Illinois Administrative Code › Title 68 - PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS › Part 1270 - ILLINOIS PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR ACT OF 1989 › Appendix B - Significant Dates for the Administration of the Act

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a) May 10, 1901. An Act to provide for the permanent survey of
				lands. Repealed July 8, 1957.
b) July 21, 1937. An Act entitled "An Act to provide for the
				registration of land surveyors" was filed. This Act was repealed in
				1939.
c) July 29, 1939. The Illinois Land Surveyors Act was enacted.
				The requirements for examination were: 21 years of age, citizen of the US, good
				moral character, graduated from a high school or secondary school, has 5 years'
				experience. The examinations were state-constructed and given by the Department
				of Registration and Education. Partnerships regulated. Committee of Examiners
				established. Surveyors in other States may be licensed if requirements are
				substantially equal to the requirements in this State.
d) July 16, 1963. Act amended to allow temporary permit: no
				more than one project and does not exceed in the aggregate more than 30 days in
				any calendar year. Experience granted for each one-fourth of the total hours of
				academic credit required for the awarding of a baccalaureate degree in civil
				engineering by an accredited engineering college shall be considered as
				equivalent to one year of Land Surveying experience; provided that
				undergraduate academic credit shall not be accepted in lieu of more than 3
				years of Land Surveying experience when such credit does not result in the
				granting of a baccalaureate degree in civil engineering. Committee of Examiners
				increased from three to five members with new members appointed as of September
				1, 1963.
e) April 27, 1967. Examinations will consist of questions in
				the following area relating to land surveying: (a) The statutes of the United
				States and the State of Illinois as they relate to land surveying, (b) The
				subdivision of land and (c) Practical surveying and the mathematics of land
				surveying. The applicant must make an average grade of not less than 75 percent
				with no grade below 60 to successfully complete the examination. Applicants for
				registration through reciprocity must appear before the Examining Committee and
				submit evidence of his qualifications. Discrimination: It is unprofessional and
				unethical conduct on the part of a registrant who refuses to render land
				surveyor services to a person solely on account of that person's race, color,
				creed, or national origin.
f) August 7, 1969. Minimum age for licensure was increased to
				25 years of age with a total of 8 years of experience and 4 years of
				responsible charge. Adds corporations to be regulated that offer land
				surveying. The portion of examination taken to be enrolled as a Land Surveyor
				in Training is waived when taking the portion of the Registered Land Surveyor
				examination.
g) August 14, 1980. Time limit established by Act: A
				Certificate of Registered Land Surveyor in Training is valid for 10 years and
				may not be renewed.
h) July 21, 1982. The creation of the Design Professionals
				Administration and Investigation Fund. Effective July 1, 1985, all fees
				collected will be deposited in the Design Professionals Administration and
				Investigation Fund and no longer into the General Revenue Fund.
i) January 1, 1982. Effective January 1, 1986, such experience
				in responsible charge must be subsequent to receiving a certificate of
				registration as a Registered Land Surveyor in Training. Responsible charge of
				land surveying operations under this Act means the direct control and
				supervision of such operations but subject to overall supervision of a
				Registered Land Surveyor. Qualifications for examination for registered land
				surveyor in training: (1) A baccalaureate degree in Land Surveying from an
				accredited college or university, or (2) A Bachelor of Science degree from an
				accredited college or university and 2 years of land surveying experience, or
				(3) An Associate degree in Land Surveying Technology from an accredited junior
				college and 3 years land surveying experience, or (4) An Associate degree in
				Engineering Technology from an accredited junior college and 4 years land
				surveying experience, or (5) A high school diploma or its equivalent and 8
				years land surveying experience.
j) January 1, 1984. Inactive status and restoration
				established. The temporary permit for Land Surveying was repealed by P.A.
				83-1017.
k) April 1984. Illinois first administered the NCEE
				Fundamentals of Surveying, a 4-hour examination (FLS) for enrollment as a LSIT,
				and the NCEE Principles and Practice of Surveying, a 4-hour examination (PLS 1)
				for licensure. This replaces the State constructed examinations.
l) August 10, 1984. Five references are required for either the
				LSIT or Registered Land Surveyor. Establishment of the requirement to take the
				Illinois Jurisdictional Examination in addition to the NCEE exams.
m) October 1986. NCEE changed the PLS 1 (4-hour exam) to the
				PLS 2a (3-hour exam) with an additional 1-hour Public Domain portion. The
				Illinois Jurisdictional Examination was 1-hour.
n) January 6, 1987. Definitions of Related Sciences
1) A baccalaureate degree in a Related Science is a
				four-year curriculum that includes core courses in at least the following
				subjects for the noted semester hours or their equivalent:
A) Mathematics (beyond trigonometry) - 15
				hours.
