The Georgia Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Board serves to protect the public and has the power to adopt rules, set standards for licensure, adopt mandatory standards of professional conduct and ethics, and investigate and discipline unauthorized, negligent, unethical, or incompetent practices related to the professions of engineering and land surveying. Land Surveying in the State of Georgia requires professional licensure as a regulated industry per O.C.G.A. 43-15-2(6) which states: “Land surveying” means any service, work, or practice, the adequate performance of which requires the application of special knowledge of the principles of mathematics, the related physical and applied sciences, and the requirements of relevant law in the evaluation and location of property rights….
(See Full Definition in OCGA 43-15-2(6) – Legal Definition of Land Surveying)
Table of Contents
PLS Licensure Information and Resources
Obtaining licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor in the State of GA requires the completion of three distinct areas of competence; education, experience, and testing. Candidates for licensure are strongly encouraged to read and understand the information below before beginning the online application process.
Education
Candidates for professional land surveyor licensure must have completed at least 18 semester hours of land surveying coursework acceptable to the board.
Experience
All candidates must have completed a certain minimum amount of progressive land surveying experience based on their level of education. The experience acquired must contain a two year apprenticeship as defined in board rules.
Testing
All candidates for licensure must have passed the Fundamentals of Land Surveying (FS) test, the Principles and Practice of Land Surveying (PS) test, and the GA State Specific test.
- Testing for the FLS and PLS tests is administered by
NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying). - Testing for the GA State Specific test is administered by
PSI Testing Centers.
The documents below have been developed by the board to assist applicants with understanding the requirements for licensure and the licensure process.
- GA PLS Licensure Journey Flowchart (.pdf)
- GA PLS Licensure Guide (.pdf)
- State Law and Board Rules regarding PLS licensure (.pdf)
- Board Approved Surveying Education Programs
- Surveying Education Program Content Requirements (.pdf)
Candidates for licensure are encouraged to apply to the board for licensure only after they have successfully completed all required areas of competence. With the passage of SB 195 in 2024, the board no longer “approves” candidates to take their surveying exams. While candidates are allowed to take the exams at any point during their journey to licensure, all candidates are strongly encouraged to complete their land surveying coursework prior to attempting to pass the three required exams. Passage of the exams will automatically be reported the board upon passing.
In addition to endorsements and other information gathered during the online application process, all applicants are required to submit (upload) a “Surveyor Apprenticeship Affidavit”, two boundary survey drawings and two topographic survey drawings conforming to GA standards, and an experience summary form.
- Surveyor Apprenticeship Affidavit (.pdf)
- Surveyor Apprenticeship Plat Certification (to be affixed to four plats required to be uploaded during application process) (.pdf)
- Experience Summary Form (also required in addition to application data) (.pdf)
Comity applicants are required to complete the online application form and submit four plats only. No apprenticeship form is required for comity applicants.
PLS License Renewal
GA PLS licenses must be renewed annually before December 31 of each year. All licenses must be renewed via the Evoke system at the link below.
PLEASE NOTE: The board communicates with licensees via email only. Renewal notices will be emailed annually to all licensees during the 4th quarter yearly. It is the responsiblity of the licensee to keep their email address current in the Evoke system.
Business Entity - Certificate of Authorization (COA)
All entities who practice or offer to practice professional engineering or land surveying in this State must file an application with the board and receive a Certificate of Authorization prior to practicing. Please refer to O.C.G.A. 43-15-23 for engineering entities and O.C.G.A. 43-15-23.1 for surveying entities. This application process should not be confused with the additional requirement for out-of-state corporations to obtain a Certificate of Authority from the Secretary of State’s Corporation Division.
Continuing Education
Per OCGA 43-15-6 and Board Rule 180-11, GA Professional Land Surveyors are required to obtain seven and one half (7.5) professional development hours (PDH) each twelve (12) month annual renewal period. In addition, every land surveyor must ensure that, once every two (2) years at least three (3) PDH in “Minimum Technical Standards” be included in their PDH’s acquired. The Board conducts random CE audits during each renewal cycle to ensure conformance with continuing education.
Read More About Continuing Education
The board stongly recommends that licensees maintain their continuing education records utilizing the NCEES Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) tracking system. This system is free of charge and provides a centralized system for storing continuing education credits and documentation. This functionality is especially useful for multi-state licensees. In lieu of utilizing the NCEES CPC tracking system, licensees may opt to store their continuing education records privately per Board Rule 180-11-.06 and be prepared to submit their records when requested by the board.
Complaints
The board actively investigates all complaints filed with the board. All professional land surveyors and the general public are encouraged to file a complaint with the board if they witness incompetent, unlicensed, or other types of illegal land surveying activities in Georgia.
Many complaints are the result of land surveyors failing to prepare survey drawings that conform to all minimum technical standards as required by law and board rules. The board has prepared a simple one page checklist and a representative boundary survey drawing that should be used as a guide by all land surveyors as they prepare their survey drawings.
Boundary Survey Plat Checklist (.pdf)
Sample Boundary Survey Drawing (.pdf)
PLEASE NOTE: If you filed a complaint with the board prior to 2023, you should re-file the complaint via the Evoke system (link below) if you believe the complaint still needs to be investigated.
Miscellaneous Resources and Documents
- Georgia Laws and Board Rules Related to Land Surveying in One Document (.doc)
- Georgia Laws and Board Rules Related to Land Surveying in One Document (.pdf)
- Sample Boundary Survey Drawing (.pdf)
- Boundary Survey Checklist (.pdf)
- Surveyor Apprenticeship Affadavit (.pdf)
- Surveyor Apprenticeship Plat Certification (.pdf)
- Professional Land Surveyor Scope of Civil Design (.pdf)
- Professional Land Surveyor Seal and Stamp Instructions (.pdf)