Professional Land Surveyor

Pennsylvania Licensure Requirements

An individual licensed and registered by the state board to engage in the practice of land surveying, which is the practice of that branch of the profession of engineering which involves the location, relocation, establishment, reestablishment or retracement of any property line or boundary of any parcel of land or any road right-of-way, easement or alignment.

Degree Requirement: 

Associate's or Bachelor's Degree - An applicant to be licensed as a professional land surveyor must show proof of one of the following: 

1. graduation from an approved civil engineering curriculum of at least four years, including no less than ten credit hours instruction in surveying.
2. six or more years of progressive experience in surveying and knowledge, skill and education deemed equivalent, in accordance with board regulation, to graduation from an approved curriculum in land surveying or civil engineering; or
3. an associate's degree in an approved surveying technology curriculum.
   

Examination Requirement: 

2 Examinations - A candidate for licensure as a professional land surveyor shall be certified as a land surveyor-in-training and achieve a passing score on the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying principles and practice of surveying examination and the fundamentals of land surveying examination.

Experience: 

Land Surveyor-in-Training Experience Required - Applicants who apply for licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor must have been certified as a land surveyor-intraining. To qualify for the principles and practice examination, the applicant shall demonstrate: (1) Four or more years of progressive experience in land surveying work performed after the issuance of the surveyor-in-training certificate and under the supervision of a professional land surveyor or a similarly qualified surveyor of a grade or character to fit him to assume responsible charge of the work involved in the practice of land surveying or (2) Four or more years of progressive teaching experience in an approved curriculum under the supervision of a professional land surveyor or a

similarly qualified surveyor of a grade and character to fit him to assume responsible charge of the work involved in the practice of land surveying.

Continuing Education (when renewing license): 

24 Hours - During each biennial renewal period, a licensee shall complete 24 professional development hours of continuing education. A licensee is not required to complete continuing education during the biennium in which the licensee is first licensed. 

Initial Licensing Fee: 

$50.00

Licensure Renewal Fee: 

$100.00 - Biennial renewal of license.

Licensure by Act 41:

Act 41 allows for portability of out-of-state professional licensees coming to work in Pennsylvania. Act 41 does this by granting all boards and commissions within the Commonwealth the authority to endorse licensees from other states, territories or jurisdictions (with substantially equivalent licensing requirements) who are active, in good standing and without discipline against their license or criminal conviction.