California Engineering Geologist Bus. & Prof. Code § 7832 Attorney Fee Petition Mechanics: BPELSG CEG-NNNNN Registry at search.dca.ca.gov as Primary Welch Anchor (THE ONLY § 7832 Engineering Geologist Page — DISTINCT FROM Professional Geologist § 7843 PG, Geotechnical Engineer § 6736.1 GE, Civil Engineer § 6730 PE-CE, and Environmental Engineer § 6701 PE-EnvE; AEG Technical Guidance Document No. 3 Engineering Geology Practice in California Advisory [PURE KETCHUM]; ISRM Suggested Methods for Rock Characterization, Testing and Monitoring Advisory [PURE KETCHUM]; TWO PRIVATE STANDARDS ON ONE PAGE), CCP § 1021.5 Private Attorney General Mandatory Attorney Fees

Statutory Framework: Bus. & Prof. Code § 7832 and CEG Designation — Engineering Geologist Requirements, Scope of Practice, AEG Guidance Document No. 3 [PURE KETCHUM], ISRM Suggested Methods [PURE KETCHUM], and CCP § 1021.5 Mandatory Attorney Fees

California Business and Professions Code § 7832 — within the Geologist and Geophysicist Act (§§ 7800–7929) — establishes the California Engineering Geologist (CEG) designation as a specialized engineering geology practice credential. Engineering geology practice under § 7832 includes: preparation and stamping of Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone investigation reports and fault activity determinations required by Public Resources Code § 2621.9; engineering geologic hazard reports required by local building departments as a condition of grading permit issuance for hillside developments; slope stability geologic analysis including identification of existing and potential landslides, fault traces, and unstable slope conditions for grading plan support; seismic hazard zone geologic investigation reports required by the Seismic Hazards Mapping Act (Public Resources Code § 2690 et seq.); landslide hazard investigation reports; and engineering geologic reports for regulatory submittals to the California Department of Conservation and local AHJs. § 7835 prohibits unlicensed engineering geology practice. Primary Welch anchor: BPELSG CEG-NNNNN Registry at search.dca.ca.gov. Note for attorneys: the CEG registry at search.dca.ca.gov is separate from the PE-NNNNN Professional Engineer module and the PG Professional Geologist module; confirm absence of valid CEG license during engineering geology services at issue.

AEG TECHNICAL GUIDANCE DOCUMENT NO. 3 ENGINEERING GEOLOGY PRACTICE IN CALIFORNIA ADVISORY — THE ONLY PAGE IN THE FEE-PETITION-MECHANICS SERIES WITH AN AEG TECHNICAL GUIDANCE DOCUMENT NO. 3 ADVISORY — PURE KETCHUM: The Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG, founded 1957, Lake Village AR) is a private nonprofit professional organization for engineering geologists and is the authoritative professional society for engineering geology practice standards in California. AEG Technical Guidance Document No. 3 (Engineering Geology Practice in California) establishes minimum practice standards for engineering geology investigations and reports in California. Key AEG Guidance Document No. 3 requirements applicable to engineering geology practice include: (1) Chapter 4 — engineering geologic investigation methodology for slope stability analysis, including minimum boring depths (exploration must penetrate below the critical failure surface or to 1.5 times the proposed cut height, whichever is greater) and boring spacing criteria for geologic hazard studies in California hillside terrain; geologic mapping at 1:2,400 or larger scale for proposed grading areas; (2) Chapter 6 — Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone investigation requirements including paleoseismic trench location criteria (trenches must cross the fault trace from the CGS Fault Activity Map at perpendicular orientation, with trench depth to Holocene deposits), fault activity determination methodology (surface mapping alone is insufficient to conclude inactivity; trench investigation is required for all potentially active faults within AP zones), and minimum reporting requirements for the fault investigation technical report; (3) Chapter 8 — engineering geologic report content requirements for regulatory submittals including peer review documentation requirements for Category I projects (residential subdivision within AP zones or seismic hazard zones) and AHJ submittal requirements. A geology consultant who concludes a fault is inactive based only on surface mapping without conducting the AEG Chapter 6 required paleoseismic trench investigation commits a documented AEG Guidance Document No. 3 practice deficiency. AEG guidance creates no statutory fee-shifting; it is a PURE KETCHUM advisory.