B) Basic Sciences (physics, chemistry, geology) - 15
				hours.
C) Additional Sciences - 15 hours.
2) An associate degree in a Related Science is a
				two-year curriculum that includes core courses in at least the following
				subjects for the noted semester hours or their equivalent:
A) Mathematics (beyond trigonometry) - 3-6
				hours.
B) Basic Sciences (physics, chemistry, geology) -
				4-6 hours.
C) Additional Sciences - 4-6 hours.
o) January 8, 1987. Applicants for licensure on the basis of
				reciprocity must hold a valid certificate of Registration as a Land Surveyor
				issued under the laws of another jurisdiction and must provide proof
				satisfactory to the Department that they met the requirements equivalent to
				those in force in Illinois at the time of his licensure by examination,
				including certification of education, affidavits of experience, certification
				by the jurisdiction of the original licensure date and descriptions of
				examinations; those who qualify shall write the Illinois Jurisdictional
				Examination. Candidates from another jurisdiction for whom the Examining
				Committee has questions shall appear for an oral interview. All other
				candidates will be reviewed upon the documents submitted. The requirement for
				all applicants by reciprocity to appear for an oral interview was
				eliminated.
p) January 1, 1989. The Act was sunsetted and revised and may
				be cited as the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act of 1989. The Examining
				Committee was reestablished as the Land Surveyor Examining Board consisting of
				7 members appointed by the Director, one of which is a public member, the
				others Professional Land Surveyors, all residents of Illinois. Requirements for
				licensure as a Land Surveyor were 1) applied in writing, 2) citizen of the US,
				3) good moral character, 4) has acquired an Illinois license as a Land
				Surveyor-in-Training, 5) has at least 4 years of experience subsequent to
				licensure as a LSIT verified by a Professional Land Surveyor in responsible
				charge of land surveying operations and then, 6) passes an examination
				authorized by the Department to determine his fitness as a Professional Land
				Surveyor (PLS and Illinois Jurisdictional exams). Experience is required to be
				completed after passage of the FS and prior to submitting an application for
				approval to sit for the PS and Jurisdictional examination. The requirements for
				enrollment by examination for Land Surveyor-in-Training: (1) A baccalaureate
				degree in Land Surveying from an accredited college or university, or (2) A
				Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited college or university and 2 years
				of land surveying experience, or (3) An Associate degree in Land Surveying
				Technology from an accredited junior college and 3 years land surveying
				experience, or (4) An Associate degree in Engineering Technology from an
				accredited junior college and 4 years land surveying experience or (5) A high
				school diploma or its equivalent and 8 years land surveying experience.
				Deadlines for submitting the completed applications (either for the FS or the
				PS exams) were established as December 15 for the spring examination and June
				15 for the fall examination.
q) January 1, 1989. The Act specified that as of January 1,
				1998, an applicant must have a baccalaureate degree in land surveying from an
				accredited college or university, or a baccalaureate degree in a related
				science including at least 24 semester hours of land surveying courses from a
				Board approved curriculum of an accredited institution, to be eligible for
				licensing as a Land Surveyor-in-Training.
r) January 1, 1989. Endorsement of licensure replaces
				reciprocity. Requirements are based upon those extant in Illinois at the time
				of original licensure (education, experience and examinations) and passing the
				Illinois Jurisdictional examination.
s) January 1, 1989. The Act specified that the seal of the
				Professional Land Surveyor will contain the name of the land surveyor, his
				place of business, the license number, and the words "Professional Land
				Surveyor, State of Illinois".
t) April 2, 1991. Definitions of Related Sciences
1) A baccalaureate degree in a Related Science is a
				four-year curriculum that includes core courses in at least the following
				subjects for the noted semester hours or their equivalent:
A) Mathematics (beyond trigonometry) - 15
				hours.
B) Basic Sciences (physics, chemistry, geology) - 15
				hours.
C) Additional Sciences - 15 hours.
2) An associate degree in a Related Science is a
				two-year curriculum that includes core courses in at least the following
				subjects for the noted semester hours or their equivalent:
A) Mathematics (beyond trigonometry) - 3
				hours.
B) Basic Sciences (physics, chemistry, geology) - 4
				hours.
