Land Surveyor in New York—Licensing
Discover the requirements and process of obtaining a New York land surveyor license. Learn how Harbor Compliance can make the process a breeze.
Professional Land Surveyor in New York—Quick Guide
Becoming a professional land surveyor in New York opens up opportunities, such as the legal authority to determine property boundaries or start a land surveying firm. Due to the significant responsibilities associated with these roles, such as ensuring the accuracy of land measurements and boundaries, New York requires individuals and firms to meet specific criteria to perform these duties.
This guide will explain the conditions you must meet to become a professional land surveyor in New York. It will also introduce Harbor Compliance—a service that can help you stay updated with the latest regulations, allowing you to focus on your core responsibilities.
Who Is a New York Land Surveyor?
A New York land surveyor is a professional who meets the statutory requirements for licensure in the state. These include attaining specific educational qualifications, passing a series of examinations, and gaining relevant experience.
The licensure is granted by the New York State Office of the Professions, the authoritative body mandated to oversee the practice of land surveying in the state. It ensures surveyors uphold the state's engineering and land surveying standards, maintaining the integrity and accuracy of land measurements and boundaries in New York.
An individual authorized to conduct land surveys in the state can legally determine property boundaries and provide data on the characteristics of land or land features, including dimension, shape, contour, elevation, and location. Their work forms the basis for planning, designing, and executing projects in sectors where accurate land measurements are a necessity, such as:
- Construction
- Real estate
- Environmental projects
New York Land Surveyor License Requirements
In New York, there are two types of land surveyor license requirements:
- Individual license requirements
- Firm licence requirements
Individual License Requirements
To be licensed as a land surveyor in New York State, an individual must meet several conditions, including the following:
| Land Surveyor Requirements | Explaination |
|---|---|
| Age | The individual must be at least 21 years old. |
| Character | They must be of good moral character, generally determined through background checks and professional references. |
| Examinations | The person must pass a series of tests, including the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam, the NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam, and the New York State Specific Land Surveying exam. |
| Education | The individual must have a bachelor's degree or higher in land surveying. Alternatively, an associate's degree or higher in engineering, math, or related science with acceptable credits in land surveying can be considered. |
| Experience | The individual must have relevant experience in the field. The exact duration of experience required can vary based on the individual's educational background. |
| Continuing education | As per the New York State Education Law Title VIII, Article 145, land surveyors must complete 24 hours of continuing education during each three-year registration period. This requirement ensures that professionals stay updated with the latest practices. It also helps safeguard the public interest by ensuring only qualified and competent professionals practice land surveying in the state. |
Firm License Requirements
The typical requirements firms must meet to obtain licenses to offer land surveying services in New York include:
- Professional ownership—A certain percentage of firm ownership must be by licensed land surveyors, ensuring operations are overseen by individuals who understand the profession's standards and ethics.
- Professional management—The firm must be managed by a licensed land surveyor. This ensures that the firm's day-to-day operations comply with professional standards.
- Licensed personnel—Any individual carrying out land surveying services on behalf of the firm must be licensed to offer them within New York State.
Individual and Firm Licenses—Why Does Your Land Surveying Business Need Both?
No land surveying business in the state of New York can operate without both an individual and firm license, and here’s why:
- Operating as an individual land surveying business with only an individual license is impractical since it means the individual is operating without a forming legal entity, which would provide limited liability.
- Marketing land surveying services and entering contracts to provide them requires having a land surveying firm license. To obtain it, the business needs to be at least partially owned and managed by licensed professional land surveyors.
- Applying for a firm license requires the business to list at least one individual professional on the license application, known as “professionals-in-responsible-charge.” If those individuals’ licenses fall out of good standing, the company license does as well. This means that companies need to keep track of both the firm and individual licenses of the professional-in-responsible-charge.
- Keeping track of all of the licenses within the company and their statuses will help the business avoid disruptions. This way, they’ll know which employees are qualified to replace any current professionals-in-responsible-charge who leave the firm or fail to maintain their license.
New York Land Surveyor License Renewal
Under the New York State Education Law Title VIII, Article 145, land surveyors and firms authorized to offer land surveying services must renew their licenses every three years.
If a license is not renewed before the expiration date, it becomes delinquent. During this period, the license holder is not authorized to practice until the license is reinstated. This reinstatement process involves meeting the renewal requirements and paying any applicable fees—the amount owed is a function of how late the renewal is.
Given the high potential for frequent regulatory changes, it can be challenging to keep track of all the details while handling your day-to-day work. To ensure you're on top of legal obligations, consider working with a dedicated service to help you secure your New York land surveyor license. For example, Harbor Compliance can assist with tracking statutory requirements and filing the required paperwork, reducing your workload so you can focus on your core business—providing land surveying services.