ISRM SUGGESTED METHODS FOR ROCK CHARACTERIZATION, TESTING AND MONITORING (2ND EDITION) ADVISORY — THE ONLY PAGE IN THE FEE-PETITION-MECHANICS SERIES WITH AN ISRM SUGGESTED METHODS ROCK CHARACTERIZATION ADVISORY — PURE KETCHUM: The International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (ISRM, founded 1962, Lisbon Portugal) is a private nonprofit international society for rock mechanics and is the international authority for rock mechanics testing and characterization methodology. ISRM Suggested Methods for Rock Characterization, Testing and Monitoring (2nd Edition) establish the internationally recognized methodology for rock mass characterization and slope stability assessment. Key ISRM Suggested Method requirements applicable to engineering geology practice include: (1) ISRM Suggested Method for Determination of Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) and Deformability of Rock Materials — minimum specimen preparation requirements including length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio of 2.5:1, end flatness tolerance 0.01 mm, and minimum five specimens per test series; UCS values are used for rock mass classification and slope design; (2) ISRM Suggested Method for Quantitative Description of Discontinuities in Rock Masses — Barton Q-system classification parameters: Rock Quality Designation (RQD), joint set number (Jn), joint roughness number (Jr), joint alteration number (Ja), joint water reduction factor (Jw), and stress reduction factor (SRF); Q = (RQD/Jn) × (Jr/Ja) × (Jw/SRF); Q-system classification is required for rock mass slope stability assessment, underground excavation design, and rock reinforcement specification; (3) ISRM Suggested Method for Rock Slope Stability Analysis — kinematic feasibility analysis for plane, wedge, and toppling failure modes using stereonet projection of discontinuity orientations relative to slope face and slope crest; identification of underdip foliation planes, joint intersections producing wedge failure geometries, and oversteepened toppling slabs. A geology consultant who stamps a cut slope stability analysis without performing ISRM rock discontinuity mapping and Q-system classification for a foliated schist hillside — treating the rock mass as equivalent to soil — commits a documented ISRM Suggested Methods practice deficiency. ISRM Suggested Methods create no statutory fee-shifting; they are PURE KETCHUM advisories.

Three-Track Harm: Alquist-Priolo Trench Omitted Five Homes Surface Rupture ($285K), ISRM Rock Mass Classification Omitted Wedge Failure ($195K), and CGS Seismic Hazard Zone Boring Depth Omitted Ancient Landslide Reactivation ($95K)

• UNLICENSED GEOLOGY CONSULTANT PREPARES ALQUIST-PRIOLO EARTHQUAKE FAULT ZONE INVESTIGATION REPORT FOR RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION IN LAKEVIEW TERRACE WITHOUT CEG LICENSE (BPELSG CEG-NNNNN REGISTRY CONFIRMS NO CEG FOR DEFENDANT) — AEG TECHNICAL GUIDANCE CHAPTER 6 PALEOSEISMIC TRENCH INVESTIGATION NOT CONDUCTED AT REQUIRED LOCATIONS — CONSULTANT CONCLUDES FAULT INACTIVE BASED ONLY ON SURFACE MAPPING WITHOUT TRENCH INVESTIGATION — CGS FAULT ACTIVITY MAP SHOWS ACTIVE TRACE OF SIERRA MADRE FAULT WITHIN PROJECT BOUNDARY — FIVE HOMES PERMITTED AND CONSTRUCTED WITHIN 50-FOOT ALQUIST-PRIOLO SETBACK — M4.8 EARTHQUAKE — SURFACE RUPTURE DISPLACES FOUNDATIONS — $285,000 STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND PROPERTY DIMINUTION. A residential subdivision developer in Lakeview Terrace (Los Angeles County) retained a geology consultant to prepare an Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone investigation report required by the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety as a condition of tentative tract map approval. The AP fault investigation report was prepared and stamped by a person holding a Professional Geologist (PG) license but no BPELSG CEG designation (BPELSG CEG-NNNNN Registry confirms no CEG for the defendant). AEG Technical Guidance Document No. 3 Chapter 6 requires paleoseismic trench investigation at locations that cross the fault trace identified on the CGS Fault Activity Map of California; surface mapping alone is insufficient to conclude a fault is inactive within an AP zone boundary. The PG consultant reviewed the CGS Fault Activity Map and identified a potentially active fault trace of the Sierra Madre Fault system crossing the northeastern portion of the subdivision parcel. The consultant conducted surface geologic mapping of the project area and concluded, without trenching, that the mapped fault trace was inactive based on no visible surface expression observed in a pedestrian walkover survey. No paleoseismic trenches were excavated. AEG Chapter 6 requires that a fault activity determination based solely on surface mapping is not an acceptable substitute for trench investigation for mapped AP zone faults. The AP report was accepted by the building department. Building permits were issued for five homes in the northeastern portion of the subdivision, with setbacks calculated from the consultant’s incorrectly mapped fault location that did not require the 50-foot AP setback. A M4.8 earthquake on the Sierra Madre Fault produced surface rupture along the fault trace crossing the subdivision, with approximately 4 inches of right-lateral offset and 2 inches of vertical component. Three of the five homes closest to the fault trace experienced foundation displacement: two homes had garage slab cracking extending through the foundation, and one home had a bearing wall foundation crack requiring emergency shoring. Structural repair costs and property diminution totaled $285,000. The homeowners retained a licensed CEG and structural engineer to opine on the AP investigation deficiency and causation of the foundation damage.
• UNLICENSED GEOLOGIST STAMPS SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS FOR 35-FOOT CUT SLOPE GRADING PLAN WITHOUT CEG LICENSE — ISRM SUGGESTED METHODS ROCK DISCONTINUITY MAPPING NOT PERFORMED FOR FOLIATED SCHIST HILLSIDE — BARTON Q-SYSTEM ROCK MASS CLASSIFICATION NOT CONDUCTED — PRESUMED SOIL-LIKE BEHAVIOR — KINEMATIC ANALYSIS OMITTED — UNDERDIP FOLIATION PLANES NOT IDENTIFIED — FIRST WINTER RAINY SEASON — WEDGE FAILURE ON FOLIATION PLANES — 3,500 CY DEBRIS BLOCKS DRIVEWAY — ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNER VEHICLE DAMAGE AND PERSONAL INJURY — $195,000 PROPERTY DAMAGE AND INJURY COSTS. A hillside residential development project in the Santa Monica Mountains required a geologic slope stability analysis for a proposed 35-foot engineered cut slope as a condition of grading permit issuance. The slope stability analysis was prepared and stamped by a person holding a Geotechnical Engineer (GE) license under § 6736.1 but no BPELSG CEG designation (BPELSG CEG-NNNNN Registry confirms no CEG for the defendant; note that a GE license does not authorize engineering geologic reports requiring CEG stamp). The 35-foot cut slope was proposed in a hillside area mapped by CGS as underlain by Precambrian schist with well-developed foliation. ISRM Suggested Method for Quantitative Description of Discontinuities requires rock discontinuity mapping including measurement of foliation orientation (strike and dip), joint set orientations, joint spacing, roughness (Jr), alteration (Ja), and persistence — all inputs to the Barton Q-system classification. The GE consultant treated the weathered schist as a soil-like material and conducted a two-dimensional limit equilibrium stability analysis (circular failure surface, Bishop method) without performing ISRM rock discontinuity mapping or Q-system classification. No kinematic stereonet analysis was performed to assess plane, wedge, or toppling failure modes on the discontinuity planes. Foliation in the schist dipped at 22° in the updip direction (into the proposed cut face), creating an underdip foliation geometry where the foliation planes dip at a shallower angle than the cut slope face — a geometry predisposed to plane and wedge sliding on the foliation surfaces. The circular failure analysis returned a factor of safety of 1.65, and the grading permit was issued. During the first winter rainy season, elevated pore pressure on the foliation planes reduced the effective normal stress on the foliation surface. A wedge failure developed on the intersection of the west-dipping foliation plane and a cross-cutting joint set, mobilizing approximately 3,500 cubic yards of schist debris. The debris flow blocked the single-access driveway to the adjacent downhill property, and a vehicle parked in the adjacent property’s driveway was damaged by the debris runout. The adjacent property owner sustained a non-catastrophic slip-and-fall injury on the debris field. Total property damage and injury costs were $195,000. The adjacent property owner retained a licensed CEG and geotechnical specialist to opine on the rock mass characterization deficiency and causation of the wedge failure.
• UNLICENSED GEOTECHNICAL CONSULTANT STAMPS LANDSLIDE GEOLOGIC HAZARD INVESTIGATION FOR HILLSIDE RESIDENTIAL ADDITION WITHOUT CEG LICENSE — AEG TECHNICAL GUIDANCE CHAPTER 4 MINIMUM BORING INVESTIGATION DEPTH FOR SITE BELOW CGS SEISMIC HAZARD ZONE NOT COMPLETED — ANCIENT LANDSLIDE DEPOSIT NOT IDENTIFIED — GRADING PERMIT ISSUED BY AHJ — HILLSIDE ADDITION GRADING TRIGGERS DORMANT LANDSLIDE REACTIVATION — SLOPE FAILURE — NEIGHBORING PROPERTY RETAINING WALL DAMAGED — CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION EMERGENCY STABILIZATION ORDER — $95,000 REMEDIATION COSTS. A homeowner in the Palos Verdes Peninsula sought a grading permit for a 600 square-foot room addition requiring a 15-foot fill slope at the rear of the existing single-family residence. The site was located within a CGS-designated Seismic Hazard Zone for earthquake-induced landslide. A geologic hazard investigation report was required by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes as a condition of grading permit issuance. The geologic hazard investigation was prepared and stamped by a person holding a Civil Engineer (PE-CE) license but no BPELSG CEG designation (BPELSG CEG-NNNNN Registry confirms no CEG for the defendant; a PE-CE does not have authority to stamp engineering geologic hazard reports). AEG Technical Guidance Document No. 3 Chapter 4 requires that boring investigations for geologic hazard studies in CGS Seismic Hazard Zones penetrate to a depth sufficient to identify all potential failure surfaces, including ancient landslide slip surfaces, which may be located at depths greater than 1.5 times the proposed cut or fill height. For a site below a CGS Seismic Hazard Zone designated for earthquake-induced landslide, the investigation must address the potential for deep-seated landslide reactivation. The PE-CE consultant conducted a single boring to 15 feet — approximately 1.0 times the proposed fill height — which encountered firm colluvium and was terminated without penetrating the underlying Altamira Shale and without encountering the ancient landslide slip surface located at approximately 28 feet below grade. The ancient landslide deposit was not identified, and the geologic hazard report concluded no landslide hazard. The grading permit was issued. During grading operations, the 15-foot fill placed at the rear of the property loaded the head scarp area of the unidentified ancient landslide. Approximately three weeks after fill placement, the dormant landslide reactivated, producing a slow-moving earth flow that displaced the neighboring downhill property’s concrete retaining wall by approximately 18 inches. The California Department of Conservation issued an emergency stabilization order requiring immediate geotechnical investigation and slope stabilization. Emergency investigation, retaining wall repair, and slope stabilization totaled $95,000. The neighboring property owner retained a licensed CEG to opine on the investigation depth deficiency and causation of the landslide reactivation.