C) Additional Sciences - 4 hours.
u) April 2, 1991. Examination requirements: 1) NCEES
				Fundamentals of Land Surveying Examination (for enrollment as a LSIT), 2) NCEES
				Principles and Practice of Land Surveying Examination, 3) NCEES Public Domain
				(Jurisdictional Principles and Practice) examination and 4) Illinois
				Jurisdictional Examination.
v) April 2, 1991. Section
				1270.35 Inactive Status was
				added to the administrative rules allowing a Licensed Professional Land
				Surveyor with an active license to place his license on inactive status.
w) April 2, 1991. Reciprocity replaced by "Endorsement" which
				requires all applicants from another jurisdiction to have met the education,
				experience and examinations (State constructed or NCEES examinations) required
				in Illinois at the time of original licensure and to pass the Illinois
				Jurisdictional Examination in order to be licensed.
x) October 1992. NCEES changed the PLS 2a exam to the PLS
				(6-hour exam) and eliminated the Public Domain examination.
y) April 5, 1994. Experience defined in the administrative
				rules consisting of two-thirds to be either A) locating land boundaries and
				land boundary corners including the following services: i) Researching public
				and private records; ii) Relocation lost or obliterated corners, iii)
				Establishing, reestablishing or perpetuating survey monuments; iv) Subdividing
				sections; v) Establishing or retracing property lines to determine length and
				bearing; vi) Reestablishing obliterated property lines; vii) Preparing
				descriptions of real property from data acquired by field measurements; viii)
				Conducting resurveys; and ix) Writing and interpreting land descriptions, and
				B) Preparing maps including, i) Maps of sections or portions of sections or
				townships as established by the original public land survey and subdivisions of
				those sections in accordance with the manuals of surveying instructions by the
				federal government and the State of Illinois; ii) Subdivision plans prepared in
				accordance with the Illinois statutes or local ordinances; iii) Certified
				survey maps prepared in accordance with the Illinois statutes or local
				ordinances; iv) Maps showing other divisions of land not controlled by statute
				or ordinance; and v) Official plats or maps of land in this State. No more than
				one-third of a Surveyor-in-Training applicant's experience may be acquired in
				A) Drafting highway and railroad rights-of-way plans; B) Construction stating
				for highways, roads, streets or similar projects within the boundaries of
				established rights of way; C) Performing topographical surveys; D) Developing
				control networks for aerial photography unless property lines are used for
				control; and E) Performing new building layout or construction surveys or other
				design related surveys.
z) November 15, 1995. Section
				1270.55 establishing the Land
				Surveyor Complaint Committee was added to the administrative rules.
aa) April 3, 1996. Section 1270.APPENDIX A Rules for the
				Perpetuation of Monuments under the Land Survey Monuments Act was added to the
				administrative rules.
ab) August 1, 1996. Act required: Any professional services
				corporation, sole proprietorship, or professional land surveying firm offering
				land surveying services must have a resident land surveyor overseeing the land
				surveying practices in each location in which land surveying services are
				provided.
ac) August 2, 1996. The requirements for evaluation of foreign
				degree were established in the Act. The requirement for the Test of English as
				a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE) were
				established in the Act. Effective January 1, 1997, TOEFL with a score of 550
				and TSE with a score of 50 were required by rule. Dates for completed
				application to the Department for review by Board were established as November
				15 for the spring examination and May 15 for the fall examination.
ad) January 1, 1998. As of this date, all applicants applying
				for the LSIT must have either: (1) a baccalaureate degree in Land Surveying
				from an accredited college or university; or (2) a baccalaureate degree in a
				related science including at least 24 semester hours of land surveying courses
				from a Board approved curriculum of an accredited institution. Applicants who
				were approved prior to this date for the LSIT would not be required to have the
				education reviewed unless they did not apply for and acquire licensure before
				the LSIT expired (valid only for 10 years). Anyone who re-applied for the FS
				must meet the new education requirements.
ae) December 31, 1999. Section
				1270.52 Fees was added to the
				administrative rules and taken out of the Act.
af) January 1, 2000. The name was changed from the land
				Surveyor Examining Board to the Land Surveyor Licensing Board. The Act
				eliminated the requirements that the managing agent for a Professional Design
				Firm be one of the officers/members/partners and that a majority of the
				officers/members/partners be licensed land surveyors. The Act still required
				the managing agent to be a full-time employee.
ag) January 1, 2000. Continuing education was added to the Act:
				the Department may promulgate rules of continuing education for persons
				licensed under this Act.
ah) November 20, 2000. Section
				1270.56 Minimum Standards of
				Practice was added to the administrative rules.
ai) November 20, 2000. Section
				1270.57 Standards of
				Professional Conduct was added to the administrative rules.
aj) March 1, 2001. Section
				1270.15 - Definition of Related
				Science - education requirements reduced to:
A baccalaureate degree in a Related Science is a
				four-year curriculum that includes core courses in at least the following
				subjects for the noted semester hours or their equivalent:
1) Mathematics (college algebra and beyond) - 15
				hours.
2) Basic Sciences (physics and/or chemistry) - 8
				hours.
