Professional Practice and Ethics
Professional practice and ethics tests lawful, competent, and honest conduct. In Nevada, land surveying is regulated under NRS 625 through the Nevada Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; candidates should verify current statutes, board rules, fees, and continuing-education requirements because they change.
Core duties
Practice only within your competence and license. Seal and sign only work you personally prepared or directly supervised. Do not misrepresent credentials, experience, or results. The public health, safety, and welfare take precedence over client pressure. Keep client information confidential except where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect the public. Disclose conflicts of interest and avoid contingent fees for professional opinions.
Records and errors
Maintain field notes, computations, and correspondence. If you discover a material error in a sealed survey, notify affected parties and correct the record through the proper instrument; do not conceal or backdate. Boundary opinions should be supported by evidence and reasoning, not by the client's desired outcome.
Worked example
A developer asks you to omit a visible encroachment from a plat because it will delay closing. You must refuse: omission misrepresents the survey and harms reliance by the buyer and lender. You document the encroachment, advise the client of options, and show it on the deliverable or clearly qualify the scope if the standard permits. If the client insists on a false certification, withdraw.
Traps
Treating confidentiality as a shield for fraud; stamping plans you did not supervise; accepting a fee contingent on a boundary opinion; assuming a prior seal excuses a current error.