Surveying Articles

The Path Forward: How Surveyors Can Defend Professional Standards

"If we don’t fight for licensure, we’ll be fighting in court when someone builds a shopping mall inside your backyard."

Imagine stepping outside one morning, coffee in hand, ready to enjoy a quiet weekend—only to find a construction crew staking out a new building where your backyard used to be. Confused, you pull out your property records, but the boundary lines don’t match what’s happening on the ground. After some digging, you learn that a deregulated “surveyor” working with outdated or misinterpreted data has incorrectly plotted your lot, and now, according to the developer’s maps, your land is fair game.

Sound ridiculous? Maybe. But in a world where surveying licensure is

 weakened or outright abolished, this kind of chaos is inevitable.

Surveying isn’t just about drawing lines—it’s about ensuring those lines are accurate, legally defensible, and publicly trusted. Without licensure, professional standards erode, and once accuracy disappears, so does public confidence in land ownership, infrastructure safety, and legal protections.

And yet, surveyors are under attack from powerful corporate interests, deregulation advocates, and tech firms that see licensure as an obstacle to their expansion. Their argument? That professional licensing requirements are just “red tape” stifling innovation—as if precision, legal expertise, and public accountability are outdated concepts.

These are the same groups pushing for AI-driven mapping systems to replace licensed professionals—despite AI’s repeated failures in boundary determination, land-use classification, and legal interpretation. If you think automation can’t replace surveyors, think again. Tech giants have already begun privatizing geospatial data, pulling it away from public access and restricting it behind paywalls. Want to see how this battle is already unfolding? Read about how corporations are fighting to control geospatial knowledge.

This isn’t just about professional surveying—it’s about who gets to define reality itself.

But surveyors still have a choice.

If the profession is to survive, surveyors must take control of the conversation, advocate for licensing protections, and ensure that lawmakers, businesses, and the general public understand the stakes. The alternative? A future where anyone with a drone and a YouTube tutorial can call themselves a surveyor, and property owners, developers, and municipalities bear the consequences of bad data, expensive disputes, and compromised public safety.

Surveyors can either take action now or let the profession be reshaped by forces that don’t care about accuracy, legality, or public trust.

The first step is education. Lawmakers don’t see what surveyors do every day—so it’s time to make surveying’s importance impossible to ignore. See how educating lawmakers can prevent deregulation from taking hold.

Educating Lawmakers: If They Don’t Understand Surveying, They Won’t Protect It

Surveyors know the stakes of licensure, but the real battle isn’t happening in the field—it’s happening in legislative offices where laws are written, rewritten, and repealed. The problem? Most lawmakers have no idea how surveying actually works.

To them, it’s just another industry, another profession with a certification process, another licensing requirement that lobbyists insist is critical. They don’t see the consequences of deregulation until it’s too late—until the boundary disputes flood the courts, until property developments grind to a halt, until taxpayers foot the bill for infrastructure errors that should have been avoided in the first place.

And by then? The damage is already done.

Surveyors can’t afford to wait for lawmakers to figure it out on their own. They need to force surveying into the conversation—before bad policy decisions gut professional standards.

But how? How do surveyors make themselves heard in a political climate where deregulation is being aggressively pushed as a “solution” to everything from housing shortages to economic growth?

1. Show Them the Real-World Consequences of Deregulation

Politicians respond to stories, not statistics. You can give them all the technical explanations and legislative briefs you want, but nothing hits harder than real-world examples of how deregulation leads to failure.

• Texas (2021): When the state allowed unlicensed drone operators to perform “surveying services,” boundary disputes skyrocketed by nearly 40% within a year. Developers, landowners, and municipalities were left scrambling to correct mistakes that should never have happened. It took only months for the legislature to realize their error and start reversing course.
• Australia (2019): A push to eliminate licensing for cadastral mapping created legal chaos, forcing the government to reinstate surveying standards within two years.
• The UK (2018): Deregulated boundary surveys led to such widespread inaccuracies that property transactions stalled, lawsuits surged, and local councils had to intervene.

Surveyors must bring these examples to legislators’ attention. If politicians don’t see how deregulation has already failed elsewhere, they’ll repeat the same mistakes in their own jurisdictions.

