West Virginia Code § 30-13A-3

Definitions
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As used in this article, the following words and terms have the following meanings:
(a) "Applicant" means a person making application for a license or a firm making application
for a certificate of authorization, under the provisions of this article.
(b) "Board" means the West Virginia Board of Professional Surveyors.
(c) "Boundary survey" means a survey, in which property lines and corners of a parcel of
land have been established by a survey and a description of survey has been written and a
plat has been prepared for the property.
(d) "Cadastral survey" means a survey representing the ownership, relative positions and
dimensions of land, objects and estates. a
(e) "Certificate holder" means a firm holding a certificate of authorization issued by the
board.
(f) "Certificate of authorization" means a certificate issued under the provisions of this
article to a firm providing surveying services.
(g) "Construction survey" means the laying of stakes for a construction project.
(h) "Direct supervision" means the responsible licensee is in direct control of all field and
office surveying operatiLons. Direct control does not necessarily require the actual physical
presence of the responsible licensee at the site of the survey, nor prohibit the responsible
licensee from maintaining simultaneous direct supervision of more than one survey.
(i) "Endorsee" means a person holding an endorsement to practice in a specialized field of
surveying issued by the board under the provisions of this article.
(j) "Endorsement" means an authorization, in addition to a professional surveyor license, to
practice in a specialized field of surveying issued by the board.
(k) "Firm" means any nongovernmental business entity, including an individual, association,
partnership or corporation, providing surveying services.
(l) "Geodetic control survey" means a survey involving the precise measurement of points on
the earth's surface which form the framework or control for a large map or project.
(m) "Geographic information system (GIS)" means a system of hardware, software and
procedures designed to support the capture and management of spatially referenced
information.
(n) "Hydrographic survey" means a survey that measures and determines the topographic
features of water bodies and the adjacent land areas, including the width, depth and course
of water bodies and other relative features.
(o) "Inactive" means the status granted by the board to a licensee or endorsee.
(p) "Land information system (LIS)" means a system of hardware, software and procedures
designed to support the capture and management of spatially referenced information.
(q) "License" means a surveying license issued under the provisions of this article.
(r) "Licensee" means a person holding a surveying license issued under the provisions of this
article.
(s) "Metes and bounds" means a description where the land or the associated effects on the
land have been measured by starting at a known pointa and describing, in sequence, the lines
by direction and distance forming the boundaries of the land or a defined area relative to the
physical land features, associated effects or structulral improvements on the land.
(t) "Monument" means a permanent marker, either boundary or nonboundary, used to
establish corners or mark boundary lines of a parcel of land or reference the geospatial
relationship of other objects.
(u) "Mortgage/loan inspection survey" means a survey in which property lines and corners
have not been established.
(v) "Oil or gas well surveLy" means a survey and plat of a proposed oil or gas well, including
the location of the well, the surface or mineral tract on which the well is located, the
physical features sur rounding the well, all creeks or streams near the well and any other
identifying characteristics of the land to specify the location of the well. An oil or gas well
survey must be performed in accordance with other provisions of this code affecting oil and
gas well surveys.
(w) "Partition survey" means a survey where the boundary lines of a newly created parcel of
land are established and the new corners are monumented.
(x) "Photogrammetry" means the use of aerial photography, other imagery and surveying
principles to prepare scaled maps or other survey products reflecting the contours, features
and fixed works of the earth's surface.
(y) "Practice of surveying" means providing professional surveying services, including
consulting, investigating, expert testimony, evaluating, planning, mapping and surveying.
(z) "Responsible charge" means direct control of surveying work under the direct supervision
of a licensee or person authorized in another state or country to engage in the practice of
surveying.
(aa) "Retracement survey" means a survey where the boundary lines and corners of a parcel
of land are reestablished from an existing legal or deed description.
(bb) "Strip" means a description of an area by reference to an alignment, usually a right-of-
way or an easement, stating the number of feet on each side of the alignment, the relative
position of the alignment, a reference to the measurements and monuments where the
alignment crosses a parcel of land and the source of title for each parcel of eland the
alignment crosses.
(cc) "Subdivision" means the division of a lot, tract or parcel of land into two or more lots,
tracts or parcels of land. u
(dd) "Surface mine survey" means a survey of the surface mine permit area, including the
location of the surface mine, the surface or mineral tracts on which the surface mine is
located, the physical features surrounding the surfacea mine, all creeks or streams near the
surface mine and any other identifying characteristics of the land to specify the location of
the surface mine permit area. A surface mine survely must be performed in accordance with
other provisions of this code affecting surfaces mine surveys.
(ee) "Survey" or "land survey" means to mieasure a parcel of land and ascertain its
boundaries, corners and contents org make any other authoritative measurements.
(ff) "Surveying" or "land surveying" means providing, or offering to provide, professional
services using such sciences as mathematics, geodesy, and photogrammetry, and involving
both:
(1) The making of geometric measurements and gathering related information pertaining to
the physical or legal features of the earth, improvements on the earth, the space above, on
or below the eVarth; and
(2) Providing, utilizing or developing the same into survey products such as graphics, data,
maps, plans, reports, descriptions or projects. Professional services include acts of
consultation, investigation, testimony evaluation, expert technical testimony, planning,
mapping, assembling and interpreting gathered measurements and information related to
any one or more of the following:
(A) Determining by measurement the configuration or contour of the earth's surface or the
position of fixed objects thereon.
(B) Determining by performing geodetic surveys the size and shape of the earth or the
position of any point on the earth.
(C) Determining the position for any survey control monument or reference point.
(D) Creating, preparing or modifying electronic, computerized or other data relative to the
performance of the activities in the above-described paragraphs (A) through (C), inclusive, of
this subdivision.
(E) Locating, relocating, establishing, reestablishing or retracing property lines or
boundaries of any tract of land, road, right-of-way or easement.
(F) Making any survey for the division, subdivision, or consolidation of any tract or tracts of
land.
(G) Locating or laying out alignments, positions or elevations for the construction of fixed
works.
(H) Determining, by the use of principles of surveying, the position for any boundary or
nonboundary survey monument or reference point, or establishing or replacing any such
monument or reference point.
(I) Creating, preparing or modifying electronic or computerized or other data relative to the
performance of the activities in the above-describeld paragraphs (E) through (H), inclusive,
of this subdivision.
(3) Any person who engages in surveying, who by verbal claim, sign, advertisement,
letterhead, card or in any other way represents themselves to be a professional surveyor, or
who implies through the use of some other title that they are able to perform, or who does
perform, any surveying service or work or any other service designated by the practitioner
which is recognized as surveying, is practicing, or offering to practice, surveying within the
meaning and intent of this article.
(gg) "Surveyor", "professional surveyor" or "land surveyor" means a person licensed to
practice surveying un der the provisions of this article.
(hh) "Surveyor, retired", "professional surveyor, retired" or "land surveyor, retired" means a
licensed surveyor no longer practicing surveying, who has chosen to retire and has been
granted the honorific title of "Professional Surveyor, Retired".
(ii) "Surveyor-in-charge" means a licensee designated by a firm to oversee the surveying
activities and practices of the firm.
(jj) "Surveyor intern" means a person who has passed an examination covering the
fundamentals of land surveying.
(kk) "Underground survey" means a survey that includes the measurement of underground
mine workings and surface features relevant to the underground mine, the placing of survey
points (spads) for mining direction, the performance of horizontal and vertical control
surveys to determine the contours of a mine, the horizontal and vertical location of mine
features, and the preparation of maps, reports and documents, including mine progress
maps and mine ventilation maps. An underground mine survey must be performed in
accordance with other provisions of this code affecting underground mine surveys.

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