What does a land survey technician do?
A land survey technician is responsible for monitoring and inspecting different construction sites. Their job is to take measurements and gather other data. They need to have an inventory of different locations or sites and gather essential information for development purposes. They must also identify possible barriers to development in the area, including who will be affected by conducting a thorough land survey. Often, they work for a mapping or engineering company.
Land survey technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real land survey technician resumes:
- Work closely with GIS department to determine land locations.
- Load documents into the database using a custom GIS application.
- Provide topographic data through leverage of the photogrammetric process at an archeological dig in Spain.
- Aid in the completion of natural gas pipeline layouts and in grind location projects through multiple GPS techniques.
- Perform calculations necessary to prepare individual residential lot permit and as-built plans necessary for township approval.
- Job types include residential, commercial/industrial staking, water management elevations and wetland location.
Land survey technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Land Survey Technicians are proficient in GPS, CAD, and Civil 3D. They’re also known for soft skills such as Listening skills, Detail oriented, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Land Survey Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- GPS, 15%
Set property corners, property lines, and section markers using TOPCON total stations and GPS with TOPCON Ranger Data Collectors.
- CAD, 11%
Learned to develop and maintain long-term work relationships Skills Used Legal Research Conflict Negation Computer Automated Design (CAD)
- Civil 3D, 10%
Utilized AutoCAD Civil 3D, MicroStation and Inroads, Microsoft Word.
- Boundary Surveys, 7%
Learned techniques and procedures required to assist licensed land surveyors on topographical and boundary surveys.
- Survey Data, 7%
Request additional survey data when field collection errors occur or engineering surveying specifications are not maintained.
- Legal Descriptions, 6%
Prepared Records of Surveys and Legal Descriptions
"gps," "cad," and "civil 3d" are among the most common skills that land survey technicians use at work. You can find even more land survey technician responsibilities below, including:
Listening skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a land survey technician to have is listening skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "surveying technicians work outdoors and must communicate with party chiefs and other team members across distances." Land survey technicians often use listening skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "communicated with project managers and mineral owners to resolve title issues. "
Detail oriented. Many land survey technician duties rely on detail oriented. "surveying and mapping technicians must be precise and accurate in their work," so a land survey technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways land survey technician responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "find and mark property corners and other land monuments; and create detailed platts of differentproperties. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of land survey technicians is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday land survey technician duties, as "surveying technicians usually work outdoors, often in rugged terrain." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "generate newpek specific filing codes and physical folders for leases, contracts, documents, afes and division orders. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain land survey technician responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a land survey technician rely on this skill, as "surveying and mapping technicians must be able to identify and fix problems with their equipment." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what land survey technicians do: "use of tbc primarily to process opus solutions, translate gnss observations. "
The three companies that hire the most land survey technicians are:
- Professional Engineering Consultants4 land survey technicians jobs
- Duncan Aviation
3 land survey technicians jobs
- Langan3 land survey technicians jobs
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Compare different land survey technicians
Land survey technician vs. Instrument operator
Instrument operators assist a construction or surveying crew in the assessment of topography. The operators provide assistance in clearing obstructions from any instrument. They take GPS shots while operating the crew as party chief. These professionals work under the supervision of surveyors and licensed engineers performing GPS and boundary surveys. They can be considered as specialists in tree tagging, environmental protection, and personal property surveying. The scope of their duties also includes data collection, construction surveys, and civil engineering.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a land survey technician are more likely to require skills like "cad," "civil 3d," "right-of-way," and "afe." On the other hand, a job as an instrument operator requires skills like "survey equipment," "good communication," "work ethic," and "strong work ethic." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that instrument operators earn slightly differ from land survey technicians. In particular, instrument operators are 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a land survey technician. Additionally, they're 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Land survey technician vs. Chainman
An instrument person is also called a survey party chief. They are responsible for preparing and conducting surveys before a particular land is constructed and developed. They usually oversee a group of professionals such as surveyors, contractors, project managers, engineers, and architects to ensure that all duties are done correctly and safely. They assign the staff to particular jobs based on their expertise and conduct a pre-survey before the project starts.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that land survey technician responsibilities requires skills like "cad," "civil 3d," "survey data," and "right-of-way." But a chainman might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "autocad," "survey equipment," "topo," and "edm."
In general, chainmen achieve similar levels of education than land survey technicians. They're 3.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Land survey technician vs. Rodman
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, land survey technicians are more likely to have skills like "civil 3d," "survey data," "legal descriptions," and "right-of-way." But a rodman is more likely to have skills like "survey equipment," "electronic distance," "ran," and "as-built surveys."
When it comes to education, rodmen tend to earn similar degree levels compared to land survey technicians. In fact, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Land survey technician vs. Instrument person
Even though a few skill sets overlap between land survey technicians and instrument people, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a land survey technician might have more use for skills like "gps," "civil 3d," "survey data," and "right-of-way." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of instrument people require skills like "survey equipment," "robotic," "survey instruments," and "dot. "
In general, instrument people hold similar degree levels compared to land survey technicians. Instrument people are 1.9% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of land survey technician
Updated January 8, 2025
