Professional engineering expert witnesses may write reports and testify on issues involving engineering risk assessments, registered professional engineers, and safety and hazard analysis. In Consumer Guide to Professional Engineering and Professional Land Surveying, the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists writes:
For a home or other building that has been damaged by natural forces such as earthquake, wind, flood, or fire, consultation with a civil or structural engineer is recommended to determine if the building is safe to occupy and can safely be repaired or rebuilt. Civil and/or structural engineers can judge whether or not damage has made a building unsafe to live or work in, or if its condition endangers nearby buildings or the public. Sometimes a geotechnical or soils report is necessary. If so, both civil and geotechnical engineers can provide this service. It is also possible that a survey would need to be done to relocate your property boundaries.
Read more: http://www.pels.ca.gov/pubs/index.shtml.