Professional Engineering & Land Surveying

License Requirements

Land Surveying

General Requirements

The practice of land surveying or use of the title "land surveyor" within New York State requires licensure.

To be licensed as a land surveyor in New York State you must:

• be of good moral character;
• be at least 21 years of age;
• meet education requirements;
• meet examination requirements;
• meet experience requirements;
• be a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (Alien Registration Card/USCIS I-551 Status/"Green Card"); and

You must file an Application for Licensure (Form 1) and the other forms indicated, along with the appropriate fee, to the Office of the Professions at the address specified on each form. It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material.

The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Title 8, Article 145, Section 7206-a of New York's Education Law and Part 68 of the Commissioner's Regulations.

You should also read the general licensing information applicable for all professions.

Fee Schedule

Fee Schedule:

The fee for licensure and first registration is $377. This includes Part 1, 2 and New York State Specific examination (see Examination Requirements).

The fee for eligibility tot take Part 1 of the exam only is $70

When the Department determines you are eligible for the licensing examination(s), you will be sent an examination scheduling form. This form must be submitted to our examination vendor along with the appropriate fee. The fee for the examination vendor is separate from the fees made payable to the New York State Education Department.

Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when your application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.

Fees cover the processing and evaluation of your application by the Department. Additionally, except for an application for eligibility to take only Part 1 of the examination, the fee covers your registration as a land surveyor for three years from the date your license is issued.

• Do not send cash.
• Make your personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
• Mail your application and fee to:

Partial Refunds

Individuals who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund.

• For the procedure to withdraw your application, contact the Land Surveying Unit by e-mailing opunit1@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 250 or by faxing 518-402-5354.
• The State Education Department is not responsible for any fees paid to an outside testing or credentials verification agency.

If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new applicant, and you will be required to pay the licensure and registration fees and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time you reapply.

Education and Experience Requirements

Eligibility for licensure is based on a combination of education and/or experience totaling 8 years beyond high school graduation. The credit awarded for education determines the required number of years of experience needed.

Approved Accredited/Registered Programs

Approved accredited/registered programs are master's, baccalaureate and associate degree programs in surveying, surveying engineering, surveying engineering technology, or a similar surveying-related title accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). For such programs, you would receive:

• four years of education and experience credit for a baccalaureate (or master's) degree; and
• two years for an associate's degree.

However, to receive this credit the program must have been registered by the Department or accredited by ABET at the time you earned your degree.

Proportional credit may be awarded for other education completed, depending on the course content. Contact the Bureau of Comparative Education at comped@mail.nysed.gov or 518-474-3817 ext. 300 for further information. Transcripts must be sent directly to the land surveying unit from the institution attended utilizing a Certification of Eduction (Form 2).

If you graduated from or are within 20 semester credits of completing the requirements for an ABET accredited bachelor's degree program in land surveying, or an equivalent major, you may take the Part 1 examination.

For more information about currently accredited academic programs in surveying engineering (EAC), surveying engineering technology (TAC), contact ABET at their Web site www.abet.org.

Acceptable Land Surveying Experience

The State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying evaluates acceptable experience based on criteria specified in regulations. The experience must:

1. include 50 percent of the required experience spent in charge of work related to property conveyance and/or boundary line determination;
2. demonstrate adequate experience in the technical field aspects of the profession;
3. demonstrate adequate experience in charge of the office aspects of the profession;
4. demonstrate experience in the legal aspects of the profession;
5. demonstrate adequate direct supervision of experience by a licensed land surveyor; and
6. include at least two years of experience working on projects requiring a knowledge and use of surveying codes and practices utilized in the United States.

Acceptable experience should include a full and current knowledge of all surveying equipment and shall include measurements of space, water, land and structures to determine boundaries, areas, elevations, alignments and locations; evaluation and analysis of field data, appropriate research of public and private land records, preparation of client service contracts and final surveying reports, maintenance of survey records and the supervision of field and office personnel, all in accordance with legal regulations and statutes and the standards of the professional practice.

"Stake-out" and "line and grade" surveys do not provide adequate training in themselves. However, when such surveys, including "right-of-way" surveys, are performed under the supervision and direction of a licensed land surveyor, the State Board may, at its discretion, consider granting credit for the work toward partial fulfillment of the experience requirement.

All the experience you wish to have evaluated must be described on the Report of Professional Experience (Form 4) and the Verification of Professional Experience (Form 4A) and should be accounted for chronologically. Experience descriptions must include specific duties you personally performed, the complexity of the work, and make clear the extent of your responsibility for the work.

Please list your experience in a comprehensive, detailed and explicit manner. The Department will consider only experience that you have completed by the date the application is signed and which is submitted on the forms 4 and 4A. The quality of the experience, not merely the calender time, will be evaluated. Time claimed on the forms cannot exceed actual calendar time.

Examination Requirements

Before you can be licensed, you must pass:

• Part 1 (Fundamentals of Land Surveying);
• Part 2 (Principles and Practice of Land Surveying); and
• Part 3 (New York State Specific) examinations.

Parts 1 and 2 are developed by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying (NCEES). Part 3 is developed by the New York State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying. (See General Requirements above for information about laws and regulations governing licensure as a land surveyor in New York State which may be incorporated in the Part 3 of the exam.)

The examinations are administered twice a year, in April and October, at various sites throughout New York State. You must meet two different deadlines: the deadline for submitting your licensure application to the New York State Education Department and the deadline for submitting your Examination Scheduling Form to the test vendor.

The deadlines for submitting licensure applications are:

All required licensure application forms and Examination Scheduling Forms must be postmarked by the filing deadlines; there are no exceptions.

