Illinois land survey rules
Illinois land surveyors are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), working with its Land Surveyors Licensing Board; license applications go to the Department (225 ILCS 330/4 and 330/10).
Who licenses land surveyors in Illinois
Land surveying in Illinois is governed by the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act of 1989 (225 ILCS 330), whose sections are currently scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2030.
IDFPR's rules under the Act are Part 1270 of Title 68 of the Illinois Administrative Code, which includes the Minimum Standards of Practice (Section 1270.56).
Sources: Board: IDFPR and its Land Surveyors Licensing Board; Rules: 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270, with minimum standards
Who may survey
Anyone who practices or offers to practice as a professional land surveyor in Illinois without a license or exemption can be fined up to $10,000 per offense (225 ILCS 330/16).
Any business that offers professional land surveying in Illinois must be registered with IDFPR as a professional design firm (225 ILCS 330/25).
A licensed surveyor who runs a sole proprietorship under his or her own real name does not need to register as a professional design firm (225 ILCS 330/25).
A professional design firm cannot be registered unless it designates at least one licensed Illinois land surveyor as managing agent in charge of its surveying in the state (225 ILCS 330/25(b)).
Every location where a firm offers land surveying must have a resident professional land surveyor, whose license is not suspended or revoked, overseeing the work (225 ILCS 330/25(h)).
Minimum standards for a boundary survey
Under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.56, a boundary survey must include gathering and evaluating the best available evidence of where the lines are, a plat of survey unless the client asks otherwise, and a legal description of the parcel.
Monuments or witness points must be set at every accessible corner; if construction or grading would destroy them, setting can wait, but they must be in place within 12 months of the last field work.
The boundary survey plat must show the firm's name, address and registration number, the surveyor's seal, signature, signing date and license expiration date, the client's name and a north arrow, among other items.
Every monument or witness corner found or set to mark the survey corners must be shown on the plat and described by size, shape and material.
Near the seal and signature the plat must state: 'This professional service conforms to the current Illinois minimum standards for a boundary survey.'.
The relative positional accuracy of a boundary survey must meet the most current NSPS model standards for property surveys.
A mortgage inspection is not a boundary survey and does not establish the property's boundaries; no monuments are set.
Checking a surveyor's license
Check whether a surveyor or surveying firm is licensed with IDFPR's Professional Regulation License Look Up, which is updated daily.
To check many licenses at once, IDFPR offers a Bulk License Look Up, updated weekly.
Source: IDFPR License Look Up
Filing a complaint
Complaints about a licensed surveyor or surveying firm can be filed with IDFPR's Division of Professional Regulation using its online complaint form or a printable form.
Complaints and information gathered in an investigation are confidential under Illinois law (20 ILCS 2105/2105-117) and are not released to the public.
Common questions
What must a boundary survey include in Illinois?
In Illinois a boundary survey must include an evaluation of the best available evidence, a plat of survey (unless the client asks otherwise) and a legal description, with monuments or witness points set at every accessible corner. The plat must show and describe each monument found or set and carry the statement that the survey conforms to the current Illinois minimum standards for a boundary survey.