Want to see how deregulation is being pushed under the radar? Check out the hidden forces trying to kill surveying licensure.

2. Invite Lawmakers to See Surveying in Action

Legislators sit through hundreds of hours of policy meetings filled with abstract arguments about industries they don’t fully understand. Surveyors can cut through the noise by showing them the work firsthand.

An office briefing can be ignored. A site visit to an active survey project? That leaves a lasting impression.

• Show them a real boundary survey in progress. Let them see the precision, the calculations, the legal documentation involved.
• Demonstrate the importance of accuracy. A 2-inch error may not sound like much in a policy meeting, but on the ground? That’s the difference between a valid property line and a legal dispute.
• Explain how surveyors protect infrastructure. Show them how improper elevation data can cause flood risks, foundation issues, or unsafe construction.

Lawmakers rarely take action until they personally see the consequences of inaction. Bringing them into the field ensures that when it’s time to vote on licensing protections, they understand what’s at stake.

3. Use Legislative Briefings to Keep Surveying on the Agenda

If surveyors don’t make their case regularly, they’ll get drowned out by louder voices. Deregulation advocates never stop pushing their agenda—so surveyors can’t afford to be passive.

The best way to keep surveying licensure at the forefront? Annual legislative briefings.

• Partner with professional organizations like NSPS to schedule annual meetings with lawmakers.
• Provide case studies of recent surveying issues, demonstrating why professional standards matter.
• Highlight the risks of deregulation before bad policy gains momentum.

Surveyors don’t need to wait for a crisis to make their case. They should be in the room before the conversation even starts.

Want to see how surveying licensure affects everything from infrastructure to economic stability? Read about the high stakes of protecting NOAA’s role in surveying.

The Bottom Line: If Lawmakers Don’t See Surveyors, They Won’t Protect Them

It’s easy to assume that lawmakers will naturally understand why surveying licensure is important. That’s a mistake.

Surveyors must actively make their case—through real-world examples, site visits, and ongoing legislative briefings. Otherwise, they risk watching from the sidelines as corporate interests, deregulation groups, and tech firms rewrite the rules in their favor.

This is not just a political issue—it’s a professional survival issue.

Surveyors either take control of the conversation or get left behind.

What’s Next? Public Outreach is the Key to Winning This Battle

Educating lawmakers is critical, but it’s only half the battle.

The public also needs to understand why surveying licensure matters. Because when a homeowner, developer, or business owner supports licensing protections, their voices carry weight with legislators.

Want to see how surveyors can make their case directly to the public? Read the next section on why licensure matters to everyone.

Public Outreach: Why Licensure Matters to Everyone

If the battle for surveying licensure was only about convincing lawmakers, it would already be an uphill fight. But the truth is, most of the general public has no idea why surveying even matters—until something goes wrong.

That’s a problem.

People care about what affects them directly. They don’t think about property boundaries until they’re tangled in a dispute. They don’t consider floodplain mapping until their basement is underwater. They assume that GPS and mapping apps will always be accurate—until they aren’t.

If surveyors want to protect professional licensure, they need to make the public care before the crisis hits. Because when people understand that deregulating surveying means losing legal certainty over their own land, their home values, and their infrastructure safety, they’ll start paying attention.

The challenge? Most people don’t realize surveying even exists.

Want to see just how misunderstood surveying is? Check out why the public has no idea what surveyors actually do.

The Cost of Public Ignorance: What Happens When Licensure Disappears?

Let’s say lawmakers cave to deregulation pressure and decide that surveying licensure is unnecessary. What does that look like for the average person?

• Real estate transactions will slow to a crawl. Buyers and sellers will face legal uncertainty because property lines become unreliable. Title companies will hesitate to close deals. Mortgage lenders will demand more proof.
• Boundary disputes will explode. When "surveyors" no longer need training, accuracy becomes a matter of opinion. Landowners will battle over where their property begins and ends, racking up legal fees in the process.
• Infrastructure projects will face massive errors. Developers relying on faulty surveys will discover too late that their site plans are misaligned, flood zones weren’t accounted for, or roads aren’t where they’re supposed to be.
• The courts will be overwhelmed. When land disputes can’t be resolved with reliable surveys, litigation becomes the default.

