California Codes, Business and Professions Code - BPC, Division 3 — Professions and Vocations Generally, Chapter 7 — Professional Engineers, Article 3 — Application of Chapter, Section 6736.1

(a) No person shall use the title, “soil engineer,” “soils engineer,” or “geotechnical engineer,” or any combination of these words or abbreviations thereof, unless he or she is a licensed civil engineer in this state and files an application to use the appropriate title with the board and the board determines the applicant is qualified to use the requested title.

(b) The board shall establish qualifications and standards to use the title “soil engineer,” “soils engineer,” or “geotechnical engineer.” However, each applicant shall demonstrate a minimum of four years qualifying experience beyond that required for licensure as a civil engineer, and shall pass the examination specified by the board.

(c) For purposes of this section, “qualifying experience” means proof of responsible charge of soil engineering projects in at least 50 percent of the major areas of soil engineering, as determined by the board.

(d) Nothing contained in this chapter requires existing references to “soil engineering,” “soils engineering,” “geotechnical engineering,” “soil engineer,” “soils engineer,” or “geotechnical engineer,” in local agency ordinances, building codes, regulations, or policies, to mean that those activities or persons must be registered or authorized to use the relevant title or authority.