Blog : Professional Land Surveyor Qualifications in The State of Florida

Professional Land Surveyor Qualifications in The State of Florida

Becoming a professional land surveyor takes hard work and dedication to the craft. In order to obtain a professional surveyor and mapper license, all applicants must be approved by the Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers prior to taking any examination for Florida licensure through the process of examination and or endorsement. First time applicants for licensure are entitled to take the licensure examination, after approval by the Board, to practice in the State of Florida as a professional surveyor and mapper if you are of a good moral character and have satisfied one of the following requirements:

Licensure by Examination

If you are applying for the first time for licensure by examination, you are entitled to take the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) examination, the Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) examination, and Florida Jurisdictional examination, after approval by the board. To apply to practice in the state of Florida as a professional surveyor and mapper you must be of a good moral character and have satisfied one of the following requirements:

Option 1
The applicant has received a bachelor’s degree, its equivalent, or higher in surveying and mapping or a similarly titled program, including, but not limited to, geomatics, geomatics engineering, and land surveying, from a college or university recognized by the board and accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The applicant must also have a specific experience record of 4 or more years as a subordinate to a professional surveyor and mapper in the active practice of surveying and mapping, which experience is of a nature indicating that the applicant was in responsible charge of the accuracy and correctness of the surveying and mapping work performed. Work experience acquired as a part of the education requirement may not be construed as experience in responsible charge.

If the applicant has received a bachelor’s degree, its equivalent, or higher in surveying and mapping or a similarly titled program, including, but not limited to, geomatics, geomatics engineering, and land surveying, from a college or university recognized by the board but is not an ABET accredited program, then the course criteria must be met.

Option 2
The applicant has received a bachelor’s degree, its equivalent, or higher in a course of study, other than in surveying and mapping, at an accredited college or university and has a specific experience record of 6 or more years as a subordinate to a registered surveyor and mapper in the active practice of surveying and mapping, 5 years of which shall be of a nature indicating that the applicant was in responsible charge of the accuracy and correctness of the surveying and mapping work performed.

The applicant must have completed a minimum of 25 semester hours in surveying and mapping subjects or in any combination of courses in civil engineering, surveying, mapping, mathematics, photogrammetry, forestry, or land law and the physical sciences. Any of the required 25 semester hours that were not completed as part of the four-year course of study may be approved at the discretion of the board. Work experience acquired as a part of the education requirement does not count as experience in responsible charge.

Licensure by Endorsement

If you are applying for licensure by endorsement, you are entitled to take the Florida Jurisdictional Examination, after approval by the board, to practice in the state of Florida as a professional surveyor and mapper if you have satisfied one of the following requirements:

Option 1
You hold a valid license to practice surveying and mapping issued prior to July 1, 1999, by another state or territory of the United States; have passed a national, regional, state or territorial licensing examination that is substantially equivalent to the examination required by Section 472.013, Florida Statutes; and you have a specific experience record of at least eight years as a subordinate to a registered surveyor and mapper in the active practice of surveying and mapping, six years of which must be of a nature indicating that you were in responsible charge of the accuracy and correctness of the surveying and mapping work performed.

Option 2
You hold a valid license to practice surveying and mapping issued by another state or territory of the United States where criteria for issuance of the license was substantially the same as the licensure criteria that existed in Florida at the time the license was issued.

Continuing Education Requirements to Maintain Your License in Florida

To maintain an active license in Florida, licensees must complete at least 24 hours of continuing education courses during each two-year period. All continuing education courses must be offered by a Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers provider and must be approved by the board to receive full credit.

To ensure you are working with a licensed professional surveyor and mapper in the state of Florida, the Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers has included an easy to use license search database to help you ensure you are working with the best in their field.