Want a preview of what this kind of chaos looks like? Read how deregulation in other industries has led to massive legal disasters.

How Surveyors Can Make Licensure a Public Issue

If the public doesn’t understand the risk, they won’t defend surveying licensure.

That’s why surveyors must take charge of public outreach—before deregulation groups define the narrative.

1. Tell Stories That Matter to Homeowners, Businesses, and Communities

People don’t respond to technical jargon. They respond to real-world stories.

• Showcase boundary disputes that spiraled into costly lawsuits.
• Explain how bad surveying data can derail a home sale or development project.
• Highlight cases where inaccurate floodplain mapping led to disaster.

Surveyors don’t need to manufacture horror stories—these problems already exist. The key is making the public realize that deregulation will make them worse.

2. Use Social Media to Break Through the Noise

Surveyors don’t need to go viral—but they do need to be visible.

A short video showing how surveyors define property lines? That’s something a homeowner will stop scrolling to watch.
A side-by-side comparison of licensed vs. unlicensed surveying results? That’s a message that sticks.
An infographic explaining how deregulation led to a real-life legal disaster? That’s something people will share.

Surveyors need to meet people where they already are—online.

Want to see how misinformation about surveying is already spreading? Read about how Big Tech is reshaping mapping without professional oversight.

3. Engage With Local Media and Community Leaders

When a boundary dispute or a major development project hits the news, surveyors should be the first experts journalists call.

• Write op-eds explaining why surveying accuracy matters.
• Offer expert commentary on real estate and infrastructure stories.
• Attend town hall meetings where land use issues are being discussed.

If surveyors don’t control the message, someone else will—and it likely won’t be someone who understands surveying licensure.

The Public Will Defend Licensure—If Surveyors Give Them a Reason To

People care about protecting their homes, their businesses, and their property rights.

What they don’t realize is that surveying licensure is what ensures those things remain protected.

If surveyors can make that connection clear, they won’t have to fight alone. The public will stand alongside them—because they’ll finally understand what’s at stake.

Want to see how surveyors can take the next step? Read about how industry alliances can strengthen the fight for licensure.

Training the Next Generation: Without New Surveyors, Licensure Won’t Matter

Imagine this: Surveying licensure is successfully defended. Lawmakers recognize its value, the public understands its necessity, and professional standards remain intact. Victory, right?

Not quite.

Because what happens when there aren’t enough surveyors left to uphold these standards? What happens when the last generation of experienced professionals retires, and no one is stepping up to take their place?

The reality is grim: If surveying fails to attract and train new professionals, licensure protections become meaningless. A regulatory framework without enough qualified practitioners to sustain it is as good as no framework at all.

Surveying isn’t just facing an attack from external forces pushing deregulation—it’s also grappling with an internal crisis of recruitment and retention. Young professionals aren’t entering the field at the rate needed to replace retiring surveyors. Worse, many newcomers don’t see licensure as an essential milestone in their careers.

This is where the battle for surveying’s future must be fought next. Surveyors must take the lead in training and mentoring the next generation—because if they don’t, the profession won’t survive long enough for licensure to matter.

Want to see just how serious the knowledge gap has become? Read about why the next generation of surveyors is disappearing.

Why Young Professionals Aren’t Entering Surveying

To fix a problem, you have to understand what’s causing it. So, why aren’t more young people entering the surveying profession?

✅ Lack of awareness – Most high school and college students have no idea what surveyors do, let alone that it’s a viable, well-paying career. Schools don’t teach it, career fairs don’t showcase it, and media representation is practically nonexistent.

✅ Competing career paths – Young professionals interested in geospatial data often gravitate toward tech jobs in GIS, drone mapping, or AI-powered analytics—fields that feel more modern and dynamic.

✅ Licensure seems outdated or unnecessary – Without clear mentorship, many younger surveyors don’t see the value in licensure. If they can work in mapping or drone services without it, why invest the time and effort?

✅ The profession isn’t evolving fast enough – Surveying still leans heavily on traditional apprenticeship models, while other industries have adapted to offer online certifications, fast-track training, and more flexible entry points.

If surveying wants to attract and retain young talent, it has to address these issues head-on.

