Becoming a licensed land surveyor in Florida
An applicant with a bachelor's degree in surveying and mapping, geomatics or land surveying may sit for the license exam after 4 or more years of experience under a professional surveyor and mapper (s. 472.013(2)(a), Fla. Stat.).
Getting licensed in Florida
An applicant with a bachelor's degree in another field needs 6 or more years of experience under a registered surveyor and mapper, 5 of them in responsible charge, plus at least 25 semester hours in surveying, mapping or related subjects (s. 472.013(2)(b), Fla. Stat.).
The license exam has three parts: the NCEES Principles and Practice and Fundamentals exams, and the Florida Jurisdictional Examination (Fla. Admin. Code R. 5J-17.031).
Applicants who already passed the NCEES exams do not retake them, but every applicant must pass the Florida Jurisdictional Examination (Fla. Admin. Code R. 5J-17.031(2)).
Florida surveyor licenses renew every two years, and each licensee must earn at least 24 continuing education credits per two year renewal period (Fla. Admin. Code R. 5J-17.041).
Up to 12 credits earned beyond the required 24 carry forward to the next renewal period, and continuing education is not required before a licensee's first renewal (Fla. Admin. Code R. 5J-17.041).
A firm's certificate of authorization must be renewed every 2 years, and the firm must tell the board within 1 month of any change in its application information (s. 472.021(4), Fla. Stat.).
Sources: Surveying degree plus 4 years of experience; Three exams: NCEES FS, PS and the Florida exam; 24 continuing education credits every two years; Firm certificates renew every 2 years
Common questions
Who licenses land surveyors in Florida?
Florida surveyors are licensed under Chapter 472 of the Florida Statutes, overseen by the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Applicants need a bachelor's degree and 4 to 6 years of experience under a licensed surveyor, then must pass the NCEES Fundamentals and Principles and Practice exams and the Florida Jurisdictional Examination. Licenses renew every two years with at least 24 continuing education credits.