The Board proposes the rule amendment to update the procedures for signing and sealing electronically transmitted plans, specifications, reports or other documents.

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION
Board of Architecture and Interior Design

RULE NO.: RULE TITLE:
61G1-16.005: Procedures for Signing and Sealing Electronically Transmitted Plans, Specifications, Reports or Other Documents
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The Board proposes the rule amendment to update the procedures for signing and sealing electronically transmitted plans, specifications, reports or other documents.
SUMMARY: Procedures for signing and sealing electronically transmitted plans, specifications, reports or other documents will be updated.
SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS AND LEGISLATIVE RATIFICATION:
The Agency has determined that this will not have an adverse impact on small business or likely increase directly or indirectly regulatory costs in excess of $200,000 in the aggregate within one year after the implementation of the rule. A SERC has not been prepared by the agency.
The Agency has determined that the proposed rule is not expected to require legislative ratification based on the statement of estimated regulatory costs or if no SERC is required, the information expressly relied upon and described herein: During discussion of the economic impact of this rule at its Board meeting, the Board, based upon the expertise and experience of its members, determined that a Statement of Estimated Regulatory Costs (SERC) was not necessary and that the rule will not require ratification by the Legislature. No person or interested party submitted additional information regarding the economic impact at that time.
Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY: 481.2055, 481.221(2), (3) FS.
LAW IMPLEMENTED: 481.221(2), (3) FS.
IF REQUESTED WITHIN 21 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THIS NOTICE, A HEARING WILL BE SCHEDULED AND ANNOUNCED IN THE FAW.
THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Anthony Spivey, Executive Director, Board of Architecture and Interior Design, 1940 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0750

THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:

61G1-16.005 Procedures for Signing and Sealing Electronically Transmitted Plans, Specifications, Reports or Other Documents.

(1) Information stored in electronic files representing plans, specifications, plats, reports, or other documents which must be sealed under the provisions of Chapter 481, F.S., shall be signed, dated and sealed by the architect or interior designer in responsible charge.

(a) A scanned image of an original signature shall not be used in lieu of a digital or electronic signature.

(b) The date that the electronic signature file was created or the digital signature was placed into the document must appear on the document in the same manner as date is required to be applied when a licensee uses the manual sealing procedure set out in Rule 61G1-16.003, F.A.C.

(2) An architect or interior designer utilizing a digital signature to seal construction documents shall assure that the digital signature is:

(a) Unique to the person using it;

(b) Capable of verification;

(c) Under the sole control of the person using it; and

(d) Linked to a document in such a manner that the electronic signature is invalidated if any data in the document are changed.

(3)(2) Electronic files may be signed and sealed by creating a “signature” file that contains the architect’s or interior designer’s name and license number, a brief overall description of the documents, and a list of the electronic files to be sealed. Each file in the list shall be identified by its file name utilizing relative Uniform Resource Locators (URL) syntax described in the Internet Architecture Board’s Request for Comments (RFC) 1738, December 1994, which is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference by the Board and can be obtained from the Internet Website: ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in_notes/rfc1738.txt. Each file shall have an authentication code defined as an SHA-1 a message digest described in Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 180-4 180-1 “Secure Hash Standard,” March 2012, 1995 April 17 which is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference by the Board and can be obtained from the Internet Website: http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/fips180-4/fips-180-4.pdf http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fip180-1.htm. A report shall be created that contains the architect’s or interior designer’s license number, a brief overall description of the documents in question and the authentication code of the signature file. This report shall be printed and manually signed, dated, and sealed by the architect or interior designer in responsible charge. The signature file is defined as sealed if its authentication code matches the authentication code on the printed, manually signed, dated and sealed report. Each electronic file listed in a sealed signature file is defined as sealed if the listed authentication code matches the file’s computed authentication code.

Rulemaking Specific Authority 481.2055, 481.221(2), (3) FS. Law Implemented 481.221(2), (3) FS. History–New 4-23-06, Amended________.

NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Board of Architecture and Interior Design
NAME OF AGENCY HEAD WHO APPROVED THE PROPOSED RULE: Board of Architecture and Interior Design
DATE PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD: February 10, 2012
DATE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAW: February 24, 2012