This section limits indemnity and defense clauses in certain engineering, architectural, and land surveying contracts with governmental agencies, and it sets the required professional standard of care.
Sec. 271.904. ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURAL, OR LAND SURVEYING SERVICES CONTRACTS: INDEMNIFICATION LIMITATIONS; DUTIES OF ENGINEER, ARCHITECT, OR LAND SURVEYOR. (a) A covenant or promise in, in connection with, or collateral to a contract for engineering, architectural, or land surveying services to which a governmental agency is a party is void and unenforceable if the covenant or promise provides that a licensed engineer, registered architect, or land surveyor whose work product is the subject of the contract must indemnify or hold harmless the governmental agency against liability for damage, other than liability for damage to the extent that the damage is caused by or results from an act of negligence, intentional tort, intellectual property infringement, or failure to pay a subcontractor or supplier committed by the indemnitor or the indemnitor's agent, consultant under contract, or another entity over which the indemnitor exercises control. (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a covenant or promise in, in connection with, or collateral to a contract for engineering, architectural, or land surveying services to which a governmental agency is a party is void and unenforceable if the covenant or promise provides that a licensed engineer, registered architect, or land surveyor whose work product is the subject of the contract must defend a party, including a third party, against a claim based wholly or partly on the negligence of, fault of, or breach of contract by the governmental agency, the agency's agent, the agency's employee, or other entity, excluding the engineer, architect, or land surveyor or that person's agent, employee, or subconsultant, over which the governmental agency exercises control. A covenant or promise may provide for the reimbursement of a governmental agency's reasonable attorney's fees in proportion to the engineer's, architect's, or land surveyor's liability. (c) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), a governmental agency may require in a contract for engineering, architectural, or land surveying services to which the governmental agency is a party that the engineer, architect, or land surveyor name the governmental agency as an additional insured under the engineer's, architect's, or land surveyor's general liability insurance policy and provide any defense provided by the policy. (d) A contract for engineering, architectural, or land surveying services to which a governmental agency is a party must require a licensed engineer, registered architect, or land surveyor to perform services: (1) with the professional skill and care ordinarily provided by competent engineers, architects, or land surveyors practicing under the same or similar circumstances and professional license; and (2) as expeditiously as is prudent considering the ordinary professional skill and care of a competent engineer, architect, or land surveyor. (e) In a contract for engineering, architectural, or land surveying services to which a governmental agency is a party, a provision establishing a different standard of care than a standard described by Subsection (d) is void and unenforceable. If a contract contains a void and unenforceable provision, the standard of care described by Subsection (d) applies. (f) In this section: (1) "Governmental agency" has the meaning assigned by Section 271.003. (2) "Land surveyor" means a registered professional land surveyor or licensed state land surveyor as those terms are defined by Section 1071.002, Occupations Code. (g) Nothing in this section prohibits a governmental agency in a contract for engineering, architectural, or land surveying services to which the governmental agency is a party from including and enforcing conditions that relate to the scope, fees, and schedule of a project in the contract. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 746, Sec. 8, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 351, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1213 (H.B. 1886), Sec. 8, eff. September 1, 2007. Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 757 (H.B. 2049), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2015. Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 879 (H.B. 3021), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2017. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 306 (S.B. 687), Sec. 7, eff. September 1, 2025.