Senate Bill 681 & 1259

SB 681 & SB 1259 amended: (1) the license and registration terms for Texas engineers and land surveyors; (2) the application requirements for Surveyors-in-Training and Professional Land Surveyors, and (3) the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors’ (Board) authority to issue reports and opinions related to surveying matters.

SB 681 amended Sections 1001.351(a), 1001.405(d), and 1071.301(a) of the Texas Occupations Code (TOC), making Texas engineers’ and land surveyors’ licenses and firm registrations valid for at least two years, as opposed to one year. The Board was required to adopt rules providing for a valid term of not less than two years, aligning Texas’s requirements with other states’ requirements. SB 681 took effect on September 1, 2025, and the Board’s revised rules will be published in early 2026.

SB 1259 amended several other sections of the TOC, modifying the licensure requirements for land surveyors and the Board’s authority regarding reports and opinions on surveying-related matters.

Regarding the issuance of reports and opinions under the Board’s authority, SB 1259 amended Section 1001.216 to clarify that the Surveying Advisory Committee (SAC) can, on its own or at the request of an interested person, prepare a report or recommendation to the Board regarding any matters related to land surveying governed by the Board. The SAC is also to maintain a written public record of each subject discussed and action taken at the SAC’s meetings. It also amended Section 1001.601(a) to add that the Board itself shall, on its own or at the request of an interested person, prepare an advisory opinion interpreting the Professional Land Surveying Practices Act (Act) or the application of the same to a person. According to the bill’s author, these changes are intended to mirror the Board’s authority regarding matters related to engineering.

Next, Section 1071.253 outlines the current requirements for a Surveyor-in-Training Certificate. SB 1259 removed the requirement that the Board must permit a prospective Surveyor-in-Training to sit for the Fundamentals of Surveying Exam before taking it. Now, upon proof that the applicant has passed this exam, along with the other listed requirements, the Board must issue the Surveyor-in-Training Certificate. SB 1259 made similar changes to Section 1071.254 of the TOC, codifying the current rules of the Board and clarifying that an applicant for registration as a Professional Land Surveyor must have passed the Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam and a Texas-specific surveying exam prescribed by the Board. These changes will reduce administrative licensure hurdles for the Board and surveyor applicants, specifically by requiring the Board to review Surveyor-in-Training applications one time—after the applicant has passed the required Exam. According to the bill’s author, these changes are also intended to assist in recruiting and retaining surveyors