Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying

Final Results of Last Sunset Review

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• Consolidate the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers, creating the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
• Require the board to establish a land surveying advisory committee consisting of at least five land surveyors.  Prohibit the board from adopting a rule related to the scope of practice of, professional or technical standards for, or standards of conduct and ethics for land surveyors before considering advice and recommendations from the committee.  Authorize the board to appoint additional advisory committees relevant to the administration of the Professional Land Surveying Practices Act.

Enforcement

• Clarify statute to realign the agency’s complaint intake and investigation procedures with model standards.
• Direct the board to publish disciplinary history online.  (Management action – nonstatutory)

Licensing 

• Authorize the board, by rule, to waive the statutory requirement that an applicant for a registered professional land surveyor license have a bachelor’s degree if the applicant has an associate degree with sufficient qualifications and does not pose a threat to public health, safety, or welfare.  
• Authorize the board to set biennial license and firm registration terms in rule.
• Remove the residency requirement for licensed state land surveyors from statute.
• Direct the board to review application requirements to conform with current policy and statute, and to adopt a staggered renewal system for licenses and registrations.  (Management action – nonstatutory)

Exams

• Authorize the agency to outsource its exams.
• Direct the board to conduct a comprehensive analysis regarding adoption of the nationally accepted practice exam and a separate, corresponding jurisprudence exam.  (Management action – nonstatutory)