DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law
or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 713 Original 2024 Regular Session Gadberry
Abstract: Provides relative to the practice of land surveying.
Present law provides the definition of "the practice of land surveying" to include the measuring of
areas, land surfaces, streams, bodies of water, and swamps for correct determination and description,
for the establishment, reestablishment, ascertainment, or description of land boundaries, corners,
divisions, distances, and directions, the plotting and monumenting of lands and subdivisions thereof,
and mapping and topographical work.
Present law provides that a person shall be construed to practice or offer to practice land surveying
who engages in land surveying and who by verbal claim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, card, or in
any other way represents himself to be a land surveyor, or who represents himself as able to perform
or who does perform any land surveying service or work, or any other service designated by the
practitioner which is recognized as land surveying
Proposed law removes present law.
Proposed law defines "the practice of land surveying" to mean providing, or offering to provide,
professional services using such sciences as mathematics, geodesy, and photogrammetry, and
involving both of the following:
(1) The making of geometric measurements and gathering related information pertaining to the
physical or legal features of the earth, improvements on the earth, the space above, on, or
below the earth, or within bodies of water, whether the making of measurements or the
gathering of information for the providing of these services is accomplished by conventional
ground measurements, by photography, by Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), by global
positioning via satellites, or by a combination of any of these methods; and
(2)Providing, utilizing, or developing the same into survey products such as graphics, data,
maps, plans, reports, descriptions, or projects.
Proposed law provides that professional services include acts of consultation, investigation,
testimony, evaluation, expert technical testimony, planning, mapping, assembling, and interpreting
gathered measurements and information related to any one or more of the following:
(1) Determining by measurement the configuration or contour of the earth's surface or the
position of fixed objects thereon. (2) Determining by performing goedetic surveys the size and shape of the earth or the position
of any point on the earth.
(3) Locating, relocating, establishing, reestablishing, or retracing property lines or boundaries
of any tract of land, road, right-of-way, servitude, or easement.
(4) Making any survey for the division, subdivision, or consolidation of any tract of land.
(5) Locating or laying out alignments, positions, or elevations for the construction of fixed
works, when the location of the fixed works has a direct relationship to a property boundary.
(6) Determining, by the use of principles of land surveying, the position for any survey
monument (boundary or geodetic) or reference point; establishing or replacing any such
monument or reference point.
(7) Creating, preparing, or modifying electronic, computerized, or other data, relative to the
performance of activities in proposed law.
Proposed law provides that a person shall be construed to practice land surveying if he does any of
the following:
(1) Engages in or holds himself out as able and entitled to practice land surveying.
(2) Represents himself to be a professional land surveyor by verbal claim, sign, advertisement,
letterhead, card, or in any other way.
(3) Through the use of some other title, implies that he is a professional land surveyor or
licensed by the board.
Present law provides what present and proposed law shall not be construed to prevent or to affect.
Proposed law adds that present and proposed law shall not be construed to prevent or to affect the
practice of photogrammetry, when performed by a photogrammetrist holding an active
photogrammetrist certification from the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
Proposed law adds that present and proposed law shall not be construed to prevent or to affect the
practice of remote sensing, when performed by a remote sensing professional holding an active
mapping scientist-remote sensing certification from the American Society for Photogrammetry and
Remote Sensing.
Proposed law adds that present and proposed law shall not be construed to prevent or to affect the
practice of providing geographic information system or land information system design or services,
when performed by a geographic information system or land information system professional
holding either an active mapping scientist-Geographic Information System (GIS)/Land Information
System (LIS) certification from the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing or an active GIS professional certification from the GIS Certification Institute.
Proposed law adds that present and proposed law shall not be construed to prevent or to affect the
practice of providing Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system design or services, when
performed by a photogrammetrist/LIDAR professional holding an active mapping scientist-LIDAR
certification from the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
Proposed law adds that present and proposed law shall not be construed to prevent or to affect the
practice of providing Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) design or services, when performed by a
photogrammetrist/UAS professional holding an active mapping scientist-UAS certification from the
American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
Proposed law adds that present and proposed law shall not be construed to prevent or to affect the
practice of geoscience, when performed by a geoscientist holding an active license from the La
Board of Professional Geoscientists.
(Amends R.S. 37:682(14) and 711.2(14); Adds R.S. 37:702(8))