(a) Before a person may apply for a surveying license, the person must have completed one of the following educational, experience and examination requirements:

Terms Used In West Virginia Code 30-13A-8

  • Board: means the West Virginia Board of Professional Surveyors. See West Virginia Code 30-13A-3
  • Direct supervision: means the responsible licensee is in direct control of all field and office surveying operations. See West Virginia Code 30-13A-3
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • land surveying: means providing, or offering to provide, professional services using such sciences as mathematics, geodesy, and photogrammetry, and involving both:

    (1) The making of geometric measurements and gathering related information pertaining to the physical or legal features of the earth, improvements on the earth, the space above, on or below the earth. See West Virginia Code 30-13A-3

  • License: means a surveying license issued under the provisions of this article. See West Virginia Code 30-13A-3
  • Licensee: means a person holding a surveying license issued under the provisions of this article. See West Virginia Code 30-13A-3
  • Practice of surveying: means providing professional surveying services, including consulting, investigating, expert testimony, evaluating, planning, mapping and surveying. See West Virginia Code 30-13A-3
  • Responsible charge: means direct control of surveying work under the direct supervision of a licensee or person authorized in another state or country to engage in the practice of surveying. See West Virginia Code 30-13A-3
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10

(1) Has a four-year degree or a bachelor degree in surveying approved by the board, which degree must include a minimum of thirty hours of surveying or surveying-related courses, has passed an examination in the fundamentals of land surveying, has two years or more of experience in surveying in responsible charge, has passed an examination in the principles and practice of land surveying and has passed the West Virginia examination;

(2) Has a four-year degree or a bachelor degree, has completed a minimum of thirty hours of surveying or surveying-related courses, has passed an examination in the fundamentals of land surveying, has four years or more of experience in surveying, including two years of experience in responsible charge under the direct supervision of a licensee or a person authorized in another jurisdiction to engage in the practice of surveying, has passed an examination in the principles and practice of land surveying and has passed the West Virginia examination; or

(3) Has a two-year degree or an associate degree in surveying or a related field approved by the board, which degree must include a minimum of thirty hours of surveying or surveying-related courses, has passed an examination in the fundamentals of land surveying, has four years or more of experience in surveying, including two years of experience in responsible charge under the direct supervision of a licensee or a person authorized in another state or country to engage in the practice of surveying, has passed an examination in the principles and practice of land surveying and has passed the West Virginia examination.

(b) A person graduating from a two-year or four-year approved surveying degree program with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher is permitted to take the examination in the fundamentals of land surveying during his or her final semester.

(c) A person must pass the examination in the fundamentals of land surveying and complete the work experience before he or she is allowed to take the examination in the principles and practice of land surveying and the West Virginia examination.

(d) The examination in the fundamentals of land surveying, the examination in the principles and practice of land surveying and the West Virginia examination shall each be held at least once each year at the time and place determined by the board. A person who fails to pass all or any part of an examination may apply for reexamination, as prescribed by the board, and shall furnish additional information and fees as required by the board.

(e) A person who began the education, experience or examination requirements and were approved by the board prior to December 31, 2004, have until December 31, 2012, to complete such requirements for licensure.