§ 5-8.1-9. Board of registration for professional land surveyors — Application and qualification
for registration.
(a)(1) Application for registration as a professional land surveyor or certification as a
surveyor-in-training shall be made, in writing, on a form prescribed and furnished
by the board of registration for professional land surveyors. The application shall:
(i) Contain statements made under oath;
(ii) Show the applicant's education;
(iii) Contain a detailed summary of the applicant's technical and professional experience;
and
(iv) Designate references as described in this section.
(b) The fee established in §â€‚5-8.1-11 must accompany each application. Failure to include this fee will result in the application
being returned to the applicant without consideration by the board.
(c) To be eligible for registration as a professional land surveyor, an applicant must
be of good character and reputation. Additionally, the applicant must submit five
(5) references with his or her application, three (3) of which are from registered
professional land surveyors having personal knowledge of his or her land surveying
experience. No person seeking his or her initial registration as a professional land
surveyor shall be granted the certificate without first completing a surveyor-in-training
program as prescribed and approved by the board and passing an examination in the
fundamentals of land surveying. Upon passing that examination, the applicant is granted
a surveyor-in-training certificate in this state.
(d) To be eligible for certification as a surveyor-in-training, an applicant must be of
good character and reputation substantiated by an interview with a quorum of the board
of registration for professional land surveyors and additionally must submit three
(3) character references one of which must be from a professional land surveyor.
(e) One of the following shall be considered as minimum evidence to the board that the
applicant is qualified for registration as a professional land surveyor or for certification
as a land-surveyor-in training, respectively:
(i) Graduation from a four-year (4) survey degree program, experience, and examination. A graduate of a four-year (4) survey degree program applicant will need a specific
record of a minimum four (4) years of experience in land surveying. This verified
experience shall be under the direct supervision of a registered professional land
surveyor, satisfactory to the board, and shall be broken down as follows: At a minimum,
twenty percent (20%) shall be field experience; twenty percent (20%) shall be research,
deed evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent (20%) shall be property line
calculations and determination. Once the experience has been deemed satisfactory to
the board, the applicant may be admitted to an examination in the principles and practice
of land surveying, plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion. Upon passing that
examination, the applicant is granted a certificate of registration to practice land
surveying in this state, provided the applicant is qualified.
(ii) Graduation from a four-year (4) degree program, experience, and examination. A graduate of a four-year (4) degree program applicant who has also fulfilled the
core curriculum (see subsection (h) of this section) will need a specific record of
a minimum five (5) years of experience in land surveying. This verified experience
shall be under the direct supervision of a registered professional land surveyor,
satisfactory to the board, and shall be broken down as follows: At a minimum, twenty
percent (20%) shall be field experience; twenty percent (20%) shall be research, deed
evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent (20%) shall be property line calculations
and determination. Once the experience has been deemed satisfactory to the board,
the applicant may be admitted to an examination in the principles and practice of
land surveying, plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion. Upon passing that examination,
the applicant is granted a certificate of registration to practice land surveying
in this state, provided the applicant is qualified.
(iii) Graduation from a two-year (2) survey degree program, experience, and examination. A graduate of a two-year (2) survey degree program applicant will need a specific
record of a minimum five (5) years of verified experience in land surveying. All five
(5) years of experience shall be under the direct supervision of a registered professional
land surveyor, satisfactory to the board, and shall be broken down as follows: At
a minimum, twenty percent (20%) shall be field experience; twenty percent (20%) shall
be research, deed evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent (20%) shall be
property line calculations and determination. Once the experience has been deemed
satisfactory to the board, the applicant may be admitted to an examination in the
principles and practice of land surveying, plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion.
Upon passing that examination, the applicant is granted a certificate of registration
to practice land surveying in this state, provided the applicant is qualified.