Want to see how AI and automation are reshaping surveying careers? Read about how technology is changing—but not replacing—the profession.

How Surveyors Can Fix the Pipeline Problem

The good news? Surveyors aren’t powerless to reverse this trend. The profession can take concrete steps to ensure that the next generation of professionals values and pursues licensure.

1. Get Surveying into Schools and Universities

Most students never even hear about surveying as a career option. That has to change.

• Work with high schools to introduce surveying into STEM programs.
• Partner with colleges to expand surveying courses and degrees.
• Offer scholarships and internships to attract students.

Surveyors need to make the profession visible—because right now, too many young people don’t even know it exists.

2. Modernize Licensure and Training Programs

Surveying’s apprenticeship model doesn’t work for everyone. Other professions have adapted to offer fast-track certifications, online coursework, and hands-on learning modules.

Surveying needs to evolve:

• Offer hybrid licensure paths that allow for a mix of field experience and academic study.
• Develop short-term training programs that make entry into the profession easier.
• Incorporate new technology into training—because younger generations expect to work with AI, drones, and automation.

Without modernizing training, surveying risks losing potential recruits to more accessible career paths.

3. Build Mentorship and Apprenticeship Networks

Surveying has always been a profession built on mentorship. But today’s new professionals aren’t getting the same level of direct training and guidance that past generations did.

Veteran surveyors must actively mentor younger professionals to ensure:

• They understand the importance of licensure.
• They develop practical skills that can’t be taught in a classroom.
• They stay engaged in the profession rather than leaving for other industries.

Want to see how mentorship plays a role in preserving the profession? Read about why passing down knowledge is critical for surveying’s future.

Without New Surveyors, Licensure Won’t Matter

Even if surveyors win the battle for licensure, they will still lose the war if there aren’t enough professionals left to sustain the industry.

Licensure isn’t just about preserving the profession today—it’s about ensuring its survival for the next 50 years.

That starts now.

Surveyors must:

✔ Advocate for surveying education in schools.
✔ Modernize training and licensure to keep up with other industries.
✔ Actively mentor and train young professionals.

The future of surveying isn’t just about defending regulations. It’s about making sure there’s a next generation of professionals ready to uphold them.

Want to see what else surveyors can do to protect their profession? Read about the next step: forming industry-wide alliances to defend licensure.

Building Alliances: Strength in Numbers

Surveyors may be the ones drawing the lines, but they aren’t the only ones who depend on those lines being accurate, legal, and defensible. The real estate industry, construction firms, engineers, attorneys, and insurance companies all have a vested interest in ensuring that professional surveying remains a regulated, licensed profession.

Yet, surveying licensure is still under attack. And if surveyors try to fight this battle alone, they risk being outnumbered and outfunded by powerful deregulation advocates.

The solution? Alliances.

Surveyors need allies—strong ones—who will fight alongside them. The moment surveying licensure is framed not as a niche issue but as an industry-wide crisis, the odds of preserving professional standards increase dramatically.

Want to see what happens when surveying licensure is weakened? Read how deregulation leads to legal disasters, property disputes, and infrastructure failures.

Why Other Industries Should Care About Surveying Licensure

1. Real Estate Professionals: Property Deals Depend on Surveying Accuracy

No one benefits more from accurate surveying than real estate agents, brokers, title companies, and developers. If property boundaries become unreliable because unlicensed individuals start performing surveys, the entire real estate market suffers.

What happens without surveying licensure?

• Boundary disputes derail sales. Buyers and sellers will hesitate to close deals if survey results can’t be trusted.
• Title insurance companies face increased risk. Without professional oversight, who guarantees that property lines are accurate?
• Lenders refuse financing. Mortgage companies rely on defensible property boundaries. If licensure disappears, lenders may stop issuing loans until accurate records are reestablished.

Surveyors need to educate real estate professionals on the direct financial risks they face if licensure is weakened.

Want to see how surveying impacts the real estate industry? Read how unlicensed surveying could throw real estate markets into chaos.

2. Engineers and Architects: Their Work Begins with Surveying Data

Surveying is the foundation of all design and construction projects. If that foundation is compromised, everything that follows is built on uncertainty.

