Industry News

Materials for the March 5-6, 2026 BPELSG board meeting, with agenda amended February 20, 2026 to include additional bills.

The American Surveyor provides a comprehensive overview of the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards changes, including the shift from "on the ground" to "generally recognized acceptable practices" language.

Westwood Professional Services breaks down five key changes in the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards including adjoining deed responsibility shifting to the surveyor.

The California Land Surveyors Association Joint Conference at Bally's Las Vegas, featuring workshops, technical sessions, and networking for land surveyors.

The latest bulletin from the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists covering licensing updates, enforcement actions, and regulatory changes.

The latest NCEES Licensure Exchange newsletter covering exam updates, licensing mobility, and engineering/surveying profession news.

Official examination statistics from the California Board including pass rates for the PLS, PE, and PG exams.

The official 2026 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements document from NSPS, adopted October 2025, effective February 23, 2026.

NGS webinar series covering the next steps in NSRS modernization, including beta site testing and stakeholder feedback process.

The average age of licensed surveyors in the US is over 55. Only 14% are under 34. The profession is projected to grow just 2% by 2030 — far below average.

GPS World examines what the NSRS modernization means for surveyors — NAD 83 origin is off by about 2.2 meters from Earth's center, and NAVD 88 relies on aging physical benchmarks.

Updated NCEES calculator policy for 2026 exams. Approved models include Casio fx-115/fx-991, TI-30X/TI-36X, and HP 33s/35s. New international models (fx-912, fx-915, fx-993) added for non-North American test centers.

Sanborn provides an industry perspective on the NSRS modernization and its impact on geospatial data, mapping, and surveying workflows.

Geo Week News highlights surveyor workforce challenges and the importance of mentorship, education pipelines, and industry awareness during National Surveyors Week.

NGS official page tracking the modernized NSRS release. Components are being published to beta.ngs.noaa.gov for public testing, with at least 6 months of testing after the final component.

The Federal Register publishes an updated implementation timeline for the modernized NSRS. FGCS vote expected mid-2026 with transition to follow.

Background paper for the California Board sunset review, covering licensing statistics, enforcement data, and legislative recommendations.