Chapter 443

443.10 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also chs. A-E 3, 4, and 9, Wis. adm. code.

443.10 Annotation The Examining Board of Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers and Land Surveyors lacks the power to adopt a rule prohibiting competitive bidding on projects by architects, engineers, designers, or surveyors. 61 Atty. Gen. 369.

443.11 443.11 Disciplinary proceedings against architects, landscape architects, engineers, and registered interior designers.

443.11(1) (1) The appropriate section of the examining board may reprimand an architect, landscape architect, professional engineer, or Wisconsin registered interior designer or limit, suspend, or revoke the certificate of registration of any registrant, and the certificate of record of any engineer-in-training, who is found guilty of:

443.11(1)(a) (a) Fraud or deceit in obtaining a certificate of registration or a certificate of record.

443.11(1)(b) (b) Signing or impressing his or her seal or stamp upon documents not prepared by him or her or under his or her control or knowingly permitting his or her seal or stamp to be used by any other person.

443.11(1)(c) (c) Knowingly aiding or abetting the unauthorized practice of architecture or professional engineering by persons not registered under this chapter.

443.11(1)(d) (d) Any gross negligence, incompetency or misconduct in the practice of architecture as a registered architect, of landscape architecture as a registered landscape architect or of professional engineering as a registered professional engineer, or in the professional activity of a holder of a certificate of record as engineer-in-training.

443.11(1)(dm) (dm) Any gross negligence or misconduct, or any gross incompetence, in the practice of interior design as a Wisconsin registered interior designer.

443.11(1)(e) (e) Any violation of the rules of professional conduct adopted and promulgated by that section of the examining board.

443.11(1)(f) (f) Conviction of a felony, subject to ss. 111.321, 111.322 and 111.335, or adjudication of mental incompetency by a court of competent jurisdiction, a certified copy of the record of conviction or adjudication of incompetency to be conclusive evidence of such conviction or incompetency.

443.11(2) (2) The appropriate section of the examining board may reprimand a firm, partnership, or corporation holding a certificate of authorization issued under this chapter or may limit, suspend, or revoke such a certificate if any of the agents, employees, or officers of the firm, partnership, or corporation has committed any act or has been guilty of any conduct which would authorize a reprimand or a limitation, suspension, or revocation of the certificate of registration of a registrant or the certificate of record of an engineer-in-training under this chapter, unless the firm, partnership, or corporation submits evidence satisfactory to the appropriate section of the examining board that the agent, employee, or officer is not now practicing or offering to practice architecture, landscape architecture, or professional engineering in its behalf.

443.11(3) (3) Any person may make charges that any registrant, holder of a certificate of record as engineer-in-training or corporate holder of a certificate of authorization has committed an act for which a reprimand or limitation, suspension, or revocation of registration is authorized under sub. (1). Such charges shall be in writing, shall be sworn to by the person making them and shall be submitted to the appropriate section of the examining board. The appropriate section of the examining board may, on its own motion, make such charges. All charges, unless dismissed by the appropriate section of the examining board as unfounded or trivial, shall be heard by the appropriate section of the examining board, subject to the rules promulgated under s. 440.03 (1).

443.11(4) (4) If after a hearing under sub. (3), 3 members of a section of the examining board vote in favor of sustaining charges specified in sub. (3), the appropriate section of the examining board shall reprimand or limit, suspend, or revoke the certificate of registration of the registered architect, registered landscape architect, or registered professional engineer, the certificate of record of the holder of a certificate as engineer-in-training, or the certificate of authorization of a firm, partnership, or corporation.

443.11(5) (5) The actions of each section of the examining board under this section shall be subject to review in the manner provided in ch. 227.

443.11(6) (6) The appropriate section of the examining board, for reasons it considers sufficient, may reissue a certificate of registration or a certificate of record to any person, or a certificate of authorization to any firm, partnership, or corporation, whose certificate has been revoked under this section if 3 members of the section of the examining board vote in favor of such reissuance. Subject to the rules of the examining board, the appropriate section of the examining board may, upon payment of the required fee, issue a new certificate of registration, certificate of record or certificate of authorization, to replace any certificate that is revoked, lost, destroyed or mutilated.

443.11 History History: 1979 c. 167; 1981 c. 334 s. 25 (1); 1993 a. 463, 465, 491; 1997 a. 237, 300; 1999 a. 32, 186; 2009 a. 123; 2011 a. 146; 2021 a. 195.

