How to hire a professional land surveyor

How to hire a professional land surveyor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step professional land surveyor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a professional land surveyor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new professional land surveyor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a professional land surveyor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the professional land surveyor you need to hire. Certain professional land surveyor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A professional land surveyor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, professional land surveyors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of professional land surveyors.

   Type of Professional Land Surveyor	Description	Hourly rate
   Professional Land Surveyor	Surveyors make precise measurements to determine property boundaries. They provide data relevant to the shape and contour of the Earth’s surface for engineering, mapmaking, and construction projects.	$14-33
   Party Chief	A party chief is a management position responsible for leading and guiding a program and providing leadership for its success. To fill this role, you will manage the program and provide overall technical expertise... Show more	$14-31
   Survey Party Chief	Survey party chiefs are individuals distinguished from an engineering technician class. The chiefs supervise land surveys, plan, and assess the proposed field survey projects... Show more	$14-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • GPS
   • Civil 3D
   • PLS
   • Survey Projects
   • Trimble Gps
   • Carlson
   • Legal Descriptions
   • Topographic Surveys
   • Data Collection
   • Civil Engineering
   • Project Management
   • Boundary Surveys
   • Survey Crews
   • Project Budget

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage various construction staking projects, as well as manage and oversee field work of various boundary, ALTA/ACSM surveys.
   • Complete field to finish boundary and topographic surveys utilizing conventional and GPS methods.
   • Map leases and contracts using various GIS programs.
   • Record survey measurements and descriptive data using total station and GPS equipment.
   • Formulate custom cad templates and drawing formats for all types of survey applications.
   • Compile satellite imagery, elevation, GIS vector data, and 3D models into terrain databases.

   More professional land surveyor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your professional land surveyor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A professional land surveyor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, professional land surveyors' average salary in nebraska is 48% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level professional land surveyors 56% less than senior-level professional land surveyors.
   • Certifications. A professional land surveyor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a professional land surveyor's salary.

   Average professional land surveyor salary

   $47,097yearly

   $22.64 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level professional land surveyor salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average professional land surveyor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$63,616	$31
   2	Texas	$53,896	$26
   3	North Dakota	$53,552	$26
   4	New Mexico	$52,869	$25
   5	Colorado	$49,996	$24
   6	Ohio	$49,822	$24
   7	Michigan	$49,562	$24
   8	Arizona	$49,487	$24
   9	Kansas	$49,223	$24
   10	Louisiana	$48,917	$24
   11	Illinois	$48,074	$23
   12	Massachusetts	$47,824	$23
   13	Washington	$47,590	$23
   14	North Carolina	$46,977	$23
   15	Iowa	$45,956	$22
   16	Oregon	$44,987	$22
   17	Georgia	$44,389	$21
   18	Wisconsin	$43,715	$21
   19	Idaho	$43,108	$21
   20	Virginia	$42,901	$21

   Average professional land surveyor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amd	$100,610	$48.37
   2	Marathon Oil	$98,722	$47.46
   3	CME Associates	$82,767	$39.79
   4	Century Engineering	$79,254	$38.10
   5	Halff Associates	$78,211	$37.60	5
   6	BlackRock	$77,377	$37.20	5
   7	Vierbicher	$75,840	$36.46	1
   8	PACE Engineers	$75,570	$36.33	4
   9	Professional Engineering Consultants	$75,461	$36.28	1
   10	Pape-Dawson Engineers	$75,448	$36.27	9
   11	SAM Companies	$75,418	$36.26	40
   12	Ruekert & Mielke	$75,067	$36.09	15
   13	DOWL	$75,002	$36.06	6
   14	Obec	$74,501	$35.82	5
   15	Fehr Graham	$74,170	$35.66	2
   16	Farnsworth Group	$73,817	$35.49	11
   17	Bohannan Huston	$73,480	$35.33	4
   18	Civil Design Group Inc	$73,476	$35.33	5
   19	Morrison-Maierle	$72,993	$35.09
   20	JEO Consulting Group	$72,908	$35.05	15

4. Writing a professional land surveyor job description

   A professional land surveyor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a professional land surveyor job description:

   Professional land surveyor job description example

   KFW Engineers + Surveying, an affiliate of Colliers Engineering & Design, is seeking a Registered Professional Land Surveyor (RPLS) to join our team in Austin, Texas!
   
   In this role you will serve as an RPLS to carry out a variety of measurements dealing with earth (ground), air and water surfaces. Establish boundaries to satisfy ownership and provide concrete research for legal documents. Perform research to discover any previously recorded boundaries and compare them with their own physical measurements.
   Responsibilities • Plan, organize, execute, and coordinate surveying services on assigned projects
   • Utilize creativity, foresight, and judgment in anticipating and solving technical problems
   • Participate in business development for survey services
   • Ensure that the technical, administrative, work-hour, and schedule requirements of assigned projects are met and in accordance with applicable professional standards, design control procedures and survey guidelines
   • Assure projects are in accordance with the scope of services and budget
   • Maintain knowledge of survey procedures, quality control, and legal principles
   • Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing (internal and external) Qualifications • Registered Professional Land Surveyor (RPLS) in Texas required
   • Minimum 5 years' experience managing multiple crews
   • Survey experience to include topographic and engineering design survey
   • Experience processing electronic data collection and finalizing field notes
   • Must possess a valid Texas Motor Vehicle Operator's License if operating a motor vehicle for the purpose of completing job duties What We Offer At KFW we work hard but we always take time to enjoy our teams and have fun together because our people are our most important resource. We are committed to providing all our employees with a safe, comfortable work environment, potential for career advancement, and the ability to impact society through their projects as well as Company sponsored activities.
   This dedication begins with supporting a work life balance through a generous compensation package that includes: company paid healthcare coverage; short- and long-term disability insurance; life insurance; 401(k)/Roth retirement plan with employer contribution; paid time off plus paid holidays; employee referral bonus program and an overtime/straight time policy.
   We have also created an internal culture that provides the resources and technology needed to encourage personal and professional growth opportunities through reimbursement for education; a free in-house resource for hundreds of educational and self-enrichment courses; mentorship program; and ongoing philanthropic opportunities.
   Apply today to learn how you can join our team of professionals, so we can help you Accelerate Your Success!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right professional land surveyor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with professional land surveyors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit professional land surveyors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your professional land surveyor job on Zippia to find and recruit professional land surveyor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit professional land surveyors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new professional land surveyor

   Once you've decided on a perfect professional land surveyor candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a professional land surveyor?