2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY - Examining Boards and Professional Colleges (§§ 1 — 6033) › Chapter 35 - Board of Examiners of Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects (§§ 681 — 711z) › § 711a - Definitions

For purposes of this §§ 711–711z of this title, the terms indicated below shall have the following meaning:
(a) Board.— Shall mean the Board of Examiners of Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects as created by §§ 711—711z of this title.
(b) Register.— Shall mean the Register of the Board as established in § 711f of this title.
(c) Engineer in training.— Shall mean any natural person who holds a diploma or certificate accrediting the satisfactory completion of the requirements of this discipline from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Council on Higher Education, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or the Board, and who has met the requirement of being registered in the Register of the Board and to whom the Board has issued the corresponding certificate.
(d) Associate engineer.— Shall mean any engineer in training who has completed four (4) years of experience accredited by the Board, presenting written evidence by Puerto Rico licensed or associate engineers; or who has obtained a Master’s Degree in Engineering from a school whose program is recognized by the Board and has completed three (3) years of experience accredited by the Board, presenting written evidence by engineers licensed or accredited in Puerto Rico or who have obtained a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Engineering from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Board and have completed two (2) years of experience accredited by the Board, presenting written evidence by engineers licensed or accredited in Puerto Rico; and hold an accrediting document issued by the Board that authorizes them to practice as such and to be registered in the Register.
(e) Licensed engineer.— Shall mean any in training or associate engineer who has met the requirements of this §§ 711–711 of this title to practice said profession and has not less than two (2) years of experience accredited by the Board, upon submitting attesting evidence by Professional or Associate Engineers in Puerto Rico; or who has earned a Master’s Degree in Engineering from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Board and has completed one (1) year and six (6) months of experience accredited by the Board, upon submitting attesting evidence by Professional or Associate Engineers in Puerto Rico; or who has earned a Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) in Engineering from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Board and has completed one (1) year of experience accredited by the Board, upon submitting attesting evidence by Professional or Associate Engineers in Puerto Rico; and holds a license issued by the Board authorizing him/her to practice as such and is registered in the Register.
(f) Retired engineer.— Shall mean that professional person who because of his/her retirement from the practice of his/her profession has chosen not to activate his/her license or certificate but who wishes to retain all other privileges granted by §§ 711—711z of this title, including that of membership in the College. To such effect and after applying and obtaining the approval of the Board, the latter shall issue a retired engineer certificate, it being understood that the same does not authorize him/her to practice his/her profession, and should he/she wish to return to such practice, he/she must reactivate his/her certificate or professional license through the means provided by §§ 711—711z of this title.
(g) Architect in training.— Shall mean any person who holds a diploma or certificate accrediting the satisfactory completion of the requirements of this discipline from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Council on Higher Education, the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) or this Board, who is registered as such in the Register of the Board and to whom the Board has issued the corresponding certificate and practices his/her profession under the supervision of a licensed architect.
(h) Licensed architect or engineer.— Shall mean any architect in training who has practiced the profession of architecture under the supervision of a licensed architect or engineer for a term of not less than two (2) years, who has met the requirements of the law, holds a license issued by the Board authorizing him/her to practice as such in Puerto Rico, and appears in the Register of the Board.
(i) Retired licensed or in training architect.— Shall mean that professional person who because of his/her retirement from the practice of his/her profession has chosen not to activate his/her license or certificate but wishes to retain all other privileges granted by law, including that of membership, in the College. To such effect and after applying and obtaining the approval of the Board, the latter shall issue a (retired) architect certificate, it being understood that the same shall not authorize him/her to practice his/her profession and that should he/she wish to return to his/her practice, he/she must reactivate his/her certificate or professional license through the means provided by law.
(j) Surveyor in training.— Shall mean any person who holds a diploma or certificate accrediting the satisfactory completion of the requirements of this discipline from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Council on Higher Education, the ABET or this Board, and who has met the requirement to be registered in the Register of the Board and to whom the Board has issued the corresponding certificate.
(k) Associate surveyor.— Shall mean any surveyor who has completed four (4) years of experience in surveying accredited by the Board, presenting written documents certified by licensed surveyors or engineers authorized to practice surveying in Puerto Rico; or who has obtained a Master’s Degree in Surveying from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Board and has completed three (3) years of experience accredited by the Board, presenting written documents certified by licensed surveyors or engineers authorized to practice surveying in Puerto Rico; or have obtained a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Surveying from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Board and have completed two (2) years of experience accredited by the Board, presenting written documents by licensed surveyors or engineers authorized to practice surveying in Puerto Rico; and hold an accrediting document issued by the Board that authorizes them to practice as such and to be registered in the Register.
(l) Licensed surveyor.— Shall mean any Surveyor in training who has met the requirements of this §§ 711–711 of this title to practice said profession and has not less than two (2) years of experience accredited by the Board, upon submitting attesting evidence certified by licensed or associate surveyors or engineers authorized to practice land surveying in Puerto Rico; or who has earned a Master’s Degree in Surveying from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Board and has completed one (1) year and six (6) months of experience accredited by the Board, upon submitting attesting evidence certified by licensed or associate surveyors or engineers authorized to practice land surveying in Puerto Rico; or has earned a Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) in Surveying from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Board and has completed one (1) year of experience accredited by the Board, upon submitting attesting evidence certified by Licensed or Associate Surveyors or Engineers authorized to practice Land Surveying in Puerto Rico; and holds a certificate issued by the Board authorizing him/her to practice as such and to register in the Register.