443.11 Annotation Discussing gross negligence, incompetency, or misconduct. The failure of an engineer to properly design a roof truss would not show incompetence, but the board might find gross negligence. Vivian v. Examining Board of Architects, 61 Wis. 2d 627, 213 N.W.2d 359 (1974).

443.12 443.12 Disciplinary proceedings against professional land surveyors.

443.12(1) (1) The professional land surveyor section may reprimand a professional land surveyor, or limit, suspend, or revoke the license of any professional land surveyor, for the practice of any fraud or deceit in obtaining the license, or any gross negligence, incompetence, or misconduct in the practice of professional land surveying.

443.12(2) (2) Charges of fraud, deceit, gross negligence, incompetence, or misconduct may be made against any professional land surveyor by the professional land surveyor section or any person. Such charges may be made on information and belief, but shall be in writing, stating the specific acts, be signed by the complainant and be submitted to the examining board. All charges shall be heard according to the rules promulgated under s. 440.03 (1).

443.12(3) (3) If after a hearing 3 members vote in favor of reprimand or limiting, suspending, or revoking the license of a professional land surveyor, the professional land surveyor section shall notify the surveyor to that effect. The surveyor shall return the license to the examining board immediately on receipt of notice of a revocation. The action of the professional land surveyor section may be reviewed under ch. 227.

443.12(4) (4) The professional land surveyor section, for reasons it deems sufficient, may reinstate a license to engage in the practice of professional land surveying that has been revoked, if 3 members vote in favor of such reinstatement. This subsection does not apply to a license that is revoked under s. 440.12.

443.12 History History: 1979 c. 167, 357; 1997 a. 237; 2013 a. 358.

443.13 443.13 Disciplinary proceedings against designers of engineering systems.

443.13(1) (1) The designers’ section of the examining board may limit, suspend, or revoke a permit or reprimand the permittee if the permittee is guilty of any of the following:

443.13(1)(a) (a) Fraud or deceit in obtaining the permit.

443.13(1)(b) (b) Gross negligence, incompetency, or misconduct in practice.

443.13(1)(c) (c) Signing documents not prepared by the permittee or under the permittee’s control.

443.13(1)(d) (d) Knowingly aiding or abetting unauthorized designing of engineering systems as stated in s. 443.07 (3) by persons not granted permits under this chapter.

443.13(1)(e) (e) Conviction of a felony, subject to ss. 111.321, 111.322, and 111.335, or adjudication of mental incompetency by a court of competent jurisdiction.

443.13(2) (2) If, after a hearing conducted under the rules promulgated under s. 440.03 (1) before the designers’ section of the examining board, two-thirds of the members of the section vote in favor of sustaining the charges, the designers’ section of the examining board shall reprimand the permittee or limit, suspend, or revoke the permit. The action of the designers’ section of the examining board under this section is subject to review under ch. 227.

443.134 443.134 Exception for photogrammetry and construction surveying. Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prohibit a person who has not been granted a license to engage in the practice of professional land surveying under this chapter from utilizing photogrammetry or remote sensing techniques or performing topographic surveying, construction surveying, or geodetic surveying for purposes other than a boundary establishment or reestablishment specified in s. 443.01 (6s).

443.134 History History: 1979 c. 167; 1981 c. 334 s. 25 (1); 2011 a. 146; 2013 a. 358.

443.14 443.14 Exempt persons. The following persons, while practicing within the scope of their respective exemptions, shall be exempt from this chapter:

443.14(1) (1) 

443.14(1)(a) (a) An employee of a person holding a certificate of registration in architecture under s. 443.10 who is engaged in the practice of architecture and an employee of a person temporarily exempted from registration in architecture under this section, if the practice of the employee does not include responsible charge of architecture practice.

443.14(1)(b) (b) An employee of a person holding a certificate of registration in professional engineering under s. 443.10 who is engaged in the practice of professional engineering and an employee of a person temporarily exempted from registration in professional engineering under this section, if the practice of the employee does not include responsible charge of professional engineering practice.

443.14(2) (2) Officers and employees of the federal government while engaged within this state in the practice of architecture, landscape architecture or professional engineering for the federal government.

443.14(3) (3) A public service company and its regular employees acting in its behalf where the professional engineering services rendered are in connection with its facilities which are subject to regulation, supervision and control by a commission of this state or of the federal government.

443.14(4) (4) 

443.14(4)(a) (a) Any person who practices architecture, exclusively as a regular employee of a private company or corporation, by rendering to the company or corporation architectural services in connection with its operations, so long as the person is thus actually and exclusively employed and no longer, if the company or corporation has at least one architect who is registered under this chapter in responsible charge of the company’s or corporation’s architectural work in this state.

