How To Become A Land Surveyor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a land surveyor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Did you know that the first president of the United States worked as a land surveyor? If you decide to take up this career as well, you can tell people you have the same job as George Washington.

Like Washington, if you worked as a land surveyor, your job would be to measure the land, mark out boundaries, and calculate the topography of a plot of land. Many construction companies hire land surveyors to avoid legal disputes after they start working. However, the tools of the trade have changed a lot since Washington made his/her maps. Now, many land surveyors need to be familiar with GPS technology in addition to topography and geography.

While some land surveyors have college degrees, many do not. Practical experience is more important, as well as endurance. Just like in the days of Washington, surveying land involves a lot of standing outside.

ScoreLand SurveyorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $46,182

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.8

Growth Rate 1%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%

Asian 5.00%

Black or African American 3.36%

Hispanic or Latino 10.91%

Unknown 4.84%

White 75.37%

Gender

female 6.08%

male 93.92%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.9

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.3

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a land surveyor

Explore land surveyor education requirements

Most common land surveyor degrees

Bachelor's

42.9 %

Associate

23.9 %

High School Diploma

21.0 %

Start to develop specific land surveyor skills

Skills	Percentages
GPS	20.77%
Data Collection	7.73%
Topographic Surveys	7.70%
Survey Data	7.61%
Boundary Surveys	6.36%

Complete relevant land surveyor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New land surveyors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a land surveyor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real land surveyor resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed land surveyor usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed land surveyor in most of states. 44 states require land surveyors to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License Url
Alabama	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Licensed Land Surveyor
Maryland	Degree required	State exam required	PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR
Alaska	-	-	Land Surveyor
Arkansas	-	State exam required	Professional Surveyor
California	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Land Surveyor

Research land surveyor duties and responsibilities

Utilize GPS technology to manage a two man robotic crew assign to residential/ commercial development projects.
Operate survey robotic instruments (Leica TPS1200), data collectors (Carlson, TDS).
Hire and train tribal members in using GPS and conventional survey equipment to assist perform field surveys of vary complexity.
Finalize plans through AutoCAD and Carlson software.

Prepare your land surveyor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your land surveyor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a land surveyor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Land Surveyor Resume templates

Build a professional Land Surveyor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Land Surveyor resume.

Apply for land surveyor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a land surveyor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do land surveyors rate their job?

4/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Land Surveyor reviews

4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

The mathematical aspect and working outside most days.

Cons

Working outside some days and the ignorance of the general public with regards to what defines property boundaries.

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019