License: Land Surveyor

Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation APELSCIDLA Board

3600 West Broad Street

Richmond, VA 23230-4917

(804) 367-8506

Requirements for a licensed land surveyor or surveyor photogrammetrist. A. An SIT who, after meeting the requirements of 18VAC10-20-300, has a minimum of four years of approved land surveying experience, and has been land surveying under the direct control and personal supervision of a licensed land surveyor, shall be admitted to an examination in the Principles and Practice of Land Surveying and the Virginia state-specific examination, provided the applicant is otherwise qualified. Upon passing such examination, the applicant shall be granted a license to practice land surveying, provided the applicant is otherwise qualified. B. An SIT who, after meeting the requirements of 18VAC10-20-300, has a specific record of four years of approved photogrammetric surveying or similar remote sensing technology experience of which a minimum of three years experience has been progressive in complexity and has been on photogrammetric surveying or similar remote sensing technology projects under the supervision of a licensed land surveyor or licensed surveyor photogrammetrist shall be admitted to a board approved surveyor photogrammetrist examination and the Virginia state specific examination. Upon passing such examinations, the applicant shall be granted a license to practice photogrammetric surveying, provided the applicant is otherwise qualified. C. In lieu of the provisions of subsection B of this section, any person presently providing photogrammetric or similar remote sensing technology services with any combination of at least eight years of board-approved education and progressive experience in photogrammetry or similar remote sensing technology, four or more of which shall have been in responsible charge of photogrammetric mapping projects meeting National Map Accuracy Standards or National Standard for Spatial Data Accuracy, or equivalent, may be licensed to practice photogrammetric surveying provided an individual submits an application to the board that provides evidence to the satisfaction of the board of the following: 1. The applicant submits to the board certified proof of graduation from high school or high school equivalency that is acceptable to the board, both with evidence of successful completion of courses in algebra, geometry and trigonometry either by transcript or examination, or certified proof of a related higher degree of education, or other evidence of progressive related higher education acceptable to the board; 2. The applicant submits to the board satisfactory proof and evidence of employment as a photogrammetrist or similar remote sensing technology in responsible charge as defined in 18VAC10-20-310 D providing such services within any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or any territory or possession of the United States. Evidence of employment shall include verification of the applicant's progressive experience by his supervisor and by the applicant's clients of the applicant's personal involvement in a minimum of five projects; 3. The applicant must submit three references with the application, all of whom shall be licensed land surveyors in a state or territory of the United States; 4. The applicant shall certify that they have read and understood Chapter 4 (_x0015_ 54.1-400 et seq.) of Title 54.1 and Chapter 17 (_x0015_ 55-287 et seq.) of Title 55 of the Code of Virginia, and this chapter; and 5. The applicant shall apply to the board and submit an application fee for licensure within one year of December 1, 2008, or until such time as the examinations required by 18VAC10-20-310 B are available, whichever is later. After December 1, 2009, or when the examinations required by subsection B of this section become available, whichever is later, no person shall be eligible to apply for licensure as a surveyor photogrammetrist pursuant to this section. D. Within the context of subsection C of this section, responsible charge of photogrammetric or similar remote sensing technology mapping projects means technical supervision of: 1. Assessing the project needs and constraints and accuracies; 2. Creating the project plan including determining data standards; 3. Creating overall project specifications; 4. Determining flight lines and appropriate photogrammetric control required for project accuracies and constraints; 5. Reviewing and approval of aerotriangulation results, prior to map compilation and certification of the final report of project control; 6. Determining the appropriate features to be collected, how they are to be collected, annotated, stored; 7. Editing and reviewing of collected data and features; 8. Reviewing of equipment, technology, and procedures that meet project requirements; 9. Determining final data standards and quality control for a project; 10. Reviewing and approving the final map products, deliverables, files, and spatial data; 11. Checking and editing final map data for specified completeness and accuracies including project reports, metadata, and any associated databases; 12. Project management; and 13. Other duties requiring decision-making, control, influence, and accountability of the project. E. Any person licensed pursuant to the terms of subsection B or C of this section shall be licensed as a surveyor photogrammetrist. Education. Any applicant who has attended an institution outside of the United States shall have his degree authenticated and evaluated by an education evaluation service approved by the board if credit for such education is sought. The board reserves the right to reject, for good cause, any evaluation submitted by the applicant. Any cost of evaluation shall be borne by the applicant. Experience standards. An applicant shall submit written verification from each employment engagement which has been gained under the direct control and personal supervision of a licensed land surveyor, licensed surveyor photogrammetrist, or an individual authorized by statute to practice land surveying on forms provided by the board to be considered by the board as approved land surveying experience. Examinations. A. The Fundamentals of Land Surveying examination consists of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) examination on the fundamentals of land surveying. B. The Principles and Practice of Land Surveying examination consists of an NCEES examination on applied land surveying, or a board-approved surveyor photogrammetrist examination, and a Virginia state-specific examination. C. The examination for land surveying under _x0015_ 54.1-408 of the Code of Virginia (Land Surveyor B) shall be given at times designated by the board. D. Unless otherwise stated, applicants approved to sit for an examination must register and submit the required examination fee to be received in the board office, or by the board's designee, at a time designated by the board. Applicants not properly registered will not be allowed into the examination site. E. Applicants shall be notified by the board of passing or failing the examination but shall not be notified of actual scores. Only the board and its staff shall have access to examination papers, scores, and answer sheets. Examinations may not be reviewed. F. Should the applicant fail to pass an examination within three years after being authorized to take the examination, the applicant must reapply and meet all current entry requirements at the time of reapplication. Licensure by comity. A. A person in good standing and holding a valid license to engage in the practice of land surveying in another state, the District of Columbia, or any territory or possession of the United States may be licensed, provided the applicant submits verifiable documentation to the board that the education, experience, and examination requirements by which the applicant was first licensed in the original jurisdiction were substantially equivalent to those existing in Virginia at the time of the applicant's original licensure. No person shall be so licensed, however, who has not passed an examination in another jurisdiction that was substantially equivalent to that approved by the board at the time of the applicant's original licensure. If the applicant does not meet the requirements for licensure in Virginia that were in effect at the time of original licensure, the applicant shall be required to meet the entry requirements current at the time the completed application for comity is received in the board's office. All applicants shall be required to pass a written Virginia statespecific examination. The examination shall include questions on law, procedures and practices pertaining to land surveying in Virginia. B. A person holding a current license to engage in the practice of land surveying or photogrammetric surveying issued to the applicant by other states, the District of Columbia or any territory or possession of the United States based on requirements that do not conflict with and are at least as rigorous as the provisions contained in 18VAC10-20-310 C may be licensed as a surveyor photogrammetrist without further examination except for the Virginia state examination provided that the applicant was originally licensed prior to the ending date of the provisionscontained in 18VAC10-20-310 C.