Licensing Requirements for Idaho Land Surveyors
In Idaho, performing a land survey for legal purposes requires a Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) license. This license is issued by the Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses (IBOL) through the Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, under authority of Idaho Code § 54-1201 et seq. To earn the PLS license, a candidate must hold a qualifying degree, complete four or more years of experience under a licensed PLS, and pass both the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam and the Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).
If someone offers to survey your property without a PLS license, their work is not legally valid. It cannot be recorded with the county, cannot be used in a legal dispute, and does not establish an official boundary. Always confirm the surveyor you hire is licensed before signing a contract.
How to Confirm a Surveyor's License
Use the directory as a starting point, then confirm the responsible surveyor's current license before hiring. It is still worth checking the responsible surveyor's current license before hiring. Browse by county at /idaho/ to find licensed surveyors near you.
Choosing the Right Surveyor for Your Job
Match the Surveyor to the Work Type
Not every licensed surveyor does every type of survey. Some firms specialize in ALTA surveys for commercial real estate. Others focus on residential boundary work, subdivision platting, or construction staking. A few firms handle most survey types, but it pays to ask upfront whether the firm regularly does the specific type of work you need.
Look for Local Experience
Idaho's Public Land Survey System (PLSS) records vary in quality and completeness by county. A surveyor who has worked extensively in your county will know the quirks of local records, where section corners are typically located, and which areas have problematic monument histories. This local knowledge speeds up the job and often reduces cost.
Ask About Turnaround Time
Survey schedules in Idaho can be busy, especially in spring and summer when construction season peaks. Ask each firm you contact about their current backlog. If you have a closing deadline or a construction schedule to meet, turnaround time may matter as much as price.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
- Do you hold an active Idaho PLS license?
- Have you worked in this county or area before?
- What type of monuments will you set?
- Will the survey be recorded with the county?
- What is the estimated turnaround time?
- Do you carry errors and omissions insurance?
- What does the quoted price include, and what could add to the final cost?
Understanding What You Are Ordering
Boundary Survey
A boundary survey locates the legal corners of your parcel as described in the deed, sets physical monuments, and produces a recorded plat. This is the most common type of survey for residential and rural property owners in Idaho.
ALTA/NSPS Survey
ALTA surveys meet the detailed standards required by title insurance companies and commercial lenders. They document boundaries, improvements, easements, encroachments, and access conditions. Most commercial real estate transactions in Idaho require one.
Elevation Certificate
An elevation certificate documents the elevation of a building's lowest floor relative to the FEMA Base Flood Elevation. Required by lenders when the property is in a designated flood zone.
Topographic Survey
A topographic survey maps the physical features and elevation contours of a property. Used for site planning, drainage design, and construction projects.
Construction Staking
Construction staking places physical stakes in the field to guide grading, foundation work, and utility installation according to engineering plans. Common for new construction in Idaho's growing communities like Meridian, Eagle, and Post Falls.
Regional Considerations
Treasure Valley
Ada and Canyon counties have Idaho's highest concentration of licensed surveyors. Firms in the Boise and Nampa areas handle high volumes of residential and commercial work, with generally fast turnaround and competitive pricing.
Northern Idaho
Kootenai County around Coeur d'Alene has a solid concentration of surveyors serving the growing communities of Post Falls, Hayden, and Rathdrum. Boundary and Bonner counties have fewer firms and longer turnaround times.
Eastern Idaho
Bonneville and Bannock counties, centered on Idaho Falls and Pocatello, serve eastern Idaho and parts of southeastern Idaho. Agricultural surveys for large parcels on the Snake River Plain are common in this region.
Remote and Mountain Areas
Central Idaho has very limited surveyor availability. If you own property in a remote mountain county, expect longer wait times and higher travel fees. Ask about fees explicitly when requesting a quote for properties in rural counties.
Getting Multiple Quotes
Contact two or three firms and give each the same information: property address and legal description, county, purpose of the survey, any prior surveys you have, and your timeline. Comparing quotes this way gives you an apples-to-apples picture of both price and availability.
Start Here
Browse licensed surveyors by county at /idaho/. Use the directory as a starting point, then confirm the responsible surveyor's current license before hiring.