on assist.org it says that for the general 16-17 catalog that Civil Engineer majors are strongly recommended to take Berkeley’s Biology 1B class. I am not planning on taking this class. On the 15-16 catalog it says that “Beginning Fall 2017 UCB Biology 1B will be required for admission.” Now my question to you is the following: Do I need to take this class or should I take this class if I am applying for Fall 2017? In other words, will my chances be lower for admission if I did not take this class?
If the class is required, then yes you should take it or your application may not be considered.
http://engineering.berkeley.edu/student-services/degree-requirements/degree-worksheets indicates that UCB CivE requires either Biology 1B or Civil Engineering 70 (Engineering Geology) to fulfill one of its requirements to complete the major. So you probably want to take a Biology 1B equivalent course before transfer anyway, particularly if a Civil Engineering 70 equivalent course is not available.
Due to the conflicting nature of the ASSIST sheets, it would be best to ask the department whether taking a Biology 1B equivalent course is actually required for admission. (It is odd that the newer version does not refer to the statement in the older version that it will be required.)