443.14(4)(b) (b) Any person who practices professional engineering, exclusively as a regular employee of a private company or corporation, by rendering to the company or corporation professional engineering services in connection with its operations, so long as the person is thus actually and exclusively employed and no longer, if the company or corporation has at least one professional engineer who is registered under this chapter in responsible charge of the company’s or corporation’s professional engineering work in this state.

443.14(5) (5) A person engaged in the manufacture of a product or unit, including laboratory research affiliates of the person, where the services performed are the design, assembly, manufacture, sale or installation of that product or unit. “Product or unit” does not include any building.

443.14(6) (6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, contractors, subcontractors or construction material or equipment suppliers are not required to register under this chapter to perform or undertake those activities which historically and customarily have been performed by them in their respective trades and specialties, including, but not limited to, the preparation and use of drawings, specifications or layouts within a construction firm or in construction operations, superintending of construction, installation and alteration of equipment, cost estimating, consultation with architects, professional engineers or owners concerning materials, equipment, methods and techniques, and investigations or consultation with respect to construction sites, provided all such activities are performed solely with respect to the performance of their work on buildings or with respect to supplies or materials furnished by them for buildings or structures or their appurtenances which are, or which are to be, erected, enlarged or materially altered in accordance with plans and specifications prepared by architects or professional engineers, or by persons exempt under subs. (1) to (5) while practicing within the scope of their exemption.

443.14(7) (7) This chapter does not require manufacturers or their material or equipment suppliers to register under this chapter in order to enable them to perform engineering in the design, assembly, manufacture, sale or installation of their respective products.

443.14(8) (8) An employee of a professional land surveyor, while doing surveying work under the supervision of the employer, if the employee is not in responsible charge of the practice of professional land surveying.

443.14(8m) (8m) 

443.14(8m)(a) (a) Subject to par. (b), an employee or contractor of any of the following while engaged in land surveying is exempt from the provisions of this chapter:

443.14(8m)(a)1. 1. The provider of a broadcast service, as defined in s. 196.01 (1m).

443.14(8m)(a)2. 2. The provider of a cable service, as defined in s. 196.01 (1p).

443.14(8m)(a)3. 3. A commercial mobile radio service provider, as defined in s. 196.01 (2g).

443.14(8m)(a)4. 4. A public utility, as defined in s. 196.01 (5).

443.14(8m)(a)5. 5. A telecommunications provider, as defined in s. 196.01 (8p).

443.14(8m)(a)6. 6. A video service provider, as defined in s. 196.01 (12r).

443.14(8m)(a)7. 7. A cooperative association organized under ch. 185 for the purpose of producing or furnishing heat, light, power, or water to its members only.

443.14(8m)(b) (b) The exemption under par. (a) applies only if the employee or contractor is engaged in services described in s. 443.01 (6s) (a) 3., (c), (d), or (f) for or on behalf of the provider or cooperative.

443.14(9) (9) A license shall not be required for an owner to survey his or her own land for purposes other than for sale.

443.14(10) (10) Any person employed by a county or this state who is engaged in the planning, design, installation or regulation of land and water conservation activities under ch. 92 or s. 281.65 and who is certified under s. 92.18.

443.14(11) (11) Any professional land surveyor licensed under s. 443.06 who is engaged in the planning, design, installation, or regulation of land and water conservation activities under ch. 92 or s. 281.65.

443.14(12m) (12m) A driller who is licensed under s. 280.15 (2m), or an employee of a drilling business that is registered under s. 280.15 (1), who is engaged in well drilling, as defined in s. 280.01 (8), or heat exchange drilling, as defined in s. 280.01 (2c).

443.14(13) (13) A professional engineer who, while engaged in the practice of professional engineering in accordance with this chapter, collects, investigates, interprets or evaluates data relating to soil, rock, groundwater, surface water, gases or other earth conditions, or uses that data for analysis, consultation, planning, design or construction.

443.14(14) (14) A person who, while engaged in the practice of professional geology, hydrology or soil science as defined in s. 470.01 (2), (3) or (4), practices professional engineering, if the acts that involve the practice of professional engineering are also part of the practice of professional geology, hydrology or soil science.

443.14(15) (15) A person employed by the federal government who is engaged in this state in the practice of landscape architecture for the federal government.

