How do you get a New York land surveyor license (NYSED)?
New York licenses land surveyors through the State Education Department's Office of the Professions, not through a business-regulation agency. You accumulate a combination of education and experience credits totalling eight (a bachelor's degree in a programme registered as leading to licensure is worth five, leaving three years of experience), pass the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying exam ($225), the NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying exam ($375) and a New York state-specific exam, then pay $377 for licensure and first registration. At least half your experience must be in property conveyance and boundary determination.
- Earn a qualifying degree (a registered bachelor's is worth 5 of the 8 credits).
- Submit the Part 1 eligibility review ($70) if you are not from a registered programme.
- Pass the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying exam ($225).
- Complete your experience credits, at least half in boundary and conveyance work.
- Pass the NCEES PS exam ($375) and the NY state exam, then pay $377 for licensure.
Governing law: New York professional engineering and land surveying law (New York Education Law, Title VIII, Article 145)
New York land surveyor license at a glance
This guide is general information about New York licensing, not legal advice. NYSEDrules, fees and deadlines change — confirm your own position with the board, or with a licensed attorney, before you rely on anything here.
New York land surveyor license types: the full NYSED ladder
There is no journeyman ladder in surveying. In New York you move from unlicensed crew technician to Land Surveyor-in-Training (by passing the NCEES FS exam) to Licensed Land Surveyor (by completing your experience credits and passing the NCEES PS exam and the New York state exam). Only a licensed land surveyor may sign and seal a survey map in New York.
Survey technician / crew member
Unlicensed field work under a licensed surveyor: instrument operation, data collection, staking. No exam, and the normal way to begin accruing experience credits toward licensure.
Land Surveyor-in-Training (LSIT)
The intermediate standing you reach by passing the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying exam. It confirms you are on the licensure path and lets your supervised experience count toward the PS exam.
Licensed Land Surveyor (NYSED)
The full New York licence, issued by the Office of the Professions. Requires eight combined education and experience credits, the NCEES FS and PS exams and the New York state exam. Only a licensed land surveyor may sign and seal a survey map in New York.
Licensure by endorsement
The route for a surveyor already licensed in another state. NYSED will consider your NCEES record and exam results, but you must still meet New York's credit requirements and, in practice, sit the New York state-specific exam on local boundary law.
Triennial registration
Not a separate licence: New York requires you to register to practise, renewing every three years and completing the mandatory continuing education. An unregistered licensee may not practise.
Professional Engineer (PE)
A separate NYSED licence under the same State Board. Some practitioners hold both, but a PE licence does not authorise you to practise land surveying, and a land surveyor licence does not authorise engineering.
Exact experience hours and fees vary by license type and can change, confirm current requirements on the NYSED Land Surveyor program page.
FS exam (LSIT) vs PS + NY exam (licence) Land Surveyor in New York, what is the difference?
How do you get a New York NYSED Licensed Land Surveyor Land Surveyor license?
- 1
Earn your education credits
NYSED awards education credits by degree: a bachelor's degree from a programme registered as leading to licensure in land surveying is worth five credits, with other degrees worth two to four. Education and experience credits must total eight, so the stronger your degree, the fewer experience years you need. If you did not graduate from an EAC- or ETAC-ABET accredited surveying bachelor's programme, submit the Land Surveying application forms with the $70 fee so the Department can review and approve your qualifications.
- 2
Pass the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam
Part 1 of New York's examination requirement is the NCEES FS exam, a closed-book computer-based test costing $225 that covers mathematics, measurement, geodesy and the basics of boundary law. Register through NCEES once NYSED has confirmed your eligibility. Passing it establishes you as a Land Surveyor-in-Training and lets your supervised experience count toward licensure.
- 3
Complete your experience credits under a licensed surveyor
Experience credits range from three to six years depending on your degree, and this is the part applicants underestimate: at least 50% of the required experience must be spent in charge of work related to property conveyance and boundary-line determination, not simply data collection. Keep detailed records certified by the licensed land surveyor who supervised you, because the State Board reviews them closely.
- 4
Pass the NCEES PS exam and the New York state exam
Part 2 is the NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying exam ($375), covering boundary law, legal descriptions, plats and professional practice. Part 3 is a New York state-specific exam of 50 questions on survey analysis, project practices, and legal and ethical practice, which exists because boundary law in New York is intensely local. All three parts must be passed.
- 5
Apply for licensure, then register triennially
Submit your application to the Office of the Professions with the licensure and first registration fee of $377. Once licensed you may sign and seal survey maps in New York. Registration renews every three years and requires the mandatory continuing education; practising while unregistered is professional misconduct.
Does a New York land surveyor license transfer to other states?
New York does not operate blanket reciprocity for land surveyors. A surveyor licensed elsewhere applies for licensure by endorsement, and NYSED will consider your NCEES Record and your FS and PS results, which transfer readily. What does not transfer is New York boundary law: in practice you must still satisfy New York's education and experience credit requirements and sit the New York state-specific exam. Confirm current endorsement rules with the Office of the Professions before relying on an out-of-state licence.
Reciprocity agreements change, always confirm the current list and requirements on the NYSED Land Surveyor program page before applying.
How much does a New York land surveyor license cost, and how long does it take?
New York's own fees are $70 for the Part 1 eligibility review (if you did not graduate from a registered programme) and $377 for licensure and first registration, with triennial registration thereafter. The NCEES exam fees are separate: $225 for the FS and $375 for the PS. The degree and the experience years are the real investment, and survey crew work is paid throughout.
New York land surveyor exam details and license lookup
What is on the New York land surveying exams?
New York requires three exam parts. Part 1 is the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam, $225, a closed-book computer-based test on mathematics, measurement, geodesy and boundary-law basics. Part 2 is the NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam, $375, on boundary law, legal descriptions, plats and professional practice. Part 3 is a New York state-specific exam of 50 questions covering survey analysis, project practices, and legal and ethical practice, which exists because boundary and property law is intensely local. NCEES reports scaled pass or fail results rather than a published percentage.
How to verify a New York land surveyor license
Anyone can confirm a licence for free using the NYSED Office of the Professions verification search at op.nysed.gov. Enter the surveyor's name or licence number to see the profession, licence status, and whether the registration is current, which matters in New York because a licensee whose triennial registration has lapsed may not practise. Clients should always confirm a current registration before commissioning a boundary survey. GlobalCybers verifies every candidate's licence and registration before they reach your portal.
Who licenses land surveyors in New York?
The New York State Education Department's Office of the Professions, acting on the recommendation of the State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying. This surprises people moving from other states, where surveyors are usually licensed by a professional board under a business or consumer-protection agency.
In New York the profession sits under Education Law Article 145, and the same office handles engineers, architects and other licensed professions.
How many years of experience does New York require?
It depends on your degree, because NYSED uses a credit model rather than a fixed rule. Education and experience credits must total eight. A bachelor's degree from a programme registered as leading to licensure in land surveying is worth five credits, leaving three years of experience; lesser degrees are worth
fewer credits and require correspondingly more experience, up to six years. Applicants without the required postsecondary education can still reach eight combined credits, but it takes considerably longer.
New York Land Surveyor licenses, Frequently Asked Questions
NYSED Office of the Professions, Land Surveying licence requirements · NYSED Office of the Professions, NCEES FS and PS eligibility and registration procedures · New York Education Law, Article 145 (Land Surveying) · NCEES, Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam · NCEES, Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (17-1022). Fees and rules can change, confirm current details at www.op.nysed.gov/professions/land-surveying/license-requirements before applying.
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