Professional Land Surveyor California
Get the essential details about California land surveyors. Discover how Harbor Compliance can help your firm secure and manage your engineering licenses.
California Land Surveyor—All You Need To Know
Like most states, California's laws authorize individuals to practice as professional land surveyors, provided they meet the criteria specified by various regulations, including the California Professional Land Surveyors Act. While the state provides numerous resources to help understand these requirements, researching these conditions requires a significant investment of time.
To simplify the process, this article will explain what it takes to get authorized as a professional land surveyor and land surveying firm in California. It will also introduce Harbor Compliance—a reliable, commercial provider that not only assists with license management but can also help your firm secure land surveyor and engineer licenses nationwide.
Who Is Recognized as a California Land Surveyor?
A California land surveyor is a professional legally authorized to perform tasks related to measuring and mapping the physical environment, including the following:
- Managing spatial data
- Reducing field data
- Drafting topographic surveys
- Preparing various survey submittals
- Creating legal descriptions of land
A licensed land surveyor can plan and direct the work of a survey party, make necessary revisions to construction plans, and prepare clear and comprehensive reports and technical correspondence.
The individual is registered with the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (the Board), the state agency that oversees the practice of these professions, maintaining the integrity and reliability of land surveying in California.
California Land Surveyor License Requirements
To practice land surveying in California, both professionals and the companies they work for must meet licensing requirements set by the Board. Therefore, California land surveyor license requirements fall into two categories:
- Individual license requirements
- Firm license requirements
Individual License Requirements
To become a licensed land surveyor in California, an individual must meet several criteria set by the Board. These conditions include:
- Examination—They must pass a series of examinations, including the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam, the Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam, the California Professional Land Surveyors State Laws and Rules exam, and the California state-specific Professional Land Surveyor exam.
- Experience—The individual must demonstrate substantial practical experience in land surveying. It includes six years of full-time equivalent experience, with at least one year each in responsible field and office training.
- Fingerprints—As part of the application process, individuals must provide a full set of fingerprints to the Board.
These requirements ensure that the individual is competent and meets the professional standards set by the Board, maintaining the integrity and reliability of land surveyors in California.
Firm License Requirements
For a firm to offer land surveying services in California, it must meet certain conditions outlined in section 8729 of the Professional Land Surveyors' Act. These requirements include:
- Licensed surveyor or civil engineer—The firm must have at least one authorized land surveyor or civil engineer in charge of the land surveying work.
- Out-of-state business—If the organization is an out-of-state business with a branch office in California, an owner, partner, or officer must be licensed as a land surveyor and be physically present (regularly) at the local office in this state.
- Business name—A California land surveying business may use a fictitious name, but if it includes the names of any person, that person must be authorized by the board as a land surveyor or civil engineer.
Businesses engaged in surveying work need to deal with both categories of license requirements, and here is why:
- Operating as an independent surveyor with just an individual license would mean running a business without a legal entity, which means unlimited liability.
- Marketing and contracting to provide surveying services generally requires the business to have a surveying firm license, and a company can’t get one without being at least partially owned and managed by licensed professional land surveyors.
- Applying for a company license requires having at least one individual professional listed on the license application (also known as the “professional-in-responsible-charge”). If the professional-in-responsible-charge allows their license to lapse, the firm license does too. To avoid disruption, the business must keep track of both individual and firm licenses and their statuses. Doing so can prevent such a situation and help with finding a replacement if needed. This is particularly useful since the Board sometimes allows companies only a few days to address a lapsed license (either by replacing or reinstating it) before the firm license is forfeited.
Renewing Your California Land Surveyor License
After securing a California land surveyor license, the licensee enters a renewal cycle to maintain their professional status. As stipulated by the California Professional Land Surveyors' Act, individual licenses must be renewed every two years from the assigned renewal date.
If a license isn't renewed within this period, it's deemed to have expired. The licensee can still renew their license if it has been expired for under two years by using the online portal BPELSG Connect.
For licenses expired for over two years, the individual must submit a renewal request form. If a license is five or more years delinquent, the licensee cannot renew it and must go through the application process, including passing the required exams, to acquire a new license.
Continuing education is not a mandatory requirement for license renewal in California, but it's highly recommended for professional development.
When it comes to the renewal process for firm licenses, you should know that they do not expire. However, you should keep in mind that you must notify the Board if the entity information changes.
Keeping track of such changes and requirements can take a lot of time, especially when running a company. If you want to focus on your work instead, you should outsource your license management to reliable professionals, such as Harbor Compliance.
Professional Land Surveyor Licensing Management With Harbor Compliance
Harbor Compliance offers comprehensive Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions designed to streamline the process of obtaining and managing a professional land surveyor and other engineering licenses in all 50 states. Our Software Suite, powered by our proprietary Compliance Core™ algorithm, allows you to track over 800 licensing requirements, meaning less time spent checking state requirements and more for undertaking assignments.
Our solutions help professionals obtain crucial licenses like:
- Engineering Firm
- Geoscience Firm
- Land Surveying Firm
Beyond our comprehensive database, you can benefit from a variety of modules that come with the suite:
| Module | Value |
|---|---|
| License Manager | Eliminates the need for spreadsheets to track state requirements by enabling seamless license management, research, and renewal. |
| Entity Manager |
Allows full visibility of your entities and compliance status and helps:
|
| Tax Manager | Efficiently monitors federal, state, and local tax registrations and reduces the time spent gaining insights into key tax account information. |
| Records Manager | Helps you store the organizational documents specific to your type of entity. It also lets you track ownership and leadership and customize meeting notifications. |
| Requirements Research Engine |
Enables clients to research licensing requirements for their organizations prior to expanding into new states and markets. It provides access to a database containing detailed information about license requirements, including:
|
Benefits of Using Harbor Compliance Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions
Whether you’re an individual practitioner or a firm, engaging with Harbor Compliance can transform how you handle licensing. Some reasons you should partner with us include:
- Ease of expansion—With our comprehensive nationwide database of licensing requirements, expanding your firm's operations to new states becomes hassle-free.
- Continuing education tracking—Our solutions can help you track continuing education requirements, helping you stay on top of your obligations.
- Order of operations guidance—In some states, businesses must receive approval from the relevant board before registering with the secretary of state. Harbor Compliance provides guidance on these unique regulatory challenges, helping you follow the correct order of operations.
Ordering Harbor Compliance's Engineering Licensing Service
To get started with Harbor Compliance Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions, follow four quick steps:
- Visit the solution page
- Click “Contact Us.”
- Key in your details.
- Verify that everything is correct and click “Let’s talk.”
Depending on your needs, you can choose from these three service options:
- Fully Managed—Our team handles most of the licensing process, including entity and tax registration and tracking your license's status. This option only applies to company licenses.
- Self-Managed—If you like to be in control, consider this option. You'll access our cloud-based software, which provides up-to-date requirements, applications, and filing procedures nationwide.
- Hybrid—If you prefer a blend of the first two, pick our hybrid. It allows you to manage certain tasks in-house while leaving others to our dedicated team.
Additional Services by Harbor Compliance
After securing the legal authority to offer land surveying services in specific states, you must meet other legal obligations to ensure seamless operation. Harbor Compliance can help you in that regard also, thanks to its seven ancillary services:
- Entity lifecycle management—From registering a DBA to filing annual reports, we cover a broad spectrum of services to help manage your entity's lifecycle.
- Document filing and retrieval—Harbor Compliance can help with obtaining certified copies, filing for articles of reinstatement, and more.
- Registered agent service—We offer services like appointment and change of registered agent, helping you meet these crucial requirements.
- Business licensing support—We help businesses in various industries obtain licenses, including construction, healthcare, and real estate.
- Beneficial ownership information reporting—Our services include a Records Manager and BOI Reporting to help you meet legal requirements.
- Nonprofit formation—From incorporation to 501(c) tax exemption, we provide comprehensive services for nonprofit formation.
- Tax services—Our portfolio includes payroll tax registration, Employer Identification Number (EIN), and sales and use tax registration.
California Professional Land Surveyor FAQs
Below, you’ll find answers to some common questions about professional land surveyors in California. If you need comprehensive details, explore our Information Center.
The time needed to become a Land Surveyor in California varies depending on the individual’s educational background and practical experience. Typically, it takes about ten years—four to complete a bachelor’s degree program and six to gain the required experience.
The California Survey Exam is four hours long. This applies to the state-specific exam—NCEES exams typically take six hours.
To file an application with the Board, follow seven quick steps:
- Create a user profile on BPELSG Connect using your email.
- Verify and enter all required personal information.
- Answer questions about any NCEES exams you’ve passed, if you’re licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor in another jurisdiction, and if you’ve previously applied with the Board.
- Enter your educational information and confirm that your transcripts have been submitted to the Board.
- Click on the “New Application” button on your dashboard to start your application.
- Complete all sections of the application before submitting.
- Provide a full set of fingerprints upon submitting your application for licensure/certification.
Engage With Harbor Compliance To Secure and Manage Your Land Surveyor Firm Licenses
Harbor Compliance provides a robust platform for managing your land surveyor license requirements. Order our Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions to access nationwide licensure requirements and keep abreast of regulatory changes. To get a hands-on experience of our solutions, schedule a demo of our software today.
If you're interested in checking your company’s status in different states, get your free Harbor Compliance Score™. We also offer various services to cater to your additional regulatory needs, so you can contact us if you have specific concerns. For more details on land surveyor licensure requirements in different states, refer to the table below
