The Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4733 establishes the requirements to serve as a land surveyor in Ohio. The law requires all prospective land surveyors to gain a license prior to working in the field. The Ohio Professional Engineers and Surveyors Board is responsible for the registration of land surveyors in Ohio.

Surveying Education and Experience

The primary education route to certification as a land surveyor in Ohio is completion of at least a bachelor's degree in land surveying. The Ohio Professional Engineers and Surveyors Board accepts degrees from any land surveying school accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. As of April 2011, only one school in Ohio offered a land surveying program approved by the board: Ohio State University in Columbus. The board will also accept surveying degrees from the University of Akron, Cincinnati State and Glenville State College.

Other Education

As an alternative to earning a degree in land surveying, prospective surveyors in Ohio can complete a baccalaureate degree in civil engineering. The program must include at least 24 quarter credits or 16 semester credits of coursework in surveying. Half of these credits must deal specifically with the surveying of land boundaries. All candidates for land surveyor registration in Ohio must have at least four years of work experience in land surveying, completed under the supervision of a licensed surveyor.

Application

Candidates for land surveyor registration who meet the necessary educational requirements in Ohio must complete an application, which is available for download from the Ohio Professional Engineers and Surveyors Board's website. Along with the application, candidates must submit five letters of recommendation and a photograph. Applicants' signatures must be notarized prior to returning the form. All candidates must pay an application fee. As of April 2011, the initial fee is $75 to complete the necessary surveying exams. Once candidates pass the exams, they must pay an additional $50 fee to receive their licenses.

Examination

The Ohio Professional Engineers and Surveyors Board requires all candidates for land surveyor registration in the state to pass two examinations developed by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. The first test is the Fundamentals of Surveying exam, which consists of 170 multiple-choice questions and lasts for eight hours. Candidates typically take this test after completing their degree programs before looking for a position to fulfill the experience requirements. The second test is the Professional Surveying Exam, which has 100 multiple-choice questions and lasts for up to six hours. Applicants must already have the necessary experience for licensing prior to taking the Professional Surveying Exam.