P.R. Laws tit. 20, § 760
Every construction plan or document certified before the corresponding government agency shall bear a seal which shall be jointly adopted and issued by the Architects Association and the College created by §§ 731—743 of this title, at a rate of one dollar ($1) for every thousand dollars ($1,000) or fraction thereof of the cost of the construction project; Provided, That the seal shall take the place of the seal provided in § 741 of this title.
Said seal shall be affixed by the professionals responsible for the design of the various parts of the construction.
When the seals are affixed to the plans of the particular project and presented at any agency, they shall be considered as having been affixed in any other agency of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
No seals shall be required on the plans prepared for the construction of housing with a budget of less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or for housing improvement projects for low-income families. If said plans or other architectural works are prepared for public works by architects employed by any municipality, department or similar body of the Government of Puerto Rico they shall not be required to affix said seals to the plans. Be it understood, That to the effects of this exemption, those architects who in drawing up plans, projects and specifications for public works act as private professionals, advisors or consultants engaged in the independent practice of the profession and whose remuneration shall be paid on the basis of fees shall not be considered as public employees. No department, agency, instrumentality, municipality or any other similar body shall approve or consider valid any plan, document or certification which does not have the corresponding seals affixed as provided herein.
In all public works adjudicated by means of competitive bidding in any department, agency, instrumentality, municipality or any other similar organism, the corresponding seals shall be cancelled on the plans, projects and specifications according to the rates indicated in this section. The Secretary, chief or official in charge in each department, agency, instrumentality, municipality or any other similar body is hereby empowered and ordered to require the contractor to see that the required seals are cancelled as provided herein; Provided, That the projects of the Urban Renewal and Housing Corporation as well as those agencies that qualify for housing programs shall be exempted from the provisions of this section.
The amounts thus collected shall be deposited in a common fund of the Puerto Rico Architects Association and the College created by §§ 731—743 of this title, and shall be divided between the Association created herein and the College created by §§ 731—743 of this title at a rate of twenty cents ($2) for each dollar ($1) for the former and of eighty cents ($0.80) for each dollar ($1) for the latter, for their respective uses.
History —July 6, 1978, No. 96, p. 284, § 10.