Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying:

An Inventory of Board of Professional Land Surveying Records at the Texas State Archives, 1920-2008

Agency History

The Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying regulates surveyors, through examination and licensing, to ensure that Texas residents can obtain competent and accurate surveys prepared by qualified surveyors. The Board regulates three groups of surveyors. It registers professional land surveyors, who conduct land boundary and property surveys for the general public. It also licenses state land surveyors, who conduct surveys on land that the state or public free school land has an interest in, or on land requiring an original survey for the purpose of filing field notes with the General Land Office. And, it certifies surveyors-in-training as having met all of the basic requirements for registration and having served a two-year apprenticeship with a registered surveyor prior to taking the exam for registration. Licenses and registrations are renewed annually. In 1989, continuing education became a mandatory requirement for all license renewals.

The Board also establishes and enforces standards of conduct of registered and licensed surveyors. Enforcement activities include suspending or revoking a license or registration and seeking injunctions to halt violations of the laws governing the practice of surveying. The Board does not conduct periodic investigations of surveyors but will investigate complaints as necessary and hold hearings concerning complaints. The Attorney General's Office represents the Board in formal hearings. Other functions of the Board include preparing and distributing annually a roster of licensed and registered surveyors, and developing and implementing a public information program regarding land surveying and its regulation.

The Board of Examiners of Land Surveyors was created by Senate Bill 157, 36th Texas Legislature, 2nd Called Session, 1919. It was composed of the Commissioner of the General Land Office (GLO) and two members appointed by the Governor with concurrence of the Senate. The Board examined and licensed land surveyors in Texas. Examinations were optional with 15 years experience prior to 1941 and required thereafter. In 1977, the name was changed to Board of Examiners of Licensed State Land Surveyors. The State Board of Registration for Public Surveyors was created by House Bill 142, 54th Legislature, Regular Session, 1955. It was a six-member board, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. This Board registered public surveyors in Texas and enforced the law applicable to their practice. It held examinations and issued licenses to public surveyors, and investigated complaints.

The Texas Board of Land Surveying was created by Senate Bill 313, 66th Legislature, Regular Session, 1979. This bill consolidated the two existing surveyor licensing boards--the Board of Examiners of Licensed State Land Surveyors and the State Board of Registration for Public Surveyors. In 1989, the name was changed to its current form, the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying.

The Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying is composed of ten members, nine appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, for six year, overlapping terms. The General Land Office Commissioner or his designated representative is an ex-officio member. Of the Board, two members must be licensed state land surveyors recommended by the GLO Commissioner, four must be registered professional land surveyors, and three must be individuals not licensed by the Board. Board members may only serve two terms. The chair is designated by the Governor. As of 2006, the Board has a staff of five, including the executive director. There are no formal divisions.

(Sources include: Guide to Texas State Agencies, various editions and the agency's records.)

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Scope and Contents of the Records

The Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying regulates surveyors, through examination and licensing, to ensure that Texas residents can obtain competent and accurate surveys prepared by qualified surveyors. These records consist of minutes, agenda, meeting supporting documentation, correspondence, reports, a policy manual, and an index to land surveyors, dating 1920-2008. The records document the licensing and regulation of land surveyors by the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying and its predecessor agencies, the State Board of Registration for Public Surveyors, and the Board of Examiners of Licensed State Land Surveyors.

The majority of the records document actions of the Board taken at their meetings, including the administration of exams; education activities, including approval of education courses for surveying programs in colleges and universities, continuing education, and the Board's home study program; changes in rules and/or legislation affecting surveying and/or agency activities; resolving complaints against surveyors; the Board's disciplinary process regarding violations by surveyors; and the administration of the agency.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under Public Information Act exceptions including, but not limited to, home addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers of government employees and officials (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Section 552.117); driver's license numbers (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Section 552.130); and email addresses (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Section 552.137); an archivist must review these records before they can be accessed for research. The records may be requested for research under the provisions of the Public Information Act (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Chapter 552). The researcher may request an interview with an archivist or submit a request by mail, fax, or email including enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information requested. If our review reveals information that may be excepted by the Public Information Act, we are obligated to seek an open records decision from the Attorney General on whether the records can be released. The Public Information Act allows the Archives ten working days after receiving a request to make this determination. The Attorney General has 45 working days to render a decision. Alternately, the Archives can inform you of the nature of the potentially excepted information and if you agree, that information can be redacted or removed and you can access the remainder of the records. This restriction applies to the series, Meeting supporting documentation.

Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).

Technical Requirements

None.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item and cite the series), Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession numbers: 1996/042, 1996/069, 1996/073, 1996/089, 1996/093, 1996/100, 1997/095, 1997/098, 1998/023, 1999/021, 2000/051, 2000/126, 2001/082, 2003/015, 2003/194, 2004/020, 2004/029, 2005/004, 2005/032, 2006/351, 2007/076, 2007/143, 2008/046

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying on January 9, February 28, March 5, April 18, and May 1, 1996; March 20 and October 10, 1997; September 30, 1998; October 28, 1999; March 9, 2000; January 3, 2001; September 24, 2002; August 25 and September 22, 2003; January 10 and September 8, 2004; April 13 and December 18, 2006; March 20 and October 23, 2007; and by the Texas Legislative Reference Library on 27, 2004.

Processing Information

Processed by Laura Saegert, June 1996

Index to bonds and examination papers of licensed land surveyors added by Laura K. Saegert, March 1997

Additional meeting files added by Laura K. Saegert, October 1997, August 1998, November 1999

Additional meeting files and meeting supporting documentation added by Laura K. Saegert, September 2000

Additional meeting files added by Laura K. Saegert, January 2001, December 2001, October 2002

Finding aid converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by TARO using the conversion stylesheet v1to02.xsl, July 2003

Additional meeting files and meeting supporting documentation added by Laura K. Saegert, September 2004

Additional meeting files added and DACS compliance by Laura K. Saegert, October 2006

Additional meeting files and meeting supporting documentation added by Laura K. Saegert, September 2008

Appraisal Information

These records were appraised by the State Archives staff as archival on March 1, 1996 as part of an agency-wide appraisal of the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying records. For more information about the appraisal of the Board of Professional Land Surveying records, see the appraisal report by State Archives staff on file in the search room of the Archives and Information Services Division . It can also be found on the website of the Texas State Library at http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/appraisal/landsurvey.html.

Accruals

Minutes and agenda are sent to the State Archives two to three times a year after the Board meetings.

Other Formats for the Records

The Texas Board for Professional Land Surveying mounts electronic copies of minutes and agenda for meetings from 2001 through its most recent meeting on the agency web site ( http://www.txls.state.tx.us/sect00/homepage.html).

Location of Originals

The original volume, Index to bonds and examination papers of licensed land surveyors, is located at the Texas General Land Office.

The Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying maintains the record copy of the minutes.

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Detailed Description of the Records

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