January/February 2019

PE Report
North Carolina Board Takes Action on Red-Light Camera Installation

Companies planning to install red-light traffic cameras in North Carolina without being licensed to practice in the state, may want to stop—or risk being taken to court. In November, the North Carolina engineering licensing board concluded, after an investigation, that a firm without a license to practice in the state violated the law when it installed red-light cameras.

In a letter to American Traffic Solutions Inc., Board Executive Director Andrew Ritter informed the company that evidence suggests that it is practicing or offering to practice engineering in North Carolina without being licensed by the board. If the company doesn’t comply with the request, the board can apply for a legal injunction from the state’s Department of Justice.

The investigation stemmed from activities related to producing engineering plans for the installation of red-light cameras and producing survey data, which must be performed by a licensed professional land surveyor, for the City of Wilmington. According to a December 2 article in the Port City Daily, the red-light cameras were built by American Traffic Solutions in 2009 and placed at 13 locations in Wilmington. The firm issued a statement in June that it was in full compliance with the law.

According to North Carolina law, a corporation or business firm can’t practice engineering unless it is licensed by the state board and has paid an application fee. The firm is subject to the same responsibilities as an individual licensee, and this does not affect the requirement that all engineering or land surveying work done by the firm should be performed by or under the responsible charge of an individual licensee.

This isn’t the first time that the practice of engineering related to traffic signals and cameras has warranted a licensing board investigation or has made the news. In 2011, the board investigated if a report submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation outlining the need for two traffic signals in a Raleigh subdivision crossed the line into the practice of engineering. In 2017, Oregon resident Mats Järlström conducted a study of traffic light timing after receiving a $150 fine for a driving violation at a camera-monitored intersection. The degreed engineer was fined $500 by the engineering licensing board for unlicensed practice. The case drew national media attention and a ruling from Oregon’s attorney general that the licensing board violated Järlström’s free speech rights.