W. Va. Code § 30-12-11A — WV Code / Chapter 30 / Article 12 / Section 11A
§30-12-11a. Construction administration services required.
Status: in_force

(a) The owner of any real property who allows a project to be constructed on such real property shall be engaged in the practice of architecture unless such owner may have employed or may have caused others to have employed a registered architect or registered engineer to furnish "construction administration services" with respect to such project.

(b) For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) "Building official" means the person appointed by the municipality or state subdivision having jurisdiction over the project to have principal responsibility for the safety of the project as finally built.

(2) "Construction administration services" comprises at the following services: (A) Visiting the construction site on a regular basis as is necessary to determine that the work is proceeding generally in accordance with the technical submissions submitted to the building official at the time the building permit was issued; (B) processing shop drawings, samples, and other submittals required of the contractor by the terms of construction contract documents; and (C) notifying an owner and the building official of any code violations, changes which affect code compliance, the use of any materials, assemblies, components, or equipment prohibited by a code, major or substantial changes between such technical submissions which he or she identifies as constituting a hazard to the public, which he or she observes in the course of performing his or her duties.

(3) "Owner" means with respect to any real property and of the following persons: (A) The holder of a mortgage secured by such real property; (B) the holder, directly or indirectly, of an equity interest in such real property exceeding ten percent of the aggregate equity interests in such real property; (C) the record owner of such real property; or (D) the lessee of all or any portion of such real property when the lease covers all of that portion of such real property upon which the project is being constructed, the lessee has significant approval rights with respect to the project, and the lease, at the time the construction of the project begins, has a remaining term of not less than ten years.

(4) "Project" means the construction, enlargement, or alteration of a building, other than a building exempted by the provisions of section twelve of this article, which has as its principal purpose human occupancy or habitation.

(c) If the registered engineer or registered architect who sealed the technical submissions which were submitted to the building official at the time the building permit was issued has not been employed to furnish construction administration services at the time such registered architect or registered engineer issued such technical submissions, he or she shall note on such technical submissions that he or she has not been so employed. If he or she is not employed to furnish construction administration services when construction of the project begins, he or she shall file, not later than thirty days after such construction begins, with the board and with the building official, on a form prescribed by the board, a notice setting forth the names of the owner or owners known to him or her, the address of the project, and the name, if known to him or her, of the registered architect employed to perform construction administration services. If he or she believes that no registered architect or registered engineer has been so employed, he or she shall so state on the form. Any registered architect or registered engineer who fails to place the note on his or her technical submissions or to file such notice, as required by this paragraph, shall have violated the provisions of this chapter and shall be subject to discipline as set forth herein.

(d) If the board determines, with respect to a particular project or class of projects, that the public is adequately protected without the necessity of a registered architect or registered engineer performing construction administrative services, the board may waive the requirements of this section with respect to such project or class of projects.