Public works projects and engineers -- does our Town need to hire an engineer for "big" projects.

For the past 50 years or so, any public works project which cost in excess of $5,000 required the services of a Registered Professional Engineer. That changed in 1997 when the law was modified to reflect a higher project cost. That dollar limit is now $100,000. The law (Title 32, Section 1254) now states that :

"any department of this State ..., any county, city, town, township or plantation may engage in construction of any public work involving professional engineering without procuring the services of a registered professional engineer, as long as the contemplated expenditure for the completed project does not exceed $100,000 and the work, both as performed and as completed, does not create an undue risk to public safety or welfare."