443.14(16) (16) A person who performs services related to natural resources management if any map that is prepared as a part of those services contains the following statement: “This map is not a survey of the actual boundary of any property this map depicts.” In this subsection, “natural resources management” includes all of the following:

443.14(16)(a) (a) The management of state lands under ss. 23.09, 23.11, 27.01, and 28.04.

443.14(16)(b) (b) The control of invasive species, as defined in s. 23.22 (1) (c).

443.14(16)(c) (c) The cultivation or harvesting of raw forest products, as defined in s. 26.05 (1).

443.14(16)(d) (d) The management of county forests under s. 28.11.

443.14(16)(e) (e) The practice of forestry, as defined in s. 77.81 (2), including sustainable forestry, as defined in s. 28.04 (1) (e); any services provided in connection with an order, or the preparation of an application for an order, under subch. I or VI of ch. 77; and any forestry operation, as defined in s. 823.075 (1) (c).

443.14(17) (17) A person who prepares a map that depicts temporary trails, easements, or other uses of lands if the map contains the following statement: “This map is not a survey of the actual boundary of any property this map depicts.”

443.14(18) (18) An employee or agent of the department of natural resources, department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection, department of transportation, public service commission, board of commissioners of public lands, or department of military affairs who creates a geographic information systems map if done within the scope of his or her employment or agency.

443.14 History History: 1979 c. 167 ss. 5, 21, 40, 48; 1979 c. 355; 1983 a. 189 s. 329 (18); 1991 a. 309; 1993 a. 463, 465, 491; 1995 a. 227; 1997 a. 27, 300; 2005 a. 360; 2009 a. 123; 2011 a. 146, 150; 2013 a. 358.

443.15 443.15 Exempt buildings.

443.15(1) (1) Nothing in this chapter prevents any person from advertising and performing services, including consultation, investigation, evaluation, in connection with and making plans and specifications for, or supervising the erection, enlargement or alterations of any of the following buildings:

443.15(1)(a) (a) Dwellings for single families, and outbuildings in connection with single-family dwellings, including, but not limited to, barns and private garages.

443.15(1)(b) (b) Apartment buildings used exclusively as the residence of not more than 2 families.

443.15(1)(c) (c) Buildings used exclusively for agricultural purposes.

443.15(1)(d) (d) Temporary buildings or sheds used exclusively for construction purposes, not exceeding 2 stories in height, and not used for living quarters.

443.15(2) (2) Nothing in this chapter prevents any person, firm or corporation from making plans and specifications for or supervising the erection, enlargement or alteration of any new building containing less than 50,000 cubic feet total volume or addition to a building which by reason of such addition results in a building containing less than 50,000 cubic feet total volume or structural alteration to a building containing less than 50,000 cubic feet total volume. Nothing in this chapter prevents any person, firm or corporation from making repairs or interior alterations to buildings which do not affect health or safety.

443.15(3) (3) Any multiple family building having a common roof and party walls shall be deemed a single building for purposes of this section.

443.15(4) (4) This section does not apply to inspection and service work done by employees of insurance rating bureaus, insurance service bureaus, insurance companies or insurance agents.

443.15 History History: 1979 c. 167.

443.16 443.16 Change of name. No person may practice architecture, landscape architecture, professional engineering, or interior design in this state under any other given name or any other surname than that under which the person was originally licensed or registered to practice in this or any other state, in any instance in which the examining board, after a hearing, finds that practicing under the changed name operates to unfairly compete with another practitioner or to mislead the public as to identity or to otherwise result in detriment to the profession or the public. This section does not apply to a change of name resulting from marriage or divorce.

443.16 History History: 1979 c. 98 s. 1; 1979 c. 167 s. 20; 1979 c. 337 s. 15; 1979 c. 355; 1993 a. 463, 465, 491; 1997 a. 300; 2009 a. 123; 2021 a. 195.

443.17 443.17 Seal or stamp; aiding unauthorized practice.

443.17(1) (1) No person who is registered under this chapter to practice architecture, landscape architecture or professional engineering may impress his or her seal or stamp upon documents which have not been prepared by the person or under his or her direction and control, knowingly permit his or her seal or stamp to be used by any other person or in any other manner knowingly aid or abet the unauthorized practice of architecture or professional engineering or the unauthorized use of the title “landscape architect” by persons not authorized under this chapter.

443.17(2) (2) 

443.17(2)(a) (a) The registered interior designer section of the examining board shall promulgate rules establishing specifications for seals and stamps used by Wisconsin registered interior designers.