Honduras approves new professional responsibility law for construction

The Legislative Assembly has approved the Special Law of Professional Responsibility for Persons Subject to Registration in the Registry of Professionals and Urbanization and Construction Service Providers. This legislation establishes new rules for the registration, supervision, and exercise of professionals involved in the planning, design, execution, supervision, control, and maintenance of construction and urbanization projects.

Managed by the Dirección de Ordenamiento Territorial (DOT), the registry will be organized into specialties including environmental, urban auditing, construction, cultural, and facilitators. Professionals must meet specific training and experience requirements to join. For example, environmental impact assessors must demonstrate at least 80 hours of specialized training and three years of professional experience.

To modernize oversight, the law mandates the use of Certified Electronic Signatures (FEC) and Professional Electronic Seals for validating technical documents such as blueprints and calculation reports. A public platform will also be available to verify the active, suspended, or canceled status of professionals.

Violations will be categorized as minor, serious, or very serious. Very serious offenses—such as practicing without registration, submitting falsified documentation, or causing injury through professional negligence—may result in fines ranging from approximately US$1,635.20 to US$8,176.