Becoming a licensed land surveyor in Illinois
Applicants need a degree from an approved land surveying curriculum of at least four years, or a four-year baccalaureate that includes at least 24 semester hours of land surveying courses (225 ILCS 330/12).
Getting licensed in Illinois
After the degree, applicants need at least four years of responsible charge experience, verified by a professional land surveyor (225 ILCS 330/12).
Illinois's surveyor in training stage is the Surveyor Intern; enrolling requires passing the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam, and the intern certificate does not expire.
A license requires passing the FS exam, the NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam and the Illinois Jurisdictional Examination (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.20).
The Illinois Jurisdictional exam is a two-hour, 65-question, closed book exam on Illinois law, regulations and practices.
Professional land surveyor licenses expire on November 30 of each even-numbered year (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.50).
Each renewal requires 20 professional development hours, including at least 4 hours on Illinois surveying statutes and rules and 2 hours on professional conduct (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.65).
Sources: Four-year degree with surveying coursework; Surveyor Intern after the FS exam; FS, PS and Illinois Jurisdictional exams; Illinois Jurisdictional exam: 2 hours, 65 questions; Licenses expire November 30 of even years; 20 professional development hours per renewal
Common questions
Who licenses land surveyors in Illinois?
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), with its Land Surveyors Licensing Board, licenses land surveyors in Illinois.