Distinct From Professional Geologist (§ 7843 PG), Geotechnical Engineer (§ 6736.1 GE), Civil Engineer (§ 6730 PE-CE), and Environmental Engineer (§ 6701 PE-EnvE)

• DISTINCT FROM Professional Geologist (Bus. & Prof. Code § 7843 PG) — A Professional Geologist (PG) is licensed to perform geological mapping, geological investigation, and geological reporting; a PG license does NOT authorize engineering geology work including slope stability analysis, Alquist-Priolo fault zone investigations, or engineering geologic reports required by building departments; engineering geology requires the separate CEG designation under § 7832: a PG who stamps Alquist-Priolo fault zone investigation reports, hillside development geologic hazard reports, or seismic hazard zone geologic reports without a CEG designation commits § 7835 unauthorized engineering geology practice regardless of PG licensure; the § 7832 CEG fee petition requires confirming absence of CEG-NNNNN in the BPELSG CEG registry — not just confirming PG licensure; a PG license confirms only geological investigation authority, not engineering geology authority.
• DISTINCT FROM Geotechnical Engineer (Bus. & Prof. Code § 6736.1 GE) — A Geotechnical Engineer (GE) is licensed to perform foundation engineering design, soil mechanics analysis, and geotechnical report preparation; a GE may prepare geotechnical reports but may NOT prepare engineering geologic reports requiring CEG stamp authority, including Alquist-Priolo fault zone investigation reports, landslide geologic hazard reports, and seismic hazard zone geologic reports: a GE who stamps engineering geologic reports — including fault zone investigation reports or slope stability geologic hazard reports submitted to building departments under the Alquist-Priolo Act or Seismic Hazards Mapping Act — without a CEG designation commits unauthorized engineering geology practice; the engineering geology scope (CEG) and geotechnical engineering scope (GE) are complementary but non-overlapping for specific report types.
• DISTINCT FROM Civil Engineer (Bus. & Prof. Code § 6730 PE-CE) — A Civil Engineer (PE-CE) is licensed to prepare grading plans, drainage designs, and civil site improvement engineering; a Civil Engineer PE-CE prepares grading plans but may NOT stamp engineering geologic reports; the engineering geology investigation underlying the grading plan requires CEG stamp authority: a PE-CE who stamps engineering geologic hazard investigation reports, Alquist-Priolo AP fault investigation reports, or seismic hazard zone geologic reports without a CEG designation commits unauthorized engineering geology practice; grading permit compliance for hillside sites in CGS Seismic Hazard Zones requires both a PE-CE-stamped grading plan and a CEG-stamped geologic hazard investigation report; neither license substitutes for the other.
• DISTINCT FROM Environmental Engineer (Bus. & Prof. Code § 6701 PE-EnvE) — An Environmental Engineer (PE-EnvE) is licensed to perform Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, groundwater contamination engineering, and remediation system design; a PE-EnvE may not stamp engineering geologic fault zone investigations, slope stability geologic analyses, or landslide hazard geologic reports requiring CEG stamp authority: environmental engineering (PE-EnvE) and engineering geology (CEG) are entirely separate practice areas; a contaminated hillside site may require both a PE-EnvE-stamped environmental remediation engineering design and a CEG-stamped geologic hazard investigation; neither license authorizes the practice of the other.

Billing Gaps 1–3 Summary (13.25 hrs/yr = $3,975–$6,625/yr)

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