Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 73 - PROFESSIONS AND VOCATIONS (§§ 73-1-1 — 73-79-1) › Chapter 13 - ENGINEERS AND LAND SURVEYORS (§§ 73-13-1 — 73-13-105) › ENGINEERS (§§ 73-13-1 — 73-13-45) › Section 73-13-39 - Unlawful acts and penalties

Any person or firm who shall practice, or offer to practice, engineering in this state without being licensed in accordance with the provisions of Sections
73-13-1
through
73-13-45
, or any person presenting or attempting to use as his own the certificate of licensure or seal of another, or any person who shall give any false or forged evidence of any kind to the board or to any member thereof in obtaining a certificate of licensure, or any person who shall falsely impersonate any other licensee of like or different name, or any person or firm who shall attempt to use an expired or revoked certificate of licensure, or any person or firm who shall violate any of the provisions of Sections
73-13-1
through
73-13-45
, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), nor more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in addition to reimbursement of investigative expenses and court costs, or suffer imprisonment for a period not exceeding three (3) months, or both. The criminal penalties provided for in this section may be assessed in addition to those civil penalties provided for in Section
73-13-37
.
Unless licensed in accordance with the provisions of Sections
73-13-1
through
73-13-45
, no person shall:
(a)
Directly or indirectly employ, use, cause to be used or make use of any of the following terms or any combinations, variations or abbreviations thereof as a professional, business or commercial identification, title, name, representation, claim, asset or means of advantage or benefit: "engineer," "professional engineer," "licensed engineer," "registered engineer," "registered professional engineer," "licensed professional engineer," "engineered," "engineering"; or
(b)
Directly or indirectly employ, use, cause to be used or make use of any letter, abbreviation, word, symbol, slogan, sign or any combinations or variations thereof which in any manner whatsoever tends or is likely to create any impression with the public or any member thereof that any person is qualified or authorized to practice engineering; or
(c)
Receive any fee or compensation or the promise of any fee or compensation for performing, offering or attempting to perform any service, work, act or thing which is any part of the practice of engineering.
Any person, firm, partnership, association or corporation which shall do, offer or attempt to do any one or more of the acts or things set forth in items (a) through (c) of the preceding paragraph shall be conclusively presumed and regarded as engaged in the practice of engineering.
It shall be the duty of all duly constituted officers of the law of this state, or any political subdivision thereof, to enforce the provisions of Sections
73-13-1
through
73-13-45
and to prosecute any persons violating same. Except as otherwise authorized in Section
7-5-39
, the Attorney General of the state or his assistant shall act as legal advisor of the board in carrying out the provisions of Sections
73-13-1
through
73-13-45
.
Codes, 1930, § 4669; 1942, § 8791-21; Laws, 1928, Ex. Sess. ch. 56; Laws, 1940, ch. 131; Laws, 1954, ch. 321, § 21; reenacted and amended, Laws, 1983, ch. 450, § 20; reenacted without change, Laws, 1991, ch. 470, § 20; reenacted without change, Laws, 1999, ch. 416, § 20; reenacted and amended, Laws, 1999, ch. 534, § 20; reenacted and amended, Laws, 2004, ch. 586, § 20; Laws, 2012, ch. 546, § 33, eff. 7/1/2012.