3) Additional Basic Sciences (including, but not
				limited to: geology, geography, dendrology, astronomy, biology, soil mechanics,
				and engineering sciences) - 20 hours.
ak) July 2, 2002. Section
				1270.85 Professional Development
				was added to the rules. The professional development required as a condition
				for license renewal under the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act: All Land
				Surveyors shall meet these requirements beginning with the November 30, 2004
				renewal and every renewal thereafter, in order to renew a license as a land
				surveyor, a licensee shall be required to complete 20 professional development
				hours (PDH) relevant to the practice of land surveying. Failure to comply with
				these requirements may result in non-renewal of the land surveyor's license or
				other disciplinary action, or both.
al) November 10, 2004. Section
				1270.85 amended to specify that
				hours be in the following categories:
1) A minimum of 4 hours of programs, courses or
				activities in the area of State of Illinois statutes and rules that regulate
				professional land surveyors and surveys.
2) A minimum of 2 hours of programs, courses or
				activities in the area of professional conduct.
3) A minimum of 14 hours of programs, courses, or
				activities in the area of land surveying or related sciences.
4) No more than half (10) of the hours may be
				obtained from on-line, distance learning or video courses; however, the 4 hours
				required in subsection (a)(1)(A) may not be obtained in this manner.
am) August 29, 2009. Act was amended to allow an applicant to
				sit for the Fundamentals of Surveying and be enrolled as an LSIT meeting one of
				the following: 1) Accredited Land Surveying baccalaureate degree, 2)
				baccalaureate degree in Related Science with at least 24 semester hours of land
				surveying courses, 3) an Associate of Science degree in surveying or a related
				sciences with at least 24 semester hours of land surveying courses and at least
				2 years of experience or 4) a high school diploma or equivalent with at least
				24 semester hours of land surveying courses and at least 4 years of experience.
				As no administrative rules were put in place before the Act changed again in
				2012, no applicants for the FS were reviewed to meet the educational
				requirements of Section
				1270.15 except for the 24
				semester hours of land surveying courses.
an) August 29, 2009. The minimum requirements to sit for the
				Principles and Practice examination and the Illinois Jurisdictional exam were
				changed from having an active LSIT to having an active LSIT with either a 1)
				accredited Land Surveying baccalaureate degree or 2) a baccalaureate degree in
				a Related Science with at least 24 semester hours of land surveying courses,
				with the degree meeting the Related Science course requirements in Section
				1270.15. A LSIT was no longer sufficient to be approved to sit for the PS and
				Illinois Jurisdictional examinations.
ao) In March of 2010, the Test of English as a Foreign Language
				(TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE) ceased to be offered as the
				TOEFL-iBT (Internet Based Test) was established and superseded this exam. While
				in effect, the TOEFL and TSE requirements were a minimum score of 550 or 213
				for the computer based-test and that TSE was a minimum score of 50.
ap) April 27, 2010. Section
				1270.56 Minimum Standards of
				Practice was amended to include the standards for a topographic survey.
aq) January 1, 2012. Act was amended back to requiring either a
				1) land surveying baccalaureate degree, or 2) a Related Science degree meeting
				the specific requirements of Section
				1270.15 (24 semester hours of
				land surveying courses, 15 hours math, 8 hours physics or chemistry and 20
				hours of additional basic sciences) in order to sit for the FS and be enrolled
				as a LSIT. The qualifications for sitting for the PS and the Illinois
				Jurisdictional examination were kept to be either 1) accredited Land Surveying
				baccalaureate degree or 2) a baccalaureate degree in a Related Science with at
				least 24 semester hours of land surveying courses, with the degree meeting the
				specifications of Section 1270.15. Any applicant who had been previously
				approved to sit for the FS exam was required to have the new application
				reviewed in order to determine that they met the current education requirements
				for licensure.
ar) January 1, 2014. NCEES changed the Fundamentals of
				Surveying examination from a 6-hour paper exam to a Computer Based Test (CBT)
				which became available to be taken up to a maximum of three times in a year,
				available through Pearson Vue testing centers once a quarter.
as) January 1, 2014. Written signature no longer required:
				Licensee may provide, at his or her sole discretion, an original signature in
				the licensee's handwriting, a scanned copy of the document bearing an original
				signature or signature generated by a computer.
at) November 13, 2015. Section
				1270.5,
				1270.10, and
				1270.30 allow evaluation to be
				completed by NCEES.
au) October 2016. The PLS examination was changed from a 6-hour
				paper exam to a Computer Based Test (CBT) available continuously throughout the
				year for those approved to sit. The applicant could take the exam up to 3 times
				a year, with a maximum of once per quarter. NCEES stopped registering
				applicants to take state constructed exams. CTS is to increase the
				administering of the Illinois Jurisdictional examination to four times a year
				from twice a year.
av) January 1, 2018. Changes to Act took place.
1) The term Land Surveyor-in-Training was changed to
				Surveyor Intern.
2) The Fundamentals of Engineering examination and
				SIT(SI) enrollment no longer expire.