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Maine Land Surveyor — Requirements & Free Practice

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Professional Land Surveyor

Maine license authorizing professional land surveying services.

Licensing authority: Maine Board of Licensure for Professional Land Surveyors · Application information

Licensure by endorsement under Chapter 80
Application
Submit the Board application, required supporting documentation and fees, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(1).
Court orders
Applicant and licensee eligibility remains subject to support-order and court-ordered suspension provisions of 10 M.R.S. §§8005-8006.
Criminal history
OPOR requires a criminal history records check. Eligibility and discipline based on convictions are governed by 5 M.R.S. Chapter 341.
Denial
No cause for denial under 10 M.R.S. §8003(5-A)(A) or any other law.
Good standing
In all jurisdictions ever licensed, no pending complaint, allegation or investigation, no suspension or practice restrictions, and no surrendered or revoked license (Chapter 80, Section 4).
Military credit
Under 10 M.R.S. §8011, qualifying military education, training and service must be accepted toward licensing qualifications; examination eligibility and fee waivers may be considered case by case under §8003(2-A)(M)-(N).
Minimum age
At least 18 years old at application, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(2).
Prior credential
Active land surveyor license from another United States jurisdiction whose licensing requirements are substantially equivalent for the license sought. Chapter 80 requires a licensing pathway with at least 24 months supervised full-time experience and a passing NCEES principles and practices examination score.
Prior ps score
The currently offered registered PS examination remains a leaf even when passed for the existing license; proof of the passing score is supplied by the endorsement applicant.
Licensure by examination — equivalent license from another jurisdiction
Application
Submit the Board application, required supporting documentation and fees, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(1).
Court orders
Applicant and licensee eligibility remains subject to support-order and court-ordered suspension provisions of 10 M.R.S. §§8005-8006.
Criminal history
OPOR requires a criminal history records check. Eligibility and discipline based on convictions are governed by 5 M.R.S. Chapter 341.
Experience
Twenty-four months of full-time surveying experience under licensed-surveyor supervision in Maine or another jurisdiction, with significant responsibility in research, field work, computations, data analysis, plans, descriptions, reports and correspondence. Teaching accepted by the Board may provide no more than 50% of the 24 months (Chapter 50, Section 1).
Military credit
Under 10 M.R.S. §8011, qualifying military education, training and service must be accepted toward licensing qualifications; examination eligibility and fee waivers may be considered case by case under §8003(2-A)(M)-(N).
Minimum age
At least 18 years old at application, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(2).
Prior credential
Hold a license from another jurisdiction with qualifications similar to Maine LSIT requirements under §18223 and Board rules.
Score window
The Board FAQ states: "Within 48 months of passage of both the MSMC and PS exams, you must verify and provide the following:" followed by the license application, payment, experience verification and verification for reciprocal applicants. This is an applicant timing condition, not an examination version end date.
Licensure by examination — Maine land surveyor in training
Application
Submit the Board application, required supporting documentation and fees, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(1).
Court orders
Applicant and licensee eligibility remains subject to support-order and court-ordered suspension provisions of 10 M.R.S. §§8005-8006.
Criminal history
OPOR requires a criminal history records check. Eligibility and discipline based on convictions are governed by 5 M.R.S. Chapter 341.
Experience
Twenty-four months of full-time surveying experience under licensed-surveyor supervision in Maine or another jurisdiction, with significant responsibility in research, field work, computations, data analysis, plans, descriptions, reports and correspondence. Teaching accepted by the Board may provide no more than 50% of the 24 months (Chapter 50, Section 1).
Military credit
Under 10 M.R.S. §8011, qualifying military education, training and service must be accepted toward licensing qualifications; examination eligibility and fee waivers may be considered case by case under §8003(2-A)(M)-(N).
Minimum age
At least 18 years old at application, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(2).
Prior credential
Hold a valid Maine land surveyor-in-training license; that license is an applicant qualification, not an additional FS examination leaf of this PLS route.
Score window
The Board FAQ states: "Within 48 months of passage of both the MSMC and PS exams, you must verify and provide the following:" followed by the license application, payment, experience verification and verification for reciprocal applicants. This is an applicant timing condition, not an examination version end date.
Late renewal within 90 days after expiration
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing education
For PLS renewal, certify eight hours in the preceding term; first-renewal rules require four hours when initially licensed in the first year, and none when initially licensed in the second year. The age-65/less-than-160-hours exemption, hardship deferments and military waiver apply as stated in Chapter 70.
Effective license
Under 02-041 Chapter 11, the license is effective on the late-renewal date and is not retroactive; the holder was unlicensed during the lapse.
Prior credential
Expired professional land surveyor license.
Time window
Apply within 90 days of expiration; pay renewal and late fees.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Licensure based on equivalent qualifications under 32 M.R.S. §18227
Application
Submit the Board application, required supporting documentation and fees, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(1).
Board discretion
Section 18227 permits examinations the Board determines necessary; the implementing PLS licensing instructions identify PS and MSMC. Other unidentified examination slots remain conditions.
Court orders
Applicant and licensee eligibility remains subject to support-order and court-ordered suspension provisions of 10 M.R.S. §§8005-8006.
Criminal history
OPOR requires a criminal history records check. Eligibility and discipline based on convictions are governed by 5 M.R.S. Chapter 341.
Experience
Demonstrate experience satisfactory to the Board; its licensing instructions additionally require verification of the other license.
Military credit
Under 10 M.R.S. §8011, qualifying military education, training and service must be accepted toward licensing qualifications; examination eligibility and fee waivers may be considered case by case under §8003(2-A)(M)-(N).
Minimum age
At least 18 years old at application, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(2).
Prior credential
License in good standing under the laws of another jurisdiction and evidence satisfactory to the Board of equivalent qualifications for the professional level.
Score window
The Board FAQ states: "Within 48 months of passage of both the MSMC and PS exams, you must verify and provide the following:" followed by the license application, payment, experience verification and verification for reciprocal applicants. This is an applicant timing condition, not an examination version end date.
Ordinary biennial renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing education
For PLS renewal, certify eight hours in the preceding term; first-renewal rules require four hours when initially licensed in the first year, and none when initially licensed in the second year. The age-65/less-than-160-hours exemption, hardship deferments and military waiver apply as stated in Chapter 70.
Inquiries
Respond to renewal-form inquiries under 10 M.R.S. §8003-G(1).
Prior credential
Existing professional land surveyor license.
Renewal
Written renewal request and fee; no ground for refusal. Biennial term ends December 31 of odd-numbered years.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reapplication after expiration for more than 90 days
Application
Submit the Board application, required supporting documentation and fees, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(1).
Court orders
Applicant and licensee eligibility remains subject to support-order and court-ordered suspension provisions of 10 M.R.S. §§8005-8006.
Criminal history
OPOR requires a criminal history records check. Eligibility and discipline based on convictions are governed by 5 M.R.S. Chapter 341.
Education experience
Twenty-four months of full-time surveying experience under licensed-surveyor supervision in Maine or another jurisdiction, with significant responsibility in research, field work, computations, data analysis, plans, descriptions, reports and correspondence. Teaching accepted by the Board may provide no more than 50% of the 24 months (Chapter 50, Section 1).
Exam waiver
Under 32 M.R.S. §18228, the Board may waive examination giving due consideration to public protection; this discretion is a condition and does not delete the named current examination leaves.
Military credit
Under 10 M.R.S. §8011, qualifying military education, training and service must be accepted toward licensing qualifications; examination eligibility and fee waivers may be considered case by case under §8003(2-A)(M)-(N).
Minimum age
At least 18 years old at application, under 32 M.R.S. §18221(2).
New applicant requirements
Reapply under the requirements governing new applicants with original documentation and fees.
Prior credential
Previously held Maine professional land surveyor license expired more than 90 days earlier.

