Licensing

I don't know for sure, but I think you would need the 4 year degree. You would have to check with their state board office.

In many states it depends on how long you have had your first registration. It is possible that if you first registration predates the degree requirement of another state you will not be subject to that requirement. New Mexico is one state that comes to mind. Another surveyor and I have been through that mill, with an AG's opinion to boot. YMMV

Seems like Illinois is pretty strict by the definition of their rules but your question would probably be best suited for the Board. I can't tell from a quick read of their rules.

Try here:
http://www.idfpr.com/dpr/WHO/lansv.asp

or:
http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068012700000100R.html

or:
http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068012700000130R.html

or:
Sec. 12. Qualifications for licensing.
(a) A person is qualified to receive a license as a Professional Land Surveyor and the Department shall issue a license to a person:
(1) who has applied in writing in the required form

to the Department;
(2) (blank);
(2.5) who has not violated any provision of this Act

or its rules;
(3) who is of good ethical character, including

compliance with the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice promulgated by rule pursuant to this Act, and has not committed an act or offense in any jurisdiction that would constitute grounds for discipline of a land surveyor licensed under this Act;
(4) who has been issued a license as a Land

Surveyor?in?Training;
(5) who, subsequent to passing the examination

authorized by the Department for licensure as a Surveyor?In?Training, has at least 4 years of responsible charge experience verified by a professional land surveyor in direct supervision and control of his or her activities;
(6) who has passed an examination authorized by the

Department to determine his or her fitness to receive a license as a Professional Land Surveyor; and
(7) who has a baccalaureate degree in a related

science if he or she does not have a baccalaureate degree in land surveying from an accredited college or university.
(b) A person is qualified to receive a license as a Land Surveyor?in?Training and the Department shall issue a license to a person:
(1) who has applied in writing in the required form

provided by the Department;
(2) (blank);
(3) who is of good moral character;
(4) who has the required education as set forth in

this Act; and
(5) who has passed an examination authorized by the

Department to determine his or her fitness to receive a license as a Land Surveyor?in?Training in accordance with this Act.
In determining moral character under this Section, the Department may take into consideration whether the applicant has engaged in conduct or actions that would constitute grounds for discipline under this Act.
(Source: P.A. 96?626, eff. 8?24?09.)

Illinois Statutes

225 ILCS 330/20) (from Ch. 111, par. 3270)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2020)
Sec. 20. Endorsement.
Upon payment of the required fee, an applicant who is a Professional Land Surveyor, licensed or otherwise legally recognized as a Land Surveyor under the laws of another state or territory of the United States may be granted a license as an Illinois Professional Land Surveyor by the Department with approval of the Board upon the following conditions:

(a) That the applicant meets the requirements for licensing in this State, and that the requirements for licensing or other legal recognition of Land Surveyors in the particular state or territory were, at the date of issuance of the license or certificate, equivalent to the requirements then in effect in the State of Illinois; and

(b) That the applicant passes a jurisdictional examination to determine the applicant's knowledge of the surveying tasks unique to the State of Illinois and the laws pertaining thereto.

"General" education requirements:

(225 ILCS 330/12) (from Ch. 111, par. 3262)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2020)
Sec. 12. Qualifications for licensing.
(a) A person is qualified to receive a license as a Professional Land Surveyor and the Department shall issue a license to a person:

(7) who has a baccalaureate degree in a related science if he or she does not have a baccalaureate degree in land surveying from an accredited college or university.

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1345&ChapterID=24

I would say that (7) answers your specific question.

John -
I'm afraid you'd have to petition the board to see if with your combo of edu & exp (and being duly licensed), they may grant reciprocity & allow you to sit for their state exam. Not all state boards follow their requirements to the exact letter of the law, there's sometimes some wiggle room, depending on the makeup of the board at that particular time. It would be the same thing here in MI, if you were to try.

Illinois definitely requires a 4 year degree regardless

(a) That the applicant meets the requirements for licensing in this State, and that the requirements for licensing or other legal recognition of Land Surveyors in the particular state or territory were, at the date of issuance of the license or certificate, equivalent to the requirements then in effect in the State of Illinois; and

(b) That the applicant passes a jurisdictional examination to determine the applicant's knowledge of the surveying tasks unique to the State of Illinois and the laws pertaining thereto.

I think that these are the central provisions of the law.

The requirement is that the applicant, licensed in another state previously, met the requirements for licensing in Illinois in effect at the time of licensure in the other state. So in other words, a surveyor licensed in 1980 in another state would only have to meet the requirements for licensure in Illinois in 1980, and have only to be examined for surveying knowledge requirements unique to Illinois.

I was under the assumption that even Indiana required a four year degree, or at least that's what I remember reading here last fall. I just got accepted to take the test in Indiana. Was there an original provision for the two-year degree before the four?

Thanks guys for the help. I guess I could petition the board but I need to see how beneficial it would be before I get to drastic.

Last I checked, Indiana didnt necessarily require a 4 year degree. The amount of education you had was directly related to how much experience you need. I had a two year degree so I needed 6 years of experience. People with a 4 year degree only needed 4 years exp and so forth.

I'm not sure how Purdue closing their surveying program will affect this, if at all. Vincennes University now is the only 4 year program in the state, but it is very young. I certainly hope more kids utilize that 4 year program. VU has being doing great things in surveying for many years and we would all benefit from it.

> Thanks guys for the help. I guess I could petition the board but I need to see how beneficial it would be before I get too drastic.

Petitioning the board is your only REAL answer to your original question. As others have noted, it's all in how the board is feeling when they review your transcript, your license history, the statutes that were in place when you were licensed in the other states, etc.

Even with a 4 year degree and having held a license for 10 years, I still have to submit copies of the laws in effect in my home state, certified copies of my college transcripts, and NCEES transcripts to attempt to get reciprocity to sit for an exam. The best part of my last application process was when my home state couldn't find the results of my NCEES FS exam in O'95 in their computer. I honestly asked them how I could possibly have valid a license for the last 10 years if I hadn't ever taken the FS exam? They eventually found a copy of the letter they sent me that had my FS exam score on it, and rebuilt their database record from that letter.