The Georgia Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Board has had a busy year so far in 2026. Our licensing analysts and board members have worked through a substantial number of land surveyor licensure applications, issuing fourteen professional land surveyor licenses as of mid-year 2026 — four of them through comity from other states. The Board has issued 30 land surveying firm certificates of authorization so far this year.  Our investigations committee has also stayed busy, meeting every other month to review complaints submitted by members of the public, organizations, and fellow professional land surveyors alike.

Looking ahead, the Board plans to use our future updates to address common questions and issues related to professional land surveyor licensure and business compliance.  Our first installment is below.

Does Your Land Surveying Business Need a Certificate of Authorization?

As the investigation committee processes complaints, one of the most common violations we discover is the lack of proper authorization from the board to provide land surveying services in Georgia.   The Board specifically requests that all land surveyors practicing in the state please read and understand the information below:

A Certificate of Authorization (COA) is not required for individual professional land surveyors operating solely under the licensee's own name, with no separate business entity involved or implied.  All land surveying businesses must obtain a Certificate of Authorization from the GA PELS Board.  A land surveying business may or may not be a formal entity set up with the GA Secretary of State such as an LLC or corporation.  The COA requirement extends to any entity that offers land surveying services.  For example, “John Doe, PLS” is allowed to offer land surveying services under his personal name only and is not required to obtain a COA, but “John Doe Land Surveying” is considered to be an entity and is required to obtain a COA, even if he is the only person within the firm and is effectively a sole proprietor.  

In Georgia, professional land surveying services may be provided through a business entity organized or authorized to do business in the state — as long as at least one principal, officer, member, partner, agent, or employee holds an active professional land surveying license. This requirement also extends to all branch offices of local and out-of-state business entities operating within Georgia.  A COA must be obtained for each branch office, not just the home office of the business.

Any business entity practicing or offering to practice land surveying in Georgia must apply to the Board and obtain a Certificate of Authorization before providing said services to the public. See OCGA § 43-15-23.1 specifically for land surveying firms.  Note that each branch office of a business entity must obtain a separate Certificate of Authorization that identifies the professional land surveyor assigned to the office. Applications for a Certificate of Authorization can be submitted online through the Board's website at www.pels.georgia.gov.

Note: Obtaining a Certificate of Authorization from the GA PELS Board is a separate process from registering as a corporation, LLC, or partnership with the Georgia Secretary of State's Corporations Division. Businesses structured as corporations, LLCs, or partnerships that provide engineering or land surveying services in Georgia must obtain both types of registration — including a Certificate of Authorization from the Board. Sole proprietors are the only exception, since there's no legal separation between the owner and the business.

Certificates of Authorization issued by the Board expire on June 30 of even-numbered years unless renewed beforehand. Certificates can be renewed online at https://pels.georgia.gov/.  Renewal reminders are emailed to the address on file for the business.  The Board fully investigates those businesses found to be in violation of the law.