlink:type="locator">Section of the <caml:DocName>Business and Professions Code</caml:DocName> is amended to read:</caml:ActionLine><caml:Fragment><caml:LawSection id="id_BB44BA7E-D90F-43F6-AB46-C2175C08D1E7"><caml:Num>8792.</caml:Num><caml:LawSectionVersion id="id_DECF9ECC-D43F-4153-923A-0C5C7ABDF231"><caml:Content><xhtml:p>A person who does any of the following is guilty of a misdemeanor:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(a)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Unless the person is exempt from licensure under this chapter, practices, or offers to practice, land surveying in this state without legal authorization.

A violation of this subdivision is subject to the following penalties:</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>A first conviction is punishable by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>A second conviction is punishable by a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(3)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>A third or subsequent conviction is punishable by a fine not less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Presents as their own the certificate of a land surveyor-in-training or the license of a professional land surveyor unless they are the person named on the certificate or the license.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(c)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Attempts to file as their own any record of survey under the license of a professional land surveyor.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(d)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Gives false evidence of any kind to the board, or to any board member, in obtaining a certificate or a license.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(e)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Impersonates or uses the seal, signature, or license number of a professional land surveyor or who uses a false license number.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(f)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Impersonates or uses the certificate number of a land surveyor-in-training or who uses a false certificate.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(g)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Uses an expired, suspended, surrendered, or revoked certificate or license.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(h)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Represents themselves as, or uses the title of, professional land surveyor, or any other title whereby that person could be considered as practicing or offering to practice land surveying, unless the person is correspondingly qualified by licensure as a land surveyor under this chapter.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(i)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Uses the title, or any combination of that title, of “professional land surveyor,” “licensed land surveyor,” “land surveyor,” or the titles specified in Sections and 8775, or “land surveyor-in-training,” or who makes use of any abbreviation of that title that might lead to the belief that the person is a licensed land surveyor or holds a certificate as a land surveyor-in-training, without being licensed or certified as required by this chapter.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(j)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Unless appropriately licensed, manages, or conducts as manager, proprietor, or agent, any place of business from which land surveying work is solicited, performed, or practiced, except as authorized pursuant to

Section 6731.2.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(k)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Violates any provision of this chapter.</xhtml:p></caml:Content></caml:LawSectionVersion></caml:LawSection></caml:Fragment></caml:BillSection>"?>