Maine Specific Multiple Choice Exam (MSMC)

Provider
Maine Board of Licensure for Professional Land Surveyors
Format
Multiple-choice, closed-book examination
Passing score
70%
Practice scope

The authority has not published an examination outline; the practice questions follow the scope of the existing question bank.

  • Professional licensure, scope, seals, and continuing obligations
    • Maine licensure prerequisites, seals, final documents, and continuing education
  • Responsibilities to society and regulatory accountability
    • Public responsibility, lawful practice, exemptions, and discipline
  • Obligations to employers, clients, and public bodies
    • Competence, supervision, confidentiality, conflicts, compensation, and government service
  • Applicability, exceptions, and written client confirmations
    • When technical standards apply and how engagements or exceptions must be documented
  • Records research and boundary evidence
    • Public and private records, conflicts, gaps, overlaps, errors, and encumbrances
  • Monumentation and recovery of boundaries
    • Placement, durability, detection, identification, protection, and municipal boundary monuments
  • Plans, reports, and archival records
    • Boundary reporting, retraceability, plan content, and preservation of survey information
  • Equipment, field techniques, and entry onto land
    • Calibration, historical measurement capability, field evidence, redundancy, notice, identification, and safety
  • Maine land records and survey-plan recording
    • Recording media, seals, signatures, title blocks, subdivision plats, and coordinate descriptions
  • Maine municipal boundaries, highways, subdivisions, and shoreland practice
    • Town-line and highway evidence, subdivision definitions and review, flood, wetland, and shore-frontage requirements
Examination sources

Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) Exam

Provider
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES); administered year-round via computer-based testing at approved Pearson test centers
Format
Computer-based, closed book with an electronic reference (NCEES PS Reference Handbook and the specified standards); U.S. Customary units; questions require a variety of approaches and methodologies, including design, analysis, and application
Exam questions
100 questions
Time limit
7 hours, including a tutorial and an optional scheduled break
Passing score
Results reported as pass or fail; failing examinees receive a diagnostic report by major topic
Exam fee
$375 exam fee payable directly to NCEES
Examination outline
  • 1. Legal Principles (18–27 of 100 questions)
    • A. Principles of Evidence — 1. How to search for data and for physical evidence to evaluate data; 2. How to evaluate data; 3. Parol evidence; 4. Prescriptive rights; 5. Adverse possession; 6. Acquiescence; 7. Controlling elements; 8. Easement rights
    • B. Common Law Boundary Principles — 1. Historical and current common law principles; 2. Riparian and littoral rights; 3. Sovereign rights, including both navigable waters and eminent domain; 4. Sovereign land grants
    • C. Sequential and Simultaneous Conveyance Concepts — 1. Types of conveyances; 2. Junior/senior rights; 3. Record and physical evidence
    • D. Legal Descriptions for Real Property Transactions — 1. Preparation and interpretation of legal descriptions; 2. Controlling elements and how they impact the description; 3. Unwritten rights and how they impact the description; 4. Encumbrances and how they impact the description; 5. Easements and how they impact the description
    • E. Evidence for the Perpetuation of the U.S. PLSS
  • 2. Professional Survey Practices (22–33 of 100 questions)
    • A. Public/Private Record Sources — 1. Resources for private and public records; 2. Local public records indexing and filing system; 3. Local survey office records
    • B. Documentation, Supervision, and Clear Communication of Field Procedures — 1. Field surveying techniques; 2. Field surveying practices; 3. Data collection protocols
    • C. GPS/GNSS including satellite constellations, static GPS, RTK, PPP, and virtual networks
    • D. Surveying Principles and Computations — 1. Technical computations; 2. Applicable software
    • E. Monumentation Standards — 1. Applicable monumentation criteria; 2. Monument types
    • F. Land Development Solutions — 1. Regulatory land development criteria; 2. Construction criteria; 3. Land development implementation procedures
    • G. Survey Maps/Plats/Reports — 1. Technical communications by schematic, platting, and mapping processes and procedures; 2. Communication options
    • H. GIS — 1. GIS spatial databases and metadata; 2. Datums and projections related to GIS
  • 3. Standards and Specifications (8–12 of 100 questions)
    • A. BLM Manual of Surveying Instructions
    • B. ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey Standards — 1. Current ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey Standards; 2. State statutes regarding boundary surveys in conjunction with ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys
    • C. FEMA Requirements — 1. FEMA specifications and instructions; 2. Horizontal and vertical datums related to FEMA flood zones; 3. Current FEMA elevation certificate; 4. FEMA Flood Insurance Study
  • 4. Business Practices (13–19 of 100 questions)
    • A. General Business Practices and Procedures — 1. Project planning and project management; 2. Deliverables; 3. Costs, budgets, and contracts; 4. Types of surveys; 5. Site features and conditions; 6. Scope of services; 7. Appropriate equipment and instruments
    • B. Risk Management Procedures — 1. Safety procedures; 2. QA/QC methods; 3. Risk management in contracts; 4. Insurance needs and requirements; 5. Potential liabilities
    • C. Professional Conduct
    • D. Communication with Clients, Staff, Related Professions, and the Public — 1. Different forms of communications; 2. Appropriate type of communication to convey concepts; 3. Related professions and their impact on client needs and deliverables
  • 5. Areas of Practice (24–36 of 100 questions)
    • A. ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys — 1. Legal documents, such as deeds, easements, and agreements; 2. Zoning information as applied to ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys; 3. Title insurance commitment letters and policies; 4. Underground features as applied to ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys
    • B. Control Networks and Geodetic Network Surveys — 1. Datums and reference frames relative to control networks; 2. Differences between local datums and geodetic datums; 3. Equipment appropriate for control surveys; 4. The Federal Geographic Data Committee Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standards; 5. The National Geospatial Programs (NGP) Standards and Specifications—Digital Data Standards
    • C. Construction Surveys — 1. Construction plan reading; 2. Construction calculations including slopes, grades, and plan details; 3. Construction techniques and activities; 4. Horizontal and vertical positioning relative to a plan or datum
    • D. Boundary Surveys — 1. Physical boundary evidence; 2. Boundary reconciliations; 3. Historical measurement accuracy, equipment, and techniques; 4. Legal principles related to boundary surveys
    • E. Route Surveys for Alignments and Utilities — 1. Route alignment stationing practices; 2. Reading and interpreting roadway and utility plans
    • F. Topographic — 1. Topographic/planimetric mapping and control standards; 2. Interpretation, reconciliation, and adjustment of topographic survey data; 3. QA/QC procedures as applied to topographic surveys; 4. Ground, hydrographic, and remote sensing equipment; 5. The U.S. National Map Accuracy Standards as applied to topographic surveys; 6. Tools and techniques required to perform hydrographic, bathymetric, and remote sensing surveys; 7. Nomenclature related to utilities
    • G. Surveys to Establish New Parcels, Lots, or Units — 1. Types of subdivisions; 2. Platting; 3. Condominiums and associations; 4. Deed restrictions and restrictive covenants; 5. Zoning and subdivision ordinances
    • H. As-Built/Record Drawing Surveys — 1. As-built/record drawing calculations including slopes, grades, and plan details; 2. As-built/record drawing techniques and activities; 3. Horizontal and vertical as-built/record drawing positions relative to a plan or datum
    • I. Consultation Services — 1. Site topography and slope for development purposes; 2. Site access for development purposes; 3. Zoning standards related to new projects; 4. Floodplains as related to land development
Examination sources