How To Become A Licensed Land Surveyor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a licensed land surveyor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a licensed land surveyor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.01 an hour? That's $49,947 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 400 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLicensed Land SurveyorUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,947

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 4.84%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 10.54%

Unknown 4.81%

White 76.05%

Gender

female 32.58%

male 67.42%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a licensed land surveyor

Explore licensed land surveyor education requirements

Most common licensed land surveyor degrees

Bachelor's

60.3 %

Associate

19.0 %

Master's

9.5 %

Start to develop specific licensed land surveyor skills

Skills	Percentages
GPS	25.15%
Complaint Investigations	9.24%
Technical Assistance	7.97%
Governmental Agencies	7.96%
Health Care Facilities	4.71%

Complete relevant licensed land surveyor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New licensed land surveyors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a licensed land surveyor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real licensed land surveyor resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed licensed land surveyor usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed licensed land surveyor in most of states. 44 states require licensed land surveyors to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Licensed Land Surveyor
Maryland	Degree required	State exam required	PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR
Alaska	-	-	Land Surveyor
Arkansas	-	State exam required	Professional Surveyor
California	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Land Surveyor

Research licensed land surveyor duties and responsibilities

Collect, processes, analyzes and manages field data using GIS and spatial technologies.
Complete field work by inspecting dams, setting grade stakes, and updating property records using a Trimble R8 GNSS system.
Discipline of work include boundaries, topographical surveys, construction staking, mortgage surveys, and ALTA/ACSM surveys.
Provide complete boundary surveying services and prepare minor subdivisions.

Apply for licensed land surveyor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a licensed land surveyor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do licensed land surveyors rate their job?

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Licensed land surveyor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

The mathematical aspect and working outside most days.

Cons

Working outside some days and the ignorance of the general public with regards to what defines property boundaries.