Georgia Land Surveyor License Requirements: Tracks, Exams, and Application

To meet the Georgia land surveyor license requirements, you need to finish one of three education-and-experience tracks set by the Georgia Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, pass three exams in a set order, and submit a complete application with supporting documentation and a $100 fee. Every track requires 18 semester hours of board-approved surveying coursework, and at least 24 months of your experience must come through a formal apprenticeship under a licensed professional land surveyor.

The Three Education and Experience Tracks

Georgia does not require a four-year degree. The state offers three paths, and the less formal education you bring, the more supervised experience you need to accumulate before you can be licensed.¹

Bachelor’s degree in a board-approved curriculum, plus at least three years of combined office and field experience.
Associate’s degree in a board-approved curriculum, plus at least five years of experience.
High school diploma or equivalent with the 18 semester hours of surveying coursework completed separately, plus at least eight years of experience.

All three tracks require the same 18 semester hours of board-approved land surveying coursework, whether that work is embedded in your degree program or taken on its own.

The Apprenticeship Inside Your Experience

No matter which track you follow, at least 24 months of your required experience must take the form of a formal apprenticeship under the direct supervision of a licensed professional land surveyor. The apprenticeship clock does not start until you have completed at least nine of your 18 required semester hours.²

Your supervising surveyor must build your proficiency in boundary surveying, topographic surveying, and at least one additional skill set such as GPS/GNSS surveying, construction layout, or photogrammetry. At the end of the apprenticeship, that surveyor must attest in writing that you are competent to practice in Georgia.

Plan your coursework and work history in parallel. If you enter the field with only a high school diploma, you are looking at eight years of experience total, with two of those years locked into a structured apprenticeship that cannot begin until you are halfway through your 18 semester hours.

The Three Required Exams

Georgia requires three exams, taken in a specific sequence. You cannot sit for the second until you have passed the first, and you cannot sit for the third until you have passed the second.¹

Fundamentals of Surveying (FS). The NCEES entry-level exam covers mathematics, geodesy, cartography, measurement analysis, and related foundational topics across 110 questions in a six-hour appointment window. The fee is $225, paid to NCEES.³
Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS). The second NCEES exam tests practical application at a professional level. The fee is $375.⁴
Georgia State-Specific Exam. A separate test on the laws and history of land surveying in Georgia, taken after you have passed both the FS and the PS. It is not part of the PS.⁵

Georgia now allows you to begin taking these exams at any point during your licensure journey, as long as you have completed the education requirements. You no longer need to finish all your experience hours before sitting for the FS.⁶ That lets you chip away at exams while accumulating experience.

Getting a Head Start With an Intern Certificate

Georgia issues a land surveyor intern certificate as a formal interim credential. To qualify, you must complete the education requirements for your track and pass the FS exam.⁷ The certificate does not authorize you to practice independently, but it documents your progress and helps establish your credentials with employers who supervise apprenticeships. Apply as soon as you pass the FS if you are early in your career.

Submitting Your Application

Once your education, experience, and exams are in place, you submit your application to the Georgia Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. The application fee for licensure by examination is $100 and is non-refundable.⁸

Beyond the standard form, you must upload each of the following:⁵

A Surveyor Apprenticeship Affidavit completed by your supervising licensed surveyor, attesting to your competence.
Two boundary survey drawings and two topographic survey drawings that conform to Georgia standards.
An experience summary form documenting your progressive land surveying work.
An education summary form documenting your 18 semester hours and your degree or diploma.

The board reviews the quality of your experience, your test results, and the content of your education. Incomplete applications and drawings that fall short of Georgia’s technical standards are a common cause of delay, so check everything against the board’s current guidelines before you file.

If You’re Already Licensed in Another State

If you hold a land surveyor license in another state, you can apply for a Georgia license by comity instead of starting over. The application fee for comity is $350.⁸ Every comity applicant must still pass the Georgia state-specific exam on the laws and history of land surveying in Georgia. There is no waiver for this exam regardless of how long you have been licensed elsewhere.⁹

The board also evaluates whether your qualifications are comparable to what Georgia required at the time of your original licensure. For applicants first licensed after July 1, 1978, the education threshold varies by era: those licensed between 1978 and 2018 needed 10 semester hours of surveying coursework, while those licensed from 2018 onward need the current 18 semester hours.⁹

Keeping Your License Active After You’re Licensed

Georgia land surveyor licenses renew annually. The renewal fee is $100 per year, and your authority to offer surveying services lapses the moment the license expires.¹⁰

Continuing education runs on a two-year cycle. You must earn professional development hours every two years, and at least three of those hours must cover Georgia’s Minimum Technical Standards for property surveys.¹¹ Approved activities include workshops, seminars, webinars, and self-study courses. If you need to step away from practice, Georgia allows you to place your license in inactive status, which exempts you from both the renewal fee and continuing education while you are inactive but prohibits you from practicing until you reactivate.¹²

1
Justia Law. Georgia Code 43-15-13 – Licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor
2
Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Rules and Regulations Chapter 180-4 – Land Surveyor and Land Surveyor Intern
3
NCEES. Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam
4
NCEES. Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) Exam
5
Georgia Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Board. Land Surveyor Information
6
Georgia Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Board. Important Update – Land Surveyor Licensure Process
7
Justia Law. Georgia Code 43-15-12 – Surveyor Intern Certificate
8
Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Office of Secretary of State Fee Schedule
9
Georgia Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Board. Guidelines for Comity PLS Licensure
10
Georgia Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Fee Schedule
11
Georgia Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Board. Continuing Education
12
Legal Information Institute. Georgia Code of Regulations 295-15-.08 – State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors