shrug-l: MySitePlan.com vs California Surveying Licensing Board

[Tripp Corbin]

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Good morning all,
Yall may remember a previous email to this group letting you all know about a developing issue in California. I wanted to provide a quick update on this issue.

For those that do not know about this, the California Board responsible for licensing Surveyors had sent a Cease and Desist order to MySitePlan.com saying their online service which created basic site plans for users based on publicly available data was practicing surveying without a license even though MySitePlan has disclaimers specifically saying their products are not survey products and are for general planning purposes only. This is the short version.

The lawyers for MySitePlan filed a request for a temporary injunction of the Cease and Desist order. The Judge decided in favor of the California Board. This is not a final decision on this case and MySitePlan is appealing. It also appears that the Board has sent Cease and Desist orders to other similar companies including:


  *   GVS Drafting & Design (10-28-21)
  *   GetASitePlan (12-28-21)
  *   USA Site Plans (12-28-21)
  *   24HPlans (12-28-21)

One of the things the Board is using to its favor is the vague definitions of several key terms used in the California statues governing surveying. These include the words "establish", "reestablish", "locate", "relocate", and "retrace". The word locate seems to be one of the primary ones the Board is hanging their hat on in this case.

Members of the URISA Policy Advisor Committee along with other geospatial professionals including some Surveyors are working on writing an Americus Curiae Brief in support of MySitePlans case. This brief will explain some of the technical aspects and distinctions of surveying and GIS, including:


  1.  What is GIS mapping? How does it differ from survey mapping?
  2.  What is the value of geospatial information? How is GIS-based information useful to the public?
  3.  What is at stake if current Board position is upheld?
  4.  Explaining the ambiguities in the CA state law

I will try to keep you all informed as this case continues to develop. It could have far reaching implications to our profession.



Tripp Corbin, MCP, GISP
Business Development Manager - GIS & Aerial
SAM, LLC<https://secure-web.cisco.com/1uSpP8TG_h50MYHgZ5lElklgQp9Aj5fOw5CXyzZX11KHMJJUT2cn8meb-7t2xMOdn2pv-OocjXEx1c7PQ9hT4khY6kaQJXRol5ssDJUEU5O15Cc1wV0TzCxtRD8EWuQaJZduJazp74rJQqVZl_0Tpiwu32z6kFAj36cq1OL5G35w1CNWWnUR29YBp18SkGzGO0s79Gd2v16ko_nu75zAep_CEhlGI3joGCMwECRaTagiZBSJL8B82WEBGIelKBEqCXyLNRUXzRcsAdB4N5Zx4WfYHzwMthu-Km2juIlaUXUyf5Q1XROWWgpLzWKkgXxZd/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sam.biz%2F>
470-998-8944 (Cell)
Tcorbin at sam.biz<mailto:Tcorbin at sam.biz>
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