California has a Guide to Engineering and Land Surveying for City and County Officials at
http://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/pubs/local_officials_guide.pdf. Concerning Plan check, it says:"If the level of review done during plan checking is strictly simple code compliance—a
non-discretionary comparison of the engineering documents with the clearly mandated
code requirements and a determination of whether the engineering documents comply
with those clearly mandated code requirements—then the plan checking does not rise
to the level of professional engineering and does not have to be performed by, or under
the responsible charge of, an appropriately licensed engineer.
"HOWEVER, if the level of review done during plan checking involves the exercise of
professional engineering discretion and independent engineering judgments, analyses,
and determinations by the plan checker, then the plan checking would rise to the
level of professional engineering and would have to be performed by, or under the
responsible charge of, an appropriately licensed engineer."