Acquiring a California Land Surveyor License | Corona, CA

Are you looking for a career change? Thinking about land surveying? Here is some information to keep in mind:

To become a licensed land surveyor, you have to meet a few requirements. You must have at least six years of full-time (or its equivalent) land surveying experience. This must include a year with responsible office training and a year with responsible field training.

You can use one of two alternatives to reach the required experience. One option is if you graduated from a board-approved curriculum that emphasizes land surveying. This can count for up to four years of experience. The other is if you studied a board-approved curriculum and didn’t graduate. You can get a half-year of experience for every year you studied.

You also have to pass multiple examinations, including the NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) Exam, the California-Specific Professional Land Surveyor Exam, the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam, and the California Professional Land Surveyors State Laws and Board Rules Exam. The last one is completed at home. You must also be fingerprinted and pay a fee.

As far as qualifications are concerned, The Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists waives the requirement to pass the NCEES Fundamentals of Surveying Exam in a few situations. This can be the case if you have an LSIT Certificate from a different state or a valid California Civil Engineer License. It also applies if you graduated from a four-year curriculum for land surveying and have at least 15 years of qualifying experience. The final exemption is if you graduated from a non-approved curriculum for land surveying with a Bachelor’s of Science or its equivalent and have at least 17 years of experience.

To find out more about a career in land surveying, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Types of Land Surveying Jobs | Corona, CA

Besides surveying land for property owners and developers, surveyors also may do construction surveying. This is helpful in the planning of roads and buildings since the slope and grade of the land can affect the level of difficulty — or even possibility — of some construction projects. They also take into account any underground portions of the project that might be influenced by the geography of the property, such as the type of soil or presence of bedrock or streams.

Engineer using surveying equipment at a construction site with a backhoe in the background.

Construction surveyors are often needed throughout a project.

Forensic. Forensic surveyors work in tandem with the legal system. Using their particular skills and techniques, they can help reconstruct a crime or accident scene. They can also provide critical information relative to storm damage and evaluate the potential threat of environmental factors. These professionals provide reports to law enforcement, insurance companies, government agencies, or other involved agents.

Hydrographic. A hydrographic surveyor surveys land in and around bodies of water. This includes mapping coastlines, riverbeds, and sea floors. This information is helpful to the Navy and other seamen, but also to developers planning waterfront projects or governmental bodies that are building bridges or other structures near the shore. In the case of bridges especially, the makeup of the land under the water can be critical (i.e., whether it is sand, clay, mud, etc.) These surveyors measure water depth, mark the patterns of erosion and assess navigational risks as well.

Environmental. Environmental surveyors map undeveloped land, often pinpointing areas populated by an endangered species. They may also survey areas contaminated with hazardous materials or those affected by storm, flood or fire damage.

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To find out more about a career in land surveying, please contact us at (800) CALVADA or visit www.calvada.com.

Calvada proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.