Those that are not intimate with the land surveying world have often asked what it means to be licensed or certified to be a land surveyor. In the state of New York, anyone who wishes to call themselves a land surveyor has to go through a long process of multiple tests to confirm that you have the technical knowledge to perform the tasks. Strangely enough though, the longest process for receiving your certification is not necessarily the license but the education and experience requirements that are necessary for the license.
In the state of New York, anyone who wants to be a licensed land surveyor has to meet the following requirements:
- Good Moral Character
- At least 21 Years Old
- Meet Education Requirements
- Meet Examination Requirements
- Meet Experience Requirements
In addition, there is a fee for submitting an application to be reviewed for the license. The examination is split into three parts. One part handles the fundamentals of being a land surveyor, the next deals with following the practices of being a land surveyor and the last is a New York specific exam.
The exams themselves are not too difficult as long as you’ve had the training around it, which is where the education and experience requirements come in. In total, you need 8 years of experience, or, education and experience in land surveying before you can apply for admittance to the license exam through the New York State Department of Education. This does include any work you made toward a bachelors, masters, or other degree so long as it was in a field used by Land Surveyors. If you are unsure if your degree counts, then it is unlikely it will, as they tend to be rather specific that surveying be involved in your degree, such as a bachelors in Surveying Engineering.
As for the experience, the majority of the experience must be involved with boundary determination as well as in supervisory position. In order for your experience to be accepted, it must be under the direction of a licensed land surveyor who will be asked to attest to your experience. Think of it like a mentorship program to make sure you are knowledgeable ahead of time.
If you’d like to know more information you can contact your local land surveying office for New York, or any other state you happen to be in. The process may be long, but it can be rather rewarding, as it is a stable market. And this process is something we make sure all our land surveyors have gone through, leaving only the finest land surveyors to offer.