                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

FURTHER EXEMPTIONS FROM LICENSE REQUIREMENTS FOR ARCHITECTS, PROFESSIONAL
ENGINEERS, AND LAND SURVEYORS (§ 54.1-402)

A. No license as an architect or professional engineer shall be required
pursuant to § 54.1-406 for persons who prepare plans, specifications, documents
and designs for the following, provided any such plans, specifications,
documents or designs bear the name and address of the author and his occupation:

   1. Single- and two-family homes, townhouses and multifamily dwellings,
   excluding electrical and mechanical systems, not exceeding three stories; or

   2. All farm structures used primarily in the production, handling or storage
   of agricultural products or implements, including, but not limited to,
   structures used for the handling, processing, housing or storage of crops,
   feeds, supplies, equipment, animals or poultry; or

   3. Buildings and structures classified with respect to use as business (Use
   Group B) and mercantile (Use Group M), as provided in the Uniform Statewide
   Building Code and churches with an occupant load of 100 or less, excluding
   electrical and mechanical systems, where such building or structure does not
   exceed 5,000 square feet in total net floor area, or three stories; or

   4. Buildings and structures classified with respect to use as factory and
   industrial (Use Group F) and storage (Use Group S) as provided in the Uniform
   Statewide Building Code, excluding electrical and mechanical systems, where
   such building or structure does not exceed 15,000 square feet in total net
   floor area, or three stories; or

   5. Additions, remodeling or interior design without a change in occupancy or
   occupancy load and without modification to the structural system or a change
   in access or exit patterns or increase in fire hazard; or

   6. Electric installations which comply with all applicable codes and which do
   not exceed 600 volts and 800 amps, where work is designed and performed under
   the direct supervision of a person licensed as a master&#8217;s level
   electrician or Class A electrical contractor by written examination, and where
   such installation is not contained in any structure exceeding three stories or
   located in any of the following categories:
   				a. Use Group A-1 theaters which exceed assembly of 100 persons;
   				b. Use Group A-4 except churches;
   				c. Use Group I, institutional buildings, except day care nurseries and
   clinics without life-support systems; or

   7. Plumbing and mechanical systems using packaged mechanical equipment, such
   as equipment of catalogued standard design which has been coordinated and
   tested by the manufacturer, which comply with all applicable codes. These
   mechanical systems shall not exceed gauge pressures of 125 pounds per square
   inch, other than refrigeration, or temperatures other than flue gas of 300
   degrees F (150 degrees C) where such work is designed and performed under the
   direct supervision of a person licensed as a master&#8217;s level plumber,
   master&#8217;s level heating, air conditioning and ventilating worker, or
   Class A contractor in those specialties by written examination. In addition,
   such installation may not be contained in any structure exceeding three
   stories or located in any structure which is defined as to its use in any of
   the following categories:
   				a. Use Group A-1 theaters which exceed assembly of 100 persons;
   				b. Use Group A-4 except churches;
   				c. Use Group I, institutional buildings, except day care nurseries and
   clinics without life-support systems; or

   8. The preparation of shop drawings, field drawings and specifications for
   components by a contractor who will supervise the installation and where the
   shop drawings and specifications (i) will be reviewed by the licensed
   professional engineer or architect responsible for the project or (ii) are
   otherwise exempted; or

   9. Buildings, structures, or electrical and mechanical installations which are
   not otherwise exempted but which are of standard design, provided they bear
   the certification of a professional engineer or architect registered or
   licensed in another state, and provided that the design is adapted for the
   specific location and for conformity with local codes, ordinances and
   regulations, and is so certified by a professional engineer or architect
   licensed in Virginia; or

   10. Construction by a state agency or political subdivision not exceeding
   $75,000 in value keyed to the January 1, 1991, Consumer Price Index (CPI) and
   not otherwise requiring a licensed architect, engineer, or land surveyor by an
   adopted code and maintenance by that state agency or political subdivision of
   water distribution, sewage collection, storm drainage systems, sidewalks,
   streets, curbs, gutters, culverts, and other facilities normally and
   customarily constructed and maintained by the public works department of the
   state agency or political subdivision; or

   11. Conventional and alternative onsite sewage systems receiving residential
   wastewater, under the authority of Chapter 6 of Title 32.1, designed by a
   licensed onsite soil evaluator, which utilize packaged equipment, such as
   equipment of catalogued standard design that has been coordinated and tested
   by the manufacturer, and complies with all applicable codes, provided (i) the
   flow is less than 1,000 gallons per day; and (ii) if a pump is included, (a)
   it shall not include multiple downhill runs and must terminate at a positive
   elevational change; (b) the discharge end is open and not pressurized; (c) the
   static head does not exceed 50 feet; and (d) the force main length does not
   exceed 500 feet.

B. No person shall be exempt from licensure as an architect or engineer who
engages in the preparation of plans, specifications, documents or designs for:

   1. Any unique design of structural elements for floors, walls, roofs or
   foundations; or

   2. Any building or structure classified with respect to its use as high hazard
   (Use Group H).

C. Persons utilizing photogrammetric methods or similar remote sensing
technology shall not be required to be licensed as a land surveyor pursuant to
subsection B of &#xA7; 54.1-404 or 54.1-406 to: (i) determine topography or
contours, or to depict physical improvements, provided such maps or other
documents shall not be used for the design, modification, or construction of
improvements to real property or for flood plain determination, or (ii)
graphically show existing property lines and boundaries on maps or other
documents provided such depicted property lines and boundaries shall only be
used for general information.
			Any determination of topography or contours, or depiction of physical
improvements, utilizing photogrammetric methods or similar remote sensing
technology by persons not licensed as a land surveyor pursuant to &#xA7;
54.1-406 shall not show any property monumentation or property metes and bounds,
nor provide any measurement showing the relationship of any physical
improvements to any property line or boundary.
			Any person not licensed pursuant to subsection B of &#xA7; 54.1-404 or
54.1-406 preparing documentation pursuant to subsection C of &#xA7; 54.1-402
shall note the following on such documentation: &#8220;Any determination of
topography or contours, or any depiction of physical improvements, property
lines or boundaries is for general information only and shall not be used for
the design, modification, or construction of improvements to real property or
for flood plain determination.&#8221;

D. Terms used in this section, and not otherwise defined in this chapter, shall
have the meanings provided in the Uniform Statewide Building Code in effect on
July 1, 1982, including any subsequent amendments.

HISTORY: 1982, c. 590, § 54-37.1; 1988, cc. 294, 765; 1992, cc. 780, 783; 2005,
cc. 359, 440; 2008, c. 68.