The Department will notify you when you are eligible to take the professional licensing examinations and will include an Examination Scheduling Form and appropriate scheduling information with that notification. Do not attempt to schedule the examination until you receive your notice of eligibility.

Part 3 - New York State Specific Examination

Suggested Bibliography for the New York State Specific Land Surveyor Examination

The references listed here may be located through or obtained from local libraries and their Inter-Library Loan Services; from the State Library; from professional colleagues and local and state professional societies (e.g., New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors).

1. NEW YORK STATE LEGAL RESOURCES
   1. Statutory Authorities
      • McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York Annotated
        • Book 11 County Law
        • Book 16 Education Law, Articles 130 and 145
        • Book 24 Highway
        • Book 49 Real Property Law
        • Book 49 ½ Real Property Actions and Proceedings
        • Book 61 Town Law
        • Book 63 Village Law
   2. Legal Encyclopedia
      • New York Jurisprudence, 2nd
        • Volume 1 Adjoining Landowners
        • Volume 2 Adverse Possession
        • Volume 11 Buildings, Zoning and Land Controls
        • Volume 12 Buildings, Zoning and Land Controls
        • Volume 25 Counties, Towns and Municipal Corporations
        • Volume 26 Counties, Towns and Municipal Corporations
        • Volume 27 Counties, Towns and Municipal Corporations
      • Black's Law Dictionary, 6th or 7th Edition
   3. Subdivision Laws
      • New York State Realty Subdivision Laws
        • Article 11, Title II, Public Health Law
        • Article 17, Title 15, Environmental Conservation Law
   4. Miscellaneous
      • Description of Methods Used in Locating Canal Lands Owned by the State of New York Prepared in accordance with provisions of Chapter 199, Laws of 1910 and Amendatory Laws, including Chapter 51, laws of 1917.
      • New York Zoning Law and Practice, 3rd edition, Anderson, Robert M. (Available from Lawyers Co-operative, Rochester, New York)
      • Code of Practice for Land Surveyors*
      • Highway Law and the Land Surveyor*
      • Legal Issues and the Land Surveyor*
      • Real Property Law and the Land Surveyor*
        (*Available from the New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors)
2. SURVEYING TEXTS, MANUALS, ETC.
   • Control of Land Subdivisions: A Manual of Subdivision Regulations
   • New York Riparian Law K. Ayers
   • Boundary Control and Legal Principles, 4th Edition Brown, Robillard & Wilson
   • Evidence & Procedures for Boundary Location, 3rd Edition Brown, Robillard & Wilson
   • Boundaries & Landmarks: A Practical Manual Milford
   • Clark on Surveying & Boundaries, 6th Edition Robillard & Bouman
   • Boundaries & Adjacent Properties Skelton
   • GPS for Land Surveyors Van Sickle
   • Ethics for the Professional Surveyor Mouland
   • Definitions of Surveying & Associated Terms ACSM
   • Elementary Surveying, 9th Edition (or latest edition) Wolf & Brinker
   • Surveying Theory & Practice, 7th Edition (or latest edition) Anderson & Mikhail
   • Surveying, 10th Edition (or latest edition) Moffitt & Bossler
3. Additional Resources may be obtained from the following web sites:
   • Law Research Center - www.caselaw.findlaw.com
   • National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying - www.ncees.org

NCEES limits calculators allowed in examination room

NCEES has revised the examination policy concerning materials permitted in the examination room.

NCEES policy prohibits calculators that communicate or that may compromise the security of the examination. Beginning with the April 2004 exam administration, NCEES began strictly enforcing this policy by banning calculators with text-editing and communication abilities. Of great concern is the ability to type in text, store it in memory, and then communicate via wireless or cable connections to another calculator, personal computer, printer, or other electronic device. NCEES publishes a list of the calculators that are acceptable for the examination. Only the models listed on the NCEES website will be permitted in the examination room.

For further information regarding NCEES examinations please visit the NCEES website at www.ncees.org or call 1-800-250-3196.

Reasonable Testing Accommodations

Reasonable testing accommodations are available if you have a disability and may require them for the examination. Request the Office of the Professions Reasonable Testing Accommodations pamphlet and Request Form from the Bureau of Professional Examinations by e-mailing opexams@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 290 or faxing 518-473-8577.

Certification as an Intern Land Surveyor

To be eligible for an identification card as an "intern land surveyor," you must:

• be of good moral character;
• be a U.S. citizen or alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States; and
• have graduated from an ABET accredited baccalaureate degree program in surveying and passed Part 1 of the licensing examination.

If you are enrolled in an ABET accredited baccalaureate degree program in surveying, you may submit a Licensure Application (Form 1) with a $70 fee and ask your school to submit a Form 2 (Certification of Professional Education) to be approved for Part 1 of the licensing examination when you are within the equivalent of 20 semester hours of graduation from your program.

Interim Practice of Land Surveying

Section 7208 (b) of the Education Law allows practice as a land surveyor in New York State by a person who is not a resident, or who has no established place of practice in this State, or who is a New York State resident but has arrived in New York State within the last six months may practice as a land surveyor in New York State.

However, such a person must have filed an application for licensure as a land surveyor in New York State and must be legally qualified for such practice in the state or country of their previous residence or place of practice. This provision for interim practice is valid only until the Board grants or denies the application for license. During this time of interim practice, no title, sign, card or device shall be used to convey the impression that the person rendering such service is a professional land surveyor licensed in this State.

You must submit a Notification of Intent to Practice Land Surveying under Section 7208 (b) of Education Law (Form 5) to practice under this provision. You will also need to verify licensure from your current jurisdiction of residence using a Verification of Out-Of-State Licensure, Registration and/or Examination (Form 3).