Streamlining Professional Land Surveyor Licensing With Harbor Compliance
Harbor Compliance's Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions are designed to reduce your workload when applying for a New York land surveyor license. Our Software Suite links your compliance data to our self-updating database of nationwide requirements using the Compliance CoreTM algorithm, allowing you to confidently manage your entity registrations, business licenses, tax registrations, and corporate records, all in one place.
Our License Manager provides information on over 800 licensing requirements across all states and automatically updates changes in regulations, eliminating the need for tracking them using spreadsheets and file storage, which are time-consuming and prone to errors.
Our Software Suite also includes the Entity Manager, which features an interactive map, providing instant clarity on your organization's standing in different jurisdictions. You can also access our Tax Manager, allowing you to stay on top of deadlines and requirements in multiple states. Other modules you can explore are the Records Manager, which securely stores corporate records, allowing you to track ownership and leadership and stay ready to report Beneficial Ownership Information to FinCEN, and Requirements Research Engine, which enables you to easily search Compliance CoreTM data, including filing fees, forms, agency contact data, continuing education requirements, and more.
Our Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions can benefit professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries, helping them obtain critical licenses, such as:
- Engineering Firm
- Geoscience Firm
- Land Surveying Firm
Benefits of Using Harbor Compliance Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions
Engaging with Harbor Compliance has several benefits, including the following:
- Nationwide licensing requirements at your fingertips—With the Requirements Research Engine powered by Compliance Core™, our proprietary algorithm behind the Software Suite, you can instantly view the licensing requirements for all states.
- Reduced risk—Our software and fully managed services provide the resources you need to minimize the risk of licensing lapses.
- Reclaimed staff hours—By efficiently managing the filings and renewals needed to meet statutory obligations, we help you reduce hours spent on government paperwork, allowing you to focus on your core business.
- Capture more opportunities—With our help managing complex professional licensing requirements, your firm can capture more opportunities, such as expanding into new states, without being held back by licensing concerns.
- Fast service—Enjoy direct access to a dedicated team of specialists who provide expert guidance, responsive support, and fast service.
Ordering Harbor Compliance's Engineering Licensing Service
To benefit from our Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions, follow these steps:
- Visit the solution page.
- Click “Contact Us.”
- Key in your details.
- Verify that everything is correct and click “Let’s talk.”
Harbor Compliance provides three flexible service options to cater to your specific needs—the table below breaks down each option:
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Fully managed | With this option, you can sit back and let our team handle most of the licensing steps, including preparing applications and tracking renewals. This option is only suitable for firm licenses. |
| Self-managed | If you prefer to be more hands-on, consider the self-managed option. Our cloud-based software gives you access to our database and tools, giving you complete control over the process. |
| Hybrid | If you want flexibility, you can decide which tasks you want to handle and which ones you'd like our team to complete on your behalf. |
Additional Services by Harbor Compliance
We also offer additional services to help you meet other obligations and maintain good standing with the state:
- Entity lifecycle management—We handle various tasks, from DBA registration to withdrawal, ensuring smooth entity management.
- Document filing and retrieval—Harbor Compliance can assist with obtaining a certificate of good standing, drop-off filing, and more.
- Registered agent service—Our comprehensive service can help with appointing and changing registered agents in multiple jurisdictions.
- Business licensing support—We offer support for various industries, including architecture, construction, and real estate.
- Beneficial ownership information reporting—Outsource BOI reporting to our team of professionals and enjoy peace of mind.
- Nonprofit formation—We can help with incorporation, charitable registration, and 501(c) tax exemption.
- Tax Services—Our tax services include payroll tax registration, sales and use tax registration, and Employer Identification Number (EIN).
New York Professional Land Surveyor FAQs
Here are answers to frequently asked questions about professional land surveyors in New York. For more information, visit our comprehensive Information Center.
To become a land surveyor in New York, follow these steps:
- Ensure you meet the specified age, education, character, and exam requirements.
- Gather the documentation that proves you have the required experience.
- Complete the Application for Licensure (Form 1) and submit it to the Office of the Professions.
- If applicable, complete the Verification of Out-of-State Licensure, Registration, and/or Examination (Form 3) and submit it to the Office of the Professions.
Yes. A business offering professional engineering and land surveying services in New York must obtain two Certificates of Authorization—one for each type of service.
If you are licensed as a land surveyor in another state, you can become licensed in New York by meeting this state's requirements for licensure. You must also complete an Application for Licensure (Form 1) and Verification of Out-of-State Licensure, Registration and/or Examination (Form 3), and submit them to the Office of the Professions.
Partner With Harbor Compliance To Secure Your Land Surveyor License
Harbor Compliance is a dependable resource for securing your land surveyor license. Order our Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions to eliminate the guesswork involved in understanding and meeting licensure requirements and stay updated and prepared for changes.
To see our solutions in action, schedule a demonstration of our robust software. If you're looking to assess whether you meet specific states' requirements, use our free Harbor Compliance Score™. Should you spot areas you can improve, enquire about our additional services or contact our team.
For more information on engineering licensure requirements in different states, refer to the table below:
