Employment under civil service laws; employment by persons, firms or corporations of only licensed professional planners

Where professional planners are employed subject to the provisions of the civil service law, the appointment of such person shall be understood to mean and include appointment after such person has been certified as having satisfactorily passed a civil service examination. No person, firm, association, or corporation engaged in professional planning shall employ a professional planner in responsible charge of any work, within the meaning and intent of this act, other than a duly qualified professional planner who has been licensed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter prior to such employment by the person, firm, association, or corporation so engaged in professional planning; provided, however, that nothing in this act shall apply to any public utility as defined in chapter 2 of Title 48 of the Revised Statutes, or any employee thereof, or to any improvement or proposed improvement made by any such public utility or by any employee of or contractor or agent for said public utility.