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North Dakota Land Surveyor — Requirements & Free Practice

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Land Surveyor Intern

Intern certification; it does not independently authorize professional practice and has no expiration under NDAC 28-02.1-09-01.

Licensing authority: North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors · Application information

Certification through qualifying experience under NDCC 43 19.1 16.1
Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam
Character
Good character and reputation; three character references; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
Documents
Complete the typed application; official transcripts and reference letters must come directly from the institutions and references; foreign degrees require an NCEES credential evaluation.
Education Standards
The Board-approved program under the post-2028 framework includes twenty-four semester credits of surveying (four drafting/CAD/GIS, ten basic surveying, ten principles and practices) and six semester credits of oral and written communication under NDAC 28-02.1-06-01. The pre-2028 applicant must follow the applicable statutory option.
Passing Score
The Board-approved FS examination must already have been passed when seeking intern certification.
Qualification
At least four years of qualifying land-surveying experience satisfactory to the Board, which may include formal education in an accredited engineering or surveying curriculum; this statutory option remains available through June 30, 2028.
Certification with another Board approved baccalaureate
Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam
Character
Good character and reputation; three character references; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
Documents
Complete the typed application; official transcripts and reference letters must come directly from the institutions and references; foreign degrees require an NCEES credential evaluation.
Education Standards
The Board-approved program under the post-2028 framework includes twenty-four semester credits of surveying (four drafting/CAD/GIS, ten basic surveying, ten principles and practices) and six semester credits of oral and written communication under NDAC 28-02.1-06-01. The pre-2028 applicant must follow the applicable statutory option.
Passing Score
The Board-approved FS examination must already have been passed when seeking intern certification.
Qualification
Board-approved baccalaureate in another field, Board-approved surveying education, and at least two years of qualifying surveying experience.
Certification with a land surveying associate degree
Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam
Character
Good character and reputation; three character references; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
Documents
Complete the typed application; official transcripts and reference letters must come directly from the institutions and references; foreign degrees require an NCEES credential evaluation.
Education Standards
The Board-approved program under the post-2028 framework includes twenty-four semester credits of surveying (four drafting/CAD/GIS, ten basic surveying, ten principles and practices) and six semester credits of oral and written communication under NDAC 28-02.1-06-01. The pre-2028 applicant must follow the applicable statutory option.
Passing Score
The Board-approved FS examination must already have been passed when seeking intern certification.
Qualification
Associate degree in land surveying from a Board-approved program and at least two years of qualifying surveying experience.
Certification with a land surveying baccalaureate
Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam
Character
Good character and reputation; three character references; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
Documents
Complete the typed application; official transcripts and reference letters must come directly from the institutions and references; foreign degrees require an NCEES credential evaluation.
Education Standards
The Board-approved program under the post-2028 framework includes twenty-four semester credits of surveying (four drafting/CAD/GIS, ten basic surveying, ten principles and practices) and six semester credits of oral and written communication under NDAC 28-02.1-06-01. The pre-2028 applicant must follow the applicable statutory option.
Passing Score
The Board-approved FS examination must already have been passed when seeking intern certification.
Qualification
Baccalaureate degree in land surveying from a Board-approved accredited program.
Certification with a land surveying educational certificate
Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam
Character
Good character and reputation; three character references; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
Documents
Complete the typed application; official transcripts and reference letters must come directly from the institutions and references; foreign degrees require an NCEES credential evaluation.
Education Standards
The Board-approved program under the post-2028 framework includes twenty-four semester credits of surveying (four drafting/CAD/GIS, ten basic surveying, ten principles and practices) and six semester credits of oral and written communication under NDAC 28-02.1-06-01. The pre-2028 applicant must follow the applicable statutory option.
Passing Score
The Board-approved FS examination must already have been passed when seeking intern certification.
Qualification
Land surveying certificate from a Board-approved program and at least four years of qualifying surveying experience.

Professional Land Surveyor

Individual registration authorizing professional land surveying in North Dakota.

