KY Land Surveyor
Kentucky Land Surveyor Examination
More study resources
Cheat sheet
Keep the key ideas within reach.
ExploreKey terms
Get comfortable with the vocabulary.
ExploreStudy plan
Give each week a clear focus.
ExploreCommon mistakes
Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
ExploreCase studies
Put your knowledge to work in context.
ExploreExam-day guide
Prepare for the day ahead.
ExploreAbout this exam
The Kentucky Professional Land Surveyor license is granted by the Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, an agency established by an Act of the Kentucky General Assembly in 1938 to protect the public health, safety and welfare. The Board carries out that mandate by licensing and regulating individuals and firms deemed qualified to practice, and it is self-supporting - it receives no general fund tax dollars. Candidates reach the credential through the Board's "Getting Licensed" path for individual licensure; firms that offer surveying services need a separate firm permit.
The examination is a broad professional-practice test. Expect questions on legal principles of land surveying, boundary determination and retracement of original surveys, measurement and geospatial data acquisition, survey computations and coordinate systems, mapping and platting, and professional practice and ethics. Kentucky-specific regulation matters: the Board's Standards of Practice for Professional Land Surveyors (201 KAR 18:150) is the operative rule set, and an amendment to it was filed with the Legislative Research Commission on April 10, 2026, to reflect changes in surveying technology and methodology.
Prepare by working problems under time pressure rather than rereading notes: retracement scenarios, deed-and-plat interpretation, coordinate geometry, and adjustment computations repay practice. Pair that with the Board's own pages - Standards of Practice, renewal information, and the FAQ - and verify any exam logistics directly with Board staff, since the Board's public site does not publish every administrative detail.
What you'll study
About KY Land Surveyor preparation
Who actually issues the Kentucky land surveyor license?
The Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, at 160 Democrat Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601. The Board was created by the General Assembly in 1938 to protect public health, safety and welfare through licensing and regulation of individuals and firms. It is self-supporting and receives no general fund tax dollars, so it does not depend on state appropriations to operate.
What does the Board's site say about the exam's length, item count, and passing score?
Nothing in the publicly posted material. The Board's pages cover getting an individual license, firm permits, renewal, disciplinary actions, approved stamps and seals, continuing professional development, standards of practice, and course providers, but they do not publish exam duration, item count, or a passing score. Confirm those details with Board staff rather than relying on secondhand numbers.
When is my Kentucky renewal due?
The 2026 Individual Online Renewal System opened on April 1, 2026. Licensees whose last names begin with letters L through Z must renew by June 30, 2026. The Board uses GovDelivery for email notification of the Board of Licensure Report and advance renewal notices, so keep your email address current through the Board's address change process.
Will the pending Standards of Practice amendment change what I should study?
Study the version currently in force. The amendment to 201 KAR 18:150 was filed with the Legislative Research Commission on April 10, 2026, to reflect changes in surveying technology and methodology plus minor grammatical corrections. Written comments were accepted through June 30, 2026, with a public hearing on June 23, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at the Kentucky Engineering Center in Frankfort.
Is there a way to find out in advance whether a criminal conviction blocks licensure?
A new administrative regulation, 201 KAR 18:025, was filed on August 26, 2026. It establishes a process for an individual convicted of a crime to obtain a predetermination of whether that conviction disqualifies them from licensure as a professional engineer or land surveyor before pursuing required training or specialized education. Comments ran through November 30, 2026; the hearing was November 24, 2026.
In what order should I study the six subject areas?
Start with legal principles and boundary determination, because retracement reasoning underpins how you answer evidence and deed-interpretation items elsewhere. Then move to measurement and geospatial data acquisition and to computations and coordinate systems, where daily problem practice pays off. Finish with mapping, platting and land development, then professional practice and ethics, which is easiest to hold in memory close to test day.
What are the most common ways candidates lose points?
Not the arithmetic - the reasoning. Candidates recite rules without applying them to conflicting evidence, accept a single monument or measurement without weighing junior-senior rights and intent, and skip unit and coordinate-system checks. Others neglect Kentucky-specific regulation because they studied only national boundary-law material. Read each item's fact pattern fully, identify what is being decided, then justify the choice before moving on.
Who do I contact about the proposed regulations or a licensing question?
Jake R. Miller, General Counsel, Kentucky State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, 160 Democrat Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601. Phone (502) 573-2680, fax (502) 573-6687, email [email protected]. Written comments on proposed regulations must identify the anticipated effects of the proposed amendments and be submitted within the stated comment period for each regulation.