(m) Retired surveyor.— Means that licensed or accredited professional who, by reason of his/her retirement from the practice of his/her profession, has chosen not to activate his/her license or certificate but who wishes to retain all other privileges granted by §§ 711—711z of this title, including that of membership in the College. To such effect and after applying and obtaining the approval of the Board, the latter shall issue a retired surveyor certificate, it being understood that the same shall not authorize him/her to practice his/her profession and that should he/she wish to return to his/her practice, he/she must reactivate his/her certificate or professional license through the means provided by §§ 711—711z of this title.
(n) Landscape architect in training.— Shall mean any person who holds a diploma or certificate accrediting the satisfactory completion of the requirements of this discipline from a school whose curriculum is recognized by the Council on Higher Education, the Landscape Architect Registration Examination Board (LARE) or this Board, and who has met the requirement to be registered in the Register of the Board and to whom the Board has issued the corresponding certificate.
(o) Licensed landscape architect.— Shall mean any landscape architect in training who has practiced the profession of landscape architect under the supervision of a licensed engineer, architect or landscape architect for a term of not less than two (2) years, and who has met all other requirements of the law, holds a license issued by the Board authorizing him/her to practice as such in Puerto Rico and appears in the Register of the Board.
(p) Retired licensed or in training landscape architect.— Means that professional person who because of his/her retirement from the practice of his/her profession has chosen not to activate his/her license or certificate but who wishes to retain all other privileges granted by law, including that of membership in the College. To such effect and after applying and obtaining the approval of the Board, the latter shall issue a (retired) landscape architect certificate, it being understood that the same shall not authorize him/her to practice his/her profession and that should he/she wish to return to his/her practice, he/she must reactivate his/her certificate or professional license through the means provided by law.
(q) Certificate.— Shall mean any document issued by the Board attesting that the person in whose name it has been issued is a professional in training or associate, as the case may be, in the corresponding profession, who has met the requirements established in §§ 711g, 711j and/or 711 l of this title, as may apply, and is registered as an engineer, surveyor, architect or landscape architect, in training or associate, as the case may be, in the Register of the Board.
(r) License.— Shall mean any document duly issued by the Board certifying that the person in whose name it is issued is a professional licensed in the corresponding discipline who has met the requirements established in § 711g of this title, and who is registered as a licensed engineer, architect, landscape architect or surveyor, as the case may be, in the Register of the Board.
(s) Person responsible.— Shall mean that person with direct control and personal supervision over any engineering, architecture, landscape architecture or surveying work, as the case may be.
(t) Partnership.— Shall mean two or more licensed professionals of one or more of the disciplines regulated by §§ 711—711z of this title who form a partnership to practice their professions under a trade name or in a group.
(u) Suspension of a certificate or license.— Shall mean the temporary discontinuation of the right to exercise a professional practice pursuant to the provisions of §§ 711—711z of this title.
(v) Cancellation or revocation of the license or certificate.— Shall mean the elimination of the professional concerned from the Register of the Board.
(w) Revocation.— Shall mean the annulment, invalidation, or ineffectiveness of the certificate or license. The Board shall establish the conditions for canceling the effect of a revocation through regulations.
(x) Professional corporation.— Shall mean a corporation organized under the Puerto Rico General Corporations Act, §§ 2601 et seq. of Title 14, and as provided in the latter, whose sole and exclusive purpose is to render professional services as regulated by §§ 711—711z of this title and whose stockholders are persons duly licensed in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, to offer the same professional services rendered by the corporation.
No corporation organized and incorporated under the Puerto Rico General Corporations Act may render professional services except through officials, employees or agents who are duly licensed or otherwise legally authorized to render said professional services within this jurisdiction. However, this provision shall not be construed to include within the term “employee”, such clerical, secretarial, administrative, book-keeping and technical personnel and other assistants that are neither legally nor according to use or custom, deemed as having to hold a license or legal authorization to practice their profession. No person shall, under the pretext of being an employee of a professional corporation, practice a profession unless he/she is duly licensed to do so pursuant to the laws of this jurisdiction.
(y) Continuing education.— Shall mean a planned educational activity to acquire and update the knowledge and skills of professionals.
(z) Office of the Superintendent.— Shall mean the highest ranking office for directing and verifying the implementation of the components and descriptions contained in the documents of a contract.
(aa) Permanent register.— Shall mean all those engineers qualified to exercise the profession of surveyor who meet the requirements established in § 37, subsection (f) (Transitory Provisions) of this act.
History —Aug. 12, 1988, No. 173, p. 797, § 3; Dec. 26, 1997, No. 185, § 3; Dec. 7, 2007, No. 180, § 2, eff. Dec. 31, 2007; Aug. 20, 2012, No. 190, § 1.