Licensing authority: North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors · Application information

Biennial renewal of active registration
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Board-approved renewal form and applicable fee; renew before expiration.
Continuing Education
Thirty professional development hours every two years, at least twenty technical and at most ten nontechnical, including at least one ethics-oriented hour; fifteen qualifying hours may be carried forward.
Documentation
Keep CPC records for four years; attest compliance at renewal and supply records if audited.
Exemptions
Board-approved disability, illness, leave or other extenuating circumstances; qualifying military deployment; eligible retired status; and applicable statutory voluntary-registration exemptions.
Optional Training Exam
The Board offers a voluntary one-hour ethics examination awarding one PDH on a passing score. The renewal rule requires professional development and an ethics-oriented class, not passage of that examination; it is recorded as an optional training condition.
Return After Exemption
For return after a Board-approved physical disability, illness, leave or other circumstances exemption, obtain fifteen PDH per year exempted, capped at thirty, before returning to active practice.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Board directed disciplinary rehabilitation and reinstatement
Examination on the Code of Ethics (practice unavailable)
Board Discretion
The Board may require an examination on the Code of Ethics in determining rehabilitation; the leaf records that identified examination even if the Board excuses the particular applicant.
Other Examination
NDAC 28-03.1-01-08(2) allows the Board to require whatever examination it considers appropriate in an unresolved question of technical competence; that unnamed assessment is an applicant condition, not an invented examination identity.
Result
Passing the Code of Ethics examination does not alone compel reinstatement or removal of other disciplinary conditions.
Status
Registration has been subject to disciplinary action; reinstatement after revocation depends on the Board finding sufficient rehabilitation.
Registration by endorsement
Age
Applicant must be over eighteen years of age under NDCC 43-19.1-16.
Applicant
Hold current registration in another jurisdiction on qualifications the Board considers equal to or higher than North Dakota requirements.
Board Policy
The current NDPELS application requires all PLS applicants, including endorsement applicants, to verify prior FS and PS passes; both are leaves although applicants need not necessarily retake them.
Character
Good character and reputation; application under oath under NDCC 43-19.1-12 and 43-19.1-17.
Corner Record
Submit a Land Survey Monument Record (Corner Record) worked on by the applicant.
Examination Timing
FS and PS passing scores are required before submitting the professional application; prior completion remains an examination requirement. The PS exam may be taken before completion of the experience requirement under NDCC 43-19.1-19.
Experience
Progressive surveying work demonstrating competence, including at least twelve months of cadastral/public land survey system experience under NDAC 28-02.1-04-02(5).
Foreign Education
Foreign-language materials require certified translations and foreign degrees require NCEES evaluation.
Qualification Discretion
The Board evaluates the other jurisdiction qualifications and supporting evidence.
Record
An NCEES record may supply work experience, transcripts, exam verifications and references when transmitted within one year of application submittal; otherwise supply those documents independently.
References
Five references, including three professional land surveyors with personal knowledge of experience; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
State Exam Access
Board approval of the application is required for access to the orientation exam; the applicant has one year to pass it.
Registration by examination
Age
Applicant must be over eighteen years of age under NDCC 43-19.1-16.
Applicant
Initial registration for an individual without a license in another jurisdiction.
Character
Good character and reputation; application under oath under NDCC 43-19.1-12 and 43-19.1-17.
Corner Record
Submit a Land Survey Monument Record (Corner Record) worked on by the applicant.
Education Credit
The Board application page states total experience of four years for an ABET-accredited engineering or surveying baccalaureate; six years for non-ABET engineering or surveying degrees or a two-year engineering technology or surveying degree; eight years without qualifying education.
Examination Timing
FS and PS passing scores are required before submitting the professional application; prior completion remains an examination requirement. The PS exam may be taken before completion of the experience requirement under NDCC 43-19.1-19.
Experience
Progressive surveying work demonstrating competence, including at least twelve months of cadastral/public land survey system experience under NDAC 28-02.1-04-02(5).
Foreign Education
Foreign-language materials require certified translations and foreign degrees require NCEES evaluation.
Intern Certificate
Hold a North Dakota land surveyor intern certificate.
Post Intern Experience
Four years of Board-satisfactory surveying experience in addition to the experience required for intern certification.
Record
An NCEES record may supply work experience, transcripts, exam verifications and references when transmitted within one year of application submittal; otherwise supply those documents independently.
References
Five references, including three professional land surveyors with personal knowledge of experience; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
State Exam Access
Board approval of the application is required for access to the orientation exam; the applicant has one year to pass it.
Foreign practitioner discretionary licensure under NDCC 43 51 06
Age
Applicant must be over eighteen years of age under NDCC 43-19.1-16.
Applicant
Foreign practitioner with at least two years of practice before applying, or a shorter Board-authorized period.
Board Discretion
Issuance without a new examination is discretionary; other licensing requirements remain, and the statute expressly allows a state-law and Board-rules examination.
Character
Good character and reputation; application under oath under NDCC 43-19.1-12 and 43-19.1-17.
Corner Record
Submit a Land Survey Monument Record (Corner Record) worked on by the applicant.
Examination Timing
FS and PS passing scores are required before submitting the professional application; prior completion remains an examination requirement. The PS exam may be taken before completion of the experience requirement under NDCC 43-19.1-19.
Experience
Progressive surveying work demonstrating competence, including at least twelve months of cadastral/public land survey system experience under NDAC 28-02.1-04-02(5).
Foreign Education
Foreign-language materials require certified translations and foreign degrees require NCEES evaluation.
Prior Scores
The current Board implementing application asks all professional surveyor applicants for prior FS and PS passing scores; this route does not require the applicant to retake passed examinations merely because applying under NDCC 43-51-06.
