Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) applicants must use BPELSG Connect to submit an application for licensure.
How to submit a Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) application in BPELSG Connect:
1) Create a user profile in BPELSG Connect using an email address as your username. Once registered, you will receive an email with a temporary password to login and create a personalized password. If during the registration process you did not opt out of receiving SMS (text) messages, you will also receive a SMS message alerting you that you have received a new email from the Connect system.
2) Upon confirming registration with a new password, you will be asked if you have a current license/certification with BPELSG. If you answer “Yes” to that question, you can link any current licenses in your name, which are in good standing. You will need to know the license/certification type and license number to successfully link a license. If you do not link your active certificates/licenses during this step, you will be able to do it later from your profile dashboard.
3) From the dashboard click on “Profile” to enter your preferred address of record or confirm that what is currently shown, is accurate.
4) From the dashboard, click on the “New Application” button to start your application. When prompted, use the dropdown box to choose the application type.
5) When the application loads, application tabs will appear to the left side of the screen. As you progress through the tabs, the tabs will change color based on the status. A green check mark indicates that the tab is complete; a red “X” indicates that the tab has been started but is not complete. You will be required to complete all tabs before you submit the application.
- Instructions: Read the instructions carefully.
- General Information: Verify and/or enter all required personal information.
- Qualifications: You will answer questions regarding the NCEES exams that you have passed, if you are licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor in another state, if you will be submitting an NCEES Record as part of your application (an option for comity applicants only), and if you have previously filed an application with the Board.
- Education: Within the Education Tab, you will enter in your applicable educational information and confirm that you have submitted your transcripts to the Board [or if transcripts were included in an NCEES Record (option for comity applicants only)]. Applicants that are claiming educational credit must request official transcripts for all land surveying degrees. If your university/college provides electronic transcripts they must be sent directly from the university/college via email to BPELSG.Transcripts@dca.ca.gov. If your university/college provides paper transcripts they must be mailed to the Board. Unsealed transcripts are not accepted. Foreign transcripts that are not in English do not need to be sealed, but applicants must submit the original transcripts along with a notarized English translation. Degree evaluations are not accepted.
- Experience: Applicants are required to provide a minimum of four (4) professional Work Experience Engagements/References demonstrating a sufficient number of months of qualifying land surveying experience. Contact information for each professional reference will be required. For detailed information view the Work Experience Engagement/Reference Instructions for Professional Land Surveyor Applicants.
- Special Considerations: You will be asked to answer questions to determine if you are eligible for an expedited application review process in accordance with Business and Professions Code Section 115.4, Business and Professions Code Section 115.5 or Business and Professions Code section 135.4. If you are eligible and wish for your application to be expedited, you will be required to upload the appropriate documents.
- Fingerprint: All applicants are required to submit a full set of fingerprints prior to certification/licensure. Applicants residing in California must use the electronic Live Scan fingerprinting process and will be asked to upload a copy of their completed Live Scan Form in the Fingerprint Tab. Out-of-state applicants may either submit the traditional fingerprint cards or travel to California to use the Live Scan process. Applicants who need to request fingerprint cards will be able to request fingerprint cards within the Fingerprint Tab. Both completed fingerprint cards need to be mailed to the Board along with the BPELSG Connect payment receipt that you will receive after application submittal. There is a separate fee for submitting fingerprint cards. If you have submitted fingerprints to this Board within the last 24 months, you will not be required to supply any fingerprinting documents or information. For more information regarding fingerprinting please visit the Board's Fingerprinting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
- Action By Another State: You will be asked if you have ever had an engineering, land surveying, geologist or geophysicist related certificate or license denied, disciplined, suspended, surrendered, or revoked in any state (other than for lack of minimum qualification or failure of examination). If you answer “Yes”, you will be asked to explain and upload any applicable documents.
- Affidavit: You will be asked to sign and date the application declaration.
- Exam: Upon submittal and payment of a complete application, a link to the Laws and Rules Exam will appear on your dashboard. The exam must be completed and passed before the Board will issue a license. All questions have equal weight. You must achieve a minimum of 70% to pass this examination. The Board must ensure that California licensed Professional Land Surveyors are familiar with the provisions of the Professional Land Surveyors' Act (Business and Professions Code sections 8700-8805) and the Board Rules (Title 16, California Code of Regulations sections 400-476). The Professional Land Surveyors’ Act and the Board Rules contain the laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to the practice of professional land surveying.
- Fee and Payment: You will have the option to make the payment for the application fee and fingerprint card fee (if applicable) by credit card, debit card, personal check, money order, or cash. If you choose to pay by check, money order, or cash, BPELSG Connect will provide you with a confirmation document that you will need to print and mail to the Board along with the payment. Please be aware that choosing the check, money order, or cash option will significantly delay the processing of your application, since application review will not start until payment is received and processed.
6) After application payment and submittal, you will be returned to your dashboard, where you can view the status of your application. If you click on the application number, you can download and print or save a PDF version of your application for your records. If you pay by credit card or debit card, you will receive a payment confirmation receipt via email. You can also view and print your payment receipt by clicking on the “Profile” link on your dashboard and finding the view/print link under the “Payment Detail” section.
Application Deficiencies:
If your application is determined to be deficient, Board staff will send you an email. To correct the deficiency, login to BPELSG Connect, follow all directions within the email and all directions within Connect, and click the “Re-Submit” button. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all identified deficiencies are resolved within the BPELSG Connect system.
How to check the status of your application:
Once you have submitted your application through BPELSG Connect, you will be able to monitor the status of your application, address any deficiencies, and communicate with Board staff by logging into your BPELSG Connect user profile. You can also check to see if your professional references have filled out Part B of the Work Experience Engagements/References (although you will not be able to see how they responded), and if they have not responded in a timely manner, you can resend the references to them.
Do not contact the Board for status updates; login to your Connect account and refer to your dashboard for status updates. The statuses are as follows:
- Under Review-The application has been received by the Board and is pending review by licensing evaluator staff.
- Technical Review-The application has been forwarded to the Senior Registrar and is pending technical review.
- Deficiency-Board staff has determined that the application is missing required information. Check the email from Board staff to resolve the deficiency.
- Exam Eligible-The applicant is eligible to take the Laws and Rules exam and/or the applicable state-specific exam. Check under the “Action” column for clarification.
- Final Review-The application is pending final review prior to licensure/certification.
- Approved-The application is approved for licensure/certification.
Request to take the state-specific exam:
Once your application is exam eligible you will need to login to BPELSG Connect to pay for and request to take the state-specific exam. You will have a choice between the spring or fall exam dates. After your request is approved, you will receive an Authorization to Test notice via email with instructions on how and when to schedule your exam.