• Engineers rely on survey data for precision site plans, elevations, and infrastructure alignment.
• Architects use topographic and boundary surveys to design buildings that comply with zoning laws.
• Construction firms need accurate staking to ensure projects are built in the correct locations.

If unlicensed surveyors introduce errors into the process, millions of dollars in construction costs could be wasted on misplaced foundations, incorrect setbacks, and legal disputes.

Surveyors need to emphasize to engineers and architects that licensure protects them from costly mistakes.

Want to see what happens when surveying errors cause massive problems? Read about AI-driven mapping failures and why human oversight is irreplaceable.

3. Attorneys: Legal Battles Multiply When Surveying Becomes Unregulated

Surveying isn’t just about measurements—it’s about legal certainty. When licensure disappears, attorneys will find themselves drowning in property lawsuits.

• Who determines the rightful boundary when two neighbors claim the same land?
• Who holds liability when an unlicensed surveyor makes a mistake?
• Who arbitrates when corporate developers build in the wrong location?

Surveyors should partner with legal professionals to highlight how licensure reduces litigation and protects property rights.

Want to know how corporate interests are already trying to redefine property rights? Read about who really controls surveying data.

4. Insurance Providers: Risk Assessment Depends on Reliable Data

Surveying is deeply connected to risk management. Insurers depend on accurate land records to:

• Assess floodplain risks.
• Calculate property boundaries for liability purposes.
• Ensure structures comply with zoning and safety regulations.

If surveying licensure disappears, insurers will face higher risks and more claims. Surveyors should engage with the insurance industry, showing them how professional surveying reduces uncertainty and legal exposure.

Want to see why geospatial accuracy matters for risk assessment? Read about how NOAA’s work underpins everything from flood mapping to disaster recovery.

How Surveyors Can Form Powerful Alliances

Winning the battle for licensure requires collective action. Here’s how surveyors can build alliances:

1. Organize Industry-Wide Advocacy Groups

Surveyors should form coalitions with engineers, real estate professionals, attorneys, and insurers to fight deregulation efforts together. A unified voice carries more weight than individual professionals speaking out alone.

2. Host Cross-Industry Conferences and Workshops

Surveying licensure isn’t just a “surveying issue.” It’s a business, legal, and economic issue. Hosting joint industry events will raise awareness and build public support.

3. Leverage Professional Associations for Legislative Advocacy

Surveyors should work with groups like:

• NSPS (National Society of Professional Surveyors)
• ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers)
• NAR (National Association of Realtors)
• ABA (American Bar Association)

By aligning with these organizations, surveyors can bring broader influence to legislative debates.

Want to see how professional organizations are already fighting back? Read about how surveyors are defending licensure at the legislative level.

Licensure is Everyone’s Fight—Not Just Surveyors’

The attack on surveying licensure isn’t just a professional issue—it’s an economic and legal issue affecting multiple industries.

The key to winning this fight? Making it clear that the consequences of deregulation will impact far more than just surveyors.

• Real estate professionals must understand the risks of unreliable boundaries.
• Engineers and architects must recognize the dangers of inaccurate survey data.
• Attorneys must see how deregulation will lead to legal chaos.
• Insurance providers must realize that professional surveying mitigates risk.

Surveyors cannot afford to fight this battle alone. It’s time to bring powerful allies into the fight—before it’s too late.

Want to take action? Here’s how surveyors can lead the charge for industry-wide advocacy.

A Clear Action Plan for Every Surveyor

Defending surveying licensure isn’t just a talking point—it’s an urgent, ongoing fight that requires every licensed professional to take action. If surveyors don’t step up now, legislators, tech companies, and deregulation advocates will decide the future of the profession without them.

So, what’s the next move? It’s time to go beyond discussion and into action. Surveyors must take immediate steps to protect professional standards, educate the public, and ensure that licensure remains the legal safeguard that keeps surveying accurate, trusted, and essential.

Want to see how surveying licensure is being challenged? Read about who’s really pushing for deregulation—and why.

Step 1: Engage with Professional Organizations

Surveyors don’t have to fight this battle alone. Professional associations are already working to defend licensure—but they need surveyors to actively participate.

