Charles H. Bronson, Commissioner - LuAnn Stiles, Director

• Department Home
• Consumer Services Home
• Surveyors and Mappers
• - Surveyor Licensing
• - Renew/Maintain
    a License
• - CE Provider Approval
• - Examinations
• - Professional Board
• - Board Meetings
• - Newsletter
• - Find a Surveyor
• - Suspended Licenses
• File a Complaint
• Search
• Contact Us
• Public Meetings, Hearings, or Workshops
• Select a Division

Professional Surveyors and Mappers

Professional Profile | Links | File a Complaint | Suspended Licenses
Statutes/Rules | Board Frequently Asked Questions

A licensed surveyor and mapper makes exact measurements and determines property boundaries. They provide data relevant to the shape, contour, gravitation, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features on or near the earth's surface for engineering, mapmaking, mining, land evaluation, construction, and other purposes.

Number of Licensed Professionals in Florida:
approximately 4,300

Requirements to be licensed:
You are entitled to take the licensure examination to practice in the State of Florida as a professional surveyor and mapper if you are of a good moral character and have satisfied one of the following requirements:

Option 1

• You have received a degree in surveying and mapping of four years or more in a surveying and mapping degree program from a college or university recognized by the board and have experience of four or more years as a subordinate to a professional surveyor and mapper in the active practice of surveying and mapping. Your experience must indicate that you were in responsible charge of the accuracy and correctness of the surveying and mapping work performed.
• The completed surveying and mapping degree must have included not fewer than 32 semester hours of study, or its academic equivalent, in the science of surveying and mapping or in board-approved surveying-and-mapping-related courses. Work experience acquired as a part of the education requirement does not count as experience in responsible charge.

Option 2

• You must be a graduate of a four-year course of study, other than in surveying and mapping, at an accredited college or university approved by the board and have experience of six or more years as a subordinate to a registered surveyor and mapper in the active practice of surveying and mapping. You must demonstrate that you were in responsible charge of the accuracy and correctness of the surveying and mapping work performed for at least five of the six years.
• The course of study must have included not fewer than 32 semester hours of study or its academic equivalent. You must have completed a minimum of 25 semester hours in surveying and mapping subjects or in any combination of courses in civil engineering, surveying, mapping, mathematics, photogrammetry, forestry, or land law and the physical sciences. Any of the required 25 semester hours that were not completed as part of the four-year course of study may be approved at the discretion of the board. Work experience acquired as a part of the education requirement does not count as experience in responsible charge.

Interesting Facts:  Florida’s coastline is 1,197 statute miles and 663 of those miles are beaches. No matter where you are in Florida you’re no more than sixty miles from saltwater. Florida is the lowest and flattest state in the U.S. Florida’s highest point is only 345 feet above sea level.

• Chapter 120, Florida Statutes
• Chapter 177, Florida Statutes
• Chapter 472, Florida Statutes
• Chapter 61G17, Florida Administrative Code

To file a complaint against a professional surveyor and mapper, please complete the following complaint form:

• Professional Surveyor and Mapper Complaint Form

Florida Surveying and Mapping Society (FSMS)
FSMS was conceived and organized for the purposes of forming an Association of Professionals to represent the surveying and mapping profession and to aid and contribute to the standards of the profession.

National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
NCEES is a national non-profit organization composed of engineering and surveying licensing boards representing all states and U.S. territories. NCEES develops, scores, and administers the examinations used for engineering and surveying licensure throughout the U.S. NCEES also provides services facilitating professional mobility for licensed engineers and surveyors. NCEES is an accredited standards developer with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
The mission of the ASPRS is to advance knowledge and improve understanding of mapping sciences and to promote the responsible applications of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and supporting technologies.

Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS)
MAPPS member firms are engaged in surveying, photogrammetry, satellite and airborne remote sensing, aerial photography, hydrography, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS and GIS data collection and conversion services.

American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)
ACSM was founded in June 1941 and is incorporated as a non-profit educational organization whose goal is to advance the sciences of surveying and mapping and related fields, in furtherance of the welfare of those who use and make maps.

The Florida Land Surveyors Council
The Land Surveyor's Council exists for the purpose of improving the security of boundaries in the United States by using all legal methods necessary to defeat any attempt to remove or relax the requirement for a competent land survey by a registered, licensed land surveyor on any real property being used for the purpose of conveyancing or collateral for any loan whatsoever.

Florida Association of Cadastral Mappers (FACM)
The purpose of FACM is to bring together those persons concerned with property ownership mapping in state/local government and private industry, without regard to the unit of government or department in which such persons perform their duties.

National Geodetic Survey (NGS)
NOAA's NGS defines and manages a national coordinate system. This network, the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), provides the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a multitude of scientific and engineering applications.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
USGS is a multi-disciplinary science organization that focuses on biology, geography, geology, geospatial information, and water, USGS is dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the landscape, our natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten us.

Land Boundary Information System (LABINS)
LABINS is a means for distributing survey-related data that is maintained and managed by federal and state agencies to the general surveying community. LABINS is sponsored by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.