(iv) Graduation from a two-year (2) degree program, experience, and examination. A graduate of a two-year (2) degree program applicant who has also fulfilled the core
curriculum (see subsection (h) of this section) will need a specific record of a minimum
five (5) years of verified experience in land surveying. All five (5) years of experience
shall be under the direct supervision of a registered professional land surveyor,
satisfactory to the board, and shall be broken down as follows: At a minimum, twenty
percent (20%) shall be field experience; twenty percent (20%) shall be research, deed
evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent (20%) shall be property line calculations
and determination. Once the experience has been deemed satisfactory to the board,
the applicant may be admitted to an examination in the principles and practice of
land surveying, plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion. Upon passing that examination,
the applicant is granted a certificate of registration to practice land surveying
in this state, provided the applicant is qualified.
(v) Experience and examination. An applicant who has recorded a minimum of seven (7) years verified experience and
who has also fulfilled the core curriculum (see subsection (h)) will need a specific
record of a minimum of seven (7) years of verified experience in land surveying. All
seven (7) years of experience shall be under the direct supervision of a registered
professional land surveyor, satisfactory to the board, and shall be broken down as
follows: At a minimum, twenty percent (20%) shall be field experience; twenty percent
(20%) shall be research, deed evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent (20%)
shall be property line calculations and determination. Once the experience has been
deemed satisfactory to the board, the applicant may be admitted to an examination
in the principles and practice of land surveying, plus an additional Rhode Island
legal portion. Upon passing that examination, the applicant is granted a certificate
of registration to practice land surveying in this state, provided the applicant is
qualified.
(vi) Surveying teaching. Teaching of advanced land surveying subjects in a college or university offering an
approved land surveying curriculum may be considered as land surveying experience
satisfactory to the board.
(vii) Registration by comity or endorsement. A person holding a current certificate of registration to engage in the practice of
land surveying issued to him or her by a proper authority of a state, territory, or
possession of the United States, or the District of Columbia must have, at the time
he or she was licensed, met the existing Rhode Island requirements for licensure.
All applicants applying under this section must have passed the written examinations
in the fundamentals of land surveying and the principles and practice of land surveying.
If, based upon verified evidence and the opinion of the board, the applicant meets
all appropriate requirements of this section, the applicant will be allowed to take
the Rhode Island legal portion. Upon passing this examination, the applicant shall
be granted a certificate of registration to practice land surveying in this state,
provided the applicant is qualified.
(f) The passing grade on all examinations offered by the land surveyors is not less than
seventy percent (70%). An applicant failing any examination may apply for reexamination
upon payment of the appropriate fees. An applicant who scores less than fifty percent
(50%) on any examination may not apply for reexamination for at least one year.
(g) An applicant who fails any of the exams three (3) times shall be interviewed by the
board, before any further application can be acted upon. It is the applicant's responsibility
to show the board that he or she will be successful if allowed to take the exam again.
If, in the board's opinion, the applicant cannot satisfactorily demonstrate that he
or she is qualified to re-take the exam, the board may require that the applicant
acquire additional knowledge, education, and/or experience, satisfactory to the board
before the applicant may sit for another exam.
(h) Core curriculum. An applicant with a four-year (4) degree as described in subsection (e)(ii) of this
section, a two-year (2) degree as described in subsection (e)(iv), or experience as
described in subsection (e)(v) of this section may need to take additional courses
to fulfill, at a minimum, the following core curriculum. For the following list of
classes, any equivalent class may be taken and any survey-related course may be substituted
upon approval of the board:
(1) Surveying (six (6) credit hours). Surveying I or equivalent, Surveying II or equivalent. Courses must cover topics of
GPS & geodetic control and boundary adjustment computations.
(2) Mathematics (nine (9) credit hours). Qualifying courses: Algebra, trigonometry, pre-calculus, or higher.
(3) Business and law (six (6) credit hours). Qualifying courses: boundary law, contract law, property law, trusts and estates,
professional ethics, quantitative business analysis I, business administration, small
business management, micro economics, accounting principles, or related courses.
(4) Science (nine (9) credit hours). Qualifying courses: physics, geology, astronomy, soils, dendrology, chemistry, biology,
or ecology.
(5) Computer usage (three (3) credit hours). Qualifying courses: introduction to computer, computer science, computer programing,
AutoCad basics, AutoCAD advantage, geographic/land information systems, introduction
to spreadsheets, or word processing.
(6) English composition, English composition II, technical writing, creative writing, or speech (six (6) credit
hours).