What you should do today:

✔ Join national and state surveying organizations like the NSPS (National Society of Professional Surveyors) and state-level boards.

✔ Volunteer for legislative committees that focus on licensure protections.

✔ Participate in industry advocacy efforts that challenge deregulation bills before they gain traction.

✔ Encourage young professionals to get involved—because licensure is meaningless if the next generation doesn’t see its value.

When surveyors work collectively through professional associations, their voices carry more weight in policy discussions and legislative debates.

Want to see how professional organizations have successfully fought off deregulation before? Check out how past advocacy efforts have protected surveying licensure.

Step 2: Educate Lawmakers Before They Dismantle Licensure

Lawmakers often don’t understand surveying’s complexity or its impact on infrastructure, property rights, and legal boundaries. That’s why deregulation efforts slip through the cracks—until it’s too late.

Surveyors must become proactive in educating legislators before policies are drafted that put professional standards at risk.

✔ Schedule meetings with local and state representatives. Invite them to active survey sites to show them how surveying works in real-world applications.

✔ Provide lawmakers with real examples of surveying failures in deregulated areas—such as boundary disputes, infrastructure errors, and increased litigation.

✔ Use professional organizations to organize lobbying events where surveyors can present a unified stance against deregulation.

Want to see how AI-driven automation is already influencing policymakers? Read about how Big Tech is pushing to redefine mapping and surveying.

Step 3: Make Licensure a Public Issue

Surveyors need the public on their side. If homeowners, developers, real estate agents, and business owners understand how deregulation affects them personally, they’ll be far more likely to push back.

How surveyors can raise public awareness:

✔ Write articles and op-eds in local newspapers explaining how surveying licensure protects homebuyers, property owners, and businesses.

✔ Speak at community meetings where land use, zoning, or infrastructure projects are being discussed.

✔ Use social media strategically. Post before-and-after examples of surveying disasters caused by unlicensed work. Share stories of boundary disputes and legal headaches that licensure prevents.

✔ Partner with real estate professionals and attorneys to highlight how deregulation would negatively impact home sales, property values, and legal disputes.

Most people won’t care about surveying licensure until they’re personally affected. Surveyors must make the stakes clear before deregulation takes hold.

Want to see how public ignorance is already weakening the profession? Read about why no one knows what surveyors do anymore.

Step 4: Train and Mentor the Next Generation

Surveying isn’t just at risk from deregulation—it’s also facing a workforce crisis. If there aren’t enough trained professionals entering the field, licensure won’t matter because there won’t be enough surveyors left to uphold it.

Surveyors must invest in training the next generation.

✔ Offer mentorship and apprenticeships to younger professionals.

✔ Work with universities and trade schools to emphasize surveying as a high-tech, critical profession.

✔ Encourage licensure early in young professionals’ careers, showing them why it matters.

✔ Push for modernized training options, including online coursework and hybrid certification programs that make entry into surveying more accessible.

The profession can’t afford to lose young talent to easier-to-enter geospatial fields. Surveyors must ensure the next generation is trained, licensed, and committed to upholding professional standards.

Want to see how surveying is struggling to attract young professionals? Read about the looming generational knowledge gap.

Conclusion: Licensure is Non-Negotiable—But It’s Up to Surveyors to Defend It

Surveyors have a choice:

✔ Take immediate action to protect licensure, educate lawmakers, and raise public awareness
✔ Or stand by as deregulation efforts strip surveying of its professional credibility

The attacks on licensure aren’t theoretical. They’re already happening.

• Big Tech is moving to automate surveying, sidelining licensed professionals.
• Deregulation groups are lobbying legislators to weaken licensing requirements.
• AI-powered mapping platforms are being marketed as “replacements” for surveyors.

The only way to stop this is through aggressive, organized action.

Surveyors must:

✔ Engage with professional organizations to amplify advocacy efforts.
✔ Educate lawmakers before bad policies take hold.
✔ Make surveying licensure a public issue so that homeowners, businesses, and developers understand what’s at stake.
✔ Train and mentor young professionals to ensure that licensure remains relevant for future generations.

If surveyors don’t defend licensure today, they’ll be fighting for their own professional survival tomorrow.

The time to act is now.

Want to get involved? Here’s where to start.