Record
An NCEES record may supply work experience, transcripts, exam verifications and references when transmitted within one year of application submittal; otherwise supply those documents independently.
References
Five references, including three professional land surveyors with personal knowledge of experience; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
State Exam Access
Board approval of the application is required for access to the orientation exam; the applicant has one year to pass it.
Recognition of June 30, 1967 registration
North Dakota Professional Land Surveyor Orientation Exam
Applicant
Registered as a North Dakota land surveyor under former Chapter 43-24 on June 30, 1967; this is a historic-registration condition, not a currently offered examination.
State Examination
The present introductory text of NDCC 43-19.1-16 requires the Board-approved state-specific examination for eligibility; retained literally for this statutory applicant group.
Reinstatement after inactivity of more than one and less than four years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Board-approved renewal form, current-period renewal fee and two years of back fees; meet all other requirements.
Interim Cpc
Within one year of reinstatement, file an interim report showing at least fifteen PDH.
Status
Inactive for more than one year but less than four years.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reapplication after at least two inactive renewal periods
Age
Applicant must be over eighteen years of age under NDCC 43-19.1-16.
Application
Update all required applicant information as for an original application.
Character
Good character and reputation; application under oath under NDCC 43-19.1-12 and 43-19.1-17.
Corner Record
Submit a Land Survey Monument Record (Corner Record) worked on by the applicant.
Examination Timing
FS and PS passing scores are required before submitting the professional application; prior completion remains an examination requirement. The PS exam may be taken before completion of the experience requirement under NDCC 43-19.1-19.
Experience
Progressive surveying work demonstrating competence, including at least twelve months of cadastral/public land survey system experience under NDAC 28-02.1-04-02(5).
Foreign Education
Foreign-language materials require certified translations and foreign degrees require NCEES evaluation.
Interim Cpc
If lapsed or inactive for a year or more, file an interim report for at least fifteen PDH within one year of reinstatement.
Record
An NCEES record may supply work experience, transcripts, exam verifications and references when transmitted within one year of application submittal; otherwise supply those documents independently.
Reexamination
The Board may require reexamination in all or part of the original examination qualifications; existing passing scores and any Board determination about retesting are applicant conditions.
References
Five references, including three professional land surveyors with personal knowledge of experience; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
State Exam Access
Board approval of the application is required for access to the orientation exam; the applicant has one year to pass it.
Status
Inactive for two or more renewal periods; the Board renewal page sends licenses inactive more than four years to the application process.
Reapplication after lapse of more than one year
Age
Applicant must be over eighteen years of age under NDCC 43-19.1-16.
Application
Update all required applicant information as for an original application.
Character
Good character and reputation; application under oath under NDCC 43-19.1-12 and 43-19.1-17.
Corner Record
Submit a Land Survey Monument Record (Corner Record) worked on by the applicant.
Examination Timing
FS and PS passing scores are required before submitting the professional application; prior completion remains an examination requirement. The PS exam may be taken before completion of the experience requirement under NDCC 43-19.1-19.
Experience
Progressive surveying work demonstrating competence, including at least twelve months of cadastral/public land survey system experience under NDAC 28-02.1-04-02(5).
Foreign Education
Foreign-language materials require certified translations and foreign degrees require NCEES evaluation.
Interim Cpc
If lapsed or inactive for a year or more, file an interim report for at least fifteen PDH within one year of reinstatement.
Record
An NCEES record may supply work experience, transcripts, exam verifications and references when transmitted within one year of application submittal; otherwise supply those documents independently.
Reexamination
The Board may require reexamination in all or part of the original examination qualifications; existing passing scores and any Board determination about retesting are applicant conditions.
References
Five references, including three professional land surveyors with personal knowledge of experience; Board members and relatives cannot be references.
State Exam Access
Board approval of the application is required for access to the orientation exam; the applicant has one year to pass it.
Status
Lapsed for more than one year.
Replacement of lost, destroyed or mutilated certificate
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Request a duplicate and pay the Board-determined charge.
Existing Certificate
Already hold the relevant registration or commercial certificate; this replaces the document and creates no new practice privileges.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Restoration from retired to active registration
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Board-approved renewal form and current renewal fee.
Competency
If retired for a year or more, report at least fifteen PDH within one year after reinstatement; if retired for less than a year, show prior two-year CPC compliance at reinstatement.
Status
Hold a retired registration and satisfy all other reinstatement requirements.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Renewal after lapse or inactivity less than one year
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Education
Thirty professional development hours every two years, at least twenty technical and at most ten nontechnical, including at least one ethics-oriented hour; fifteen qualifying hours may be carried forward.
Documentation
Keep CPC records for four years; attest compliance at renewal and supply records if audited.
Exemptions
Board-approved disability, illness, leave or other extenuating circumstances; qualifying military deployment; eligible retired status; and applicable statutory voluntary-registration exemptions.
Optional Training Exam
The Board offers a voluntary one-hour ethics examination awarding one PDH on a passing score. The renewal rule requires professional development and an ethics-oriented class, not passage of that examination; it is recorded as an optional training condition.
Return After Exemption
For return after a Board-approved physical disability, illness, leave or other circumstances exemption, obtain fifteen PDH per year exempted, capped at thirty, before returning to active practice.
Status
License lapsed or inactive for less than one year; meet all other requirements and demonstrate the previous two years of CPC compliance.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam

Provider
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES); administered year-round in testing windows at NCEES-approved Pearson test centers
Format
Computer-based test, closed book with an electronic reference (NCEES FS Reference Handbook and the specified standards); includes alternative item types (AITs) in addition to traditional multiple-choice questions; uses both SI and U.S. Customary units
Exam questions
110 questions
Time limit
6-hour appointment: nondisclosure agreement (2 minutes), tutorial (8 minutes), exam (5 hours and 20 minutes), scheduled break (25 minutes)
Passing score
Results reported as pass or fail; failing examinees receive a diagnostic report by major topic
Exam fee
$225 exam fee payable directly to NCEES
Examination outline
  • 1. Surveying Processes and Methods (16–24 of 110 questions)
    • A. Instrumentation (e.g., GNSS/GPS, levels, total stations, robotic total stations, scanners, UAS)
    • B. GNSS/GPS surveys (e.g., static, kinematic, OPUS, real-time networks)
    • C. Control surveys (e.g., horizontal, vertical, network design, accuracy standards)
    • D. Cadastral (e.g., Public Land Survey System [PLSS], boundary, metes and bounds, land title)
    • E. Topographic surveys
    • F. Construction surveys (e.g., layout, as-built, quantity)
    • G. Land development (e.g., subdivision design/platting, land use, environmental, flood plains, wetlands)
    • H. Field record keeping and documentation (e.g., procedures, field books, raw data files)
  • 2. Mapping Processes and Methods (14–21 of 110 questions)
    • A. Basic mapping concepts (e.g., scaling, symbols, features, legend, contours, cartography)
    • B. Types of maps (e.g., plan and profile, cross section, plat, record of survey, ALTA, topographic, planimetric)
    • C. CAD (e.g., 2-D, 3-D, building information modeling [BIM])
    • D. GIS (e.g., feature collection, map projections, coordinate systems, metadata, database design and management, spatial data analysis, GIS applications)
    • E. Digital terrain model (e.g., machine control, triangulated irregular network [TIN], digital surface model, digital elevation model)
    • F. Photogrammetry and remote sensing (e.g., close range, conventional, softcopy, ground control, quality control, flight planning, project planning, UAS, drone, LiDAR, satellite, digital image analysis and processing)
  • 3. Boundary Law and Real Property Principles (19–29 of 110 questions)
    • A. Public records and descriptions (e.g., land descriptions, mineral rights, ownership rights, weighting evidence)
    • B. Common law principles (e.g., controlling elements, unwritten rights, adverse possession)
    • C. Easements (e.g., granted, implied/prescriptive)
    • D. Simultaneous and sequential conveyances
    • E. Metes and bounds
    • F. PLSS
    • G. Water law (e.g., riparian, littoral rights, water marks/levels)
    • H. Sources of law (e.g., federal/state/local, administrative, common, citations, legal research)
    • I. Encumbrances (e.g., restrictive covenants, mortgages, liens)
    • J. Real property law (e.g., deeds, chains of title)
  • 4. Surveying Principles (13–20 of 110 questions)
    • A. Basic surveying (e.g., horizontal surveys, vertical surveys, understanding of historical methods and instruments, route surveying, magnetic declination)
    • B. Geodesy (e.g., spherical trigonometry, geometric, physical, geodetic coordinates, orthometric corrections, convergence, geodetic reductions, gravity modeling, geoid modeling)
    • C. Applied geodesy (e.g., datums and datum conversions, latitude/longitude, coordinate transformations, state plane coordinate system [SPCS], map projections, control networks, reduction of observations, deflection of vertical, satellite coordinate systems)
  • 5. Survey Computations and Computer Applications (17–26 of 110 questions)
    • A. Coordinate geometry
    • B. Traverse closure and adjustments
    • C. Leveling (e.g., differential, trigonometric, reciprocal, precise)
    • D. Least squares adjustments
    • E. Area
    • F. Horizontal curves
    • G. Vertical curves
    • H. Volume (e.g., mass diagrams, earthwork)
    • I. Spreadsheets
    • J. Slopes and grades
  • 6. Business Concepts (11–17 of 110 questions)
    • A. Project planning (e.g., resource management, scheduling, cost estimation, tracking)
    • B. Safety (e.g., signage, basic first aid, safety equipment)
    • C. Liabilities (e.g., negligence, employee behavior, errors and omissions)
    • D. Contracts (e.g., basic elements, scope of work, specifications)
    • E. Supervision (e.g., survey team leadership, personnel management)
    • F. Project documentation and record management
    • G. Ethics
    • H. Communication (e.g., written communication, oral communication, alternate forms of communication, conflict resolution)
  • 7. Applied Mathematics and Statistics (10–15 of 110 questions)
    • A. College mathematics (e.g., trigonometry, analytical geometry and calculus, linear algebra and matrix theory)
    • B. Probability and statistics (e.g., mean, median, mode, hypothesis testing, normal distribution, linear regression)
    • C. Measurement science (e.g., error analysis, error propagation, positional tolerance, positional accuracy, random/systematic/blunder errors, unit conversions)
    • D. Quantitative reasoning (e.g., critical thinking, data analysis and validation, blunder detection, data quality, redundancy)
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

