Requirements for Licensure as a Land Surveyor

Three types of applicants may apply for licensure as a Land Surveyor, LSITs (Land Surveyor in Training, also known as Surveyor Intern “SI”), and out of state registrants.  Out of state residents will only be considered for comity licensure (except for active duty military personnel) per Board Policy 04-02.  Applicants who have been licensed in another state or have obtained LSIT in another state must meet all current Georgia requirements except for those registrants who were licensed prior to 1978 or 1968 and qualify for the provisions of OCGA 43-15-16(b).  Certain Georgia county surveyors may also be eligible to sit for the land surveyor examination battery (LSIT and LS exams) under provisions of OCGA 36-7-2(c).

1. Land Surveyor in Training
Unless exempted by one of the exceptions listed above, the first step towards licensure as a Land Surveyor is to obtain a Land Surveyor in Training certificate.  Applicants must qualify under one of three routes based upon their education level.  Regardless of education level, all applicants are required to obtain a minimum of 15 quarter hours (or 9 semester hours) in Land Surveying Subjects and 5 quarter hours (or 3 semester hours) in Hydrology per OCGA 43-15-12(2) and as further detailed in the Board’s Land Surveying Course Acceptance Policy.  Applicants must also complete and submit the Land Surveyor in Training application, appropriate fees, transcripts, experience endorsements, and references from five persons not related to the applicant, three of which must be Land Surveyors per OCGA 43-15-15(d).  Additionally, all applicants must pass the LSIT exam.  Applicants who do not successfully pass the exam after four offerings will only be considered for reexamination after successful completion of six semester hours of approved courses in the applicant’s area of deficiency per Board Policy 04-08.

A. Bachelor Degree holders  OCGA 43-15-12(1)(A)
Applicants who have earned a bachelor degree in Land Surveying or a qualified related field such as Civil Engineering (or Civil Engineering Technology), Forestry, Agricultural Engineering, or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are qualified to sit for the LSIT exam without experience.  Bachelor degrees that are not in a related field will be recognized as associate degree equivalent.  Any experience gained before submittal of an application under this route will not be evaluated (per Board Policy 10-03) although such experience may apply towards the later requirements for the Land Surveyor application.  Graduating seniors may also qualify to sit for the LSIT examination under Board Policy 10-02.

B. Associate degree holders  OCGA 43-15-12(1)(B)
Applicants who have earned an associate degree in Land Surveying or a qualifed related field such as Civil Engineering Technology, Instrumentation Technology, or Forestry Science.  Bachelor degrees in non-related fields will be considered as a course of study approved by the Board as the equivalent of a related associate degree.  In addition to the required degree, applicants under this route must also submit verification of at least 2 years of combined office and field experience.  This experience must all requirements of Board Rule 180-4-.02.

C. High School diploma or equivalent  OCGA 43-15-12(1)(C)
Applicants who have earned a high school diploma or its equivalent may apply for the LSIT examination provided that they have met the minimum education requirements under OCGA 43-15-12(2) and the Board’s Land Surveying Course Acceptance Policy.  In addition to these required courses, applicants under this route must also submit verification of at least 4 years of experience in land surveying of a nature satisfactory to the board.  This experience must meet all requirements of Board Rule 180-4-.02.  Experience may be discounted or not considered that was obtained prior to the completion of the required course work.

2. Land Surveyor
After obtaining the Land Surveyor in Training certificate, applicants must meet the associated experience requirements for licensure according to the education level and application route used in the LSIT application.  Applicants must also complete and submit the Land Surveyor application, appropriate fees, transcripts, experience endorsements, and references from five persons not related to the applicant, three of which must be Land Surveyors per OCGA 43-15-15(d).  Additionally, all applicants must pass the Georgia Land Surveyor exam.  Applicants who do not successfully pass the exam after four offerings will only be considered for reexamination after successful completion of six semester hours of approved courses in the applicant’s area of deficiency per Board Policy 04-08.

A. Bachelor Degree holders   OCGA 43-15-13(1)
Applicants must submit proof of a minimum of four years of combined field and office experience, three of which must be in responsible charge of land surveying projects and all must comply with elements of Board Rule 180-4-.02.  Experience gained before obtaining the LSIT certificate can be considered under this route.

B. Associate Degree holders  OCGA 43-15-13(2)
Applicants must submit proof of a minimum of four years of combined field and office experience that is additional to the experience used in the LSIT application.  Board Rule 180-4-.02 provides that this additional experience may begin as early as the date that the applicant passed the LSIT exam.  Additionally, the applicant must demonstrate that at least four years of their total experience is in responsible charge of land surveying projects.  Some of the four years in responsible charge can be included in the experience used in the LSIT application.  All experience submitted for consideration must comply with Board Rule 180-4-.02.

C. High School diploma or equivalent   OCGA 43-15-13(3)
Applicants must submit proof of a minimum of four years of combined field and office experience that is additional to the experience used in the LSIT application.  Board Rule 180-4-.02 provides that this additional experience may begin as early as the date that the applicant passed the LSIT exam.  Additionally, the applicant must demonstrate that at least six years of their total experience is in responsible charge of land surveying projects.  Some of the six years in responsible charge can be included in the experience used in the LSIT application.  All experience submitted for consideration must comply with Board Rule 180-4-.02.