50-State Land Surveyor Licensing Compliance Guide
Land Surveyor Licensing
Land surveyors in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, must be individually licensed before practicing or soliciting business as a surveyor.
While each state board for surveyors has its own requirements for licensure, potential licensees will follow a similar path of prerequisites to obtain a license in any state. Prerequisites typically include:
- An education requirement - Sometimes a high school diploma but some states also require a four-year degree from an accredited surveying program.
- Successful completion of a Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) written examination, testing an applicant’s breadth of understanding of basic surveying principles.
- Successful completion of a written Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) examination, testing an applicant's knowledge and competency of surveying skills.
- A requisite amount of surveying experience, which for most states is four years and is usually under the supervision of a professional surveyor.
In many states, prior to providing land surveying services in a state, firms are required to meet a number of licensing and registration requirements. Although not every state issues a land surveying firm license, surveying businesses in non-licensure states must adhere to regulations dealing with entity structure, ownership, and individual licenses needed before taking on surveying projects.
In states where a firm license is required, firms must designate an employee as the surveyor in responsible charge of all surveying activities. The surveyor in charge is generally required to have an active professional surveyor license in the state where the firm license is being issued.
This guide will provide you with all of the state-specific information you’ll need to obtain and maintain your license as an individual land surveyor, or as a land surveying company.