North Dakota Professional Land Surveyor Orientation Exam

Provider
North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
Format
Online quiz for Board-approved professional land surveyor applicants
Time limit
120 minutes
Passing score
Determined by the Board under NDAC 28-02.1-10-01(2)
Practice scope

Inferred from the examination name; the authority has not published an examination outline.

  • NDCC Chapter 43-19.1 — Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
  • NDAC Chapter 28-01-02.1 — Board Bylaws and Administration
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-01 — Applications
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-02 — Processing Applications
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-03 — Types of Registration
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-04 — General Requirements
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-06 — Qualifications and Requirements for Professional Land Surveyors
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-07 — Certificates of Commercial Practice
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-08 — Certificates and Seals
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-09 — Expirations - Renewals - Reinstatements
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-11 — Emergency and Remote Practice by Foreign Practitioners
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-12 — Retired Status
  • NDAC Chapter 28-02.1-13 — Documents Used to Convey Real Property or Any Interest Therein
  • NDAC Chapter 28-03.1-01 — Code of Ethics
  • NDAC Chapter 28-04-01 — Continuing Education
  • NDCC Chapter 11-20 — County Surveyor
  • NDCC Chapter 24-07 — Opening and Vacating Highways
  • NDCC Chapter 40-50.1 — Platting of Townsites
  • NDCC Chapter 47-20.1 — Survey and Corner Recordation Act
  • NDCC Chapter 47-20.2 — Plane Coordinates
  • NDCC Chapter 43-51 — Professional and Occupational Licensing
Examination sources

Examination on the Code of Ethics

Examination outline
  • NDAC Chapter 28-03.1-01 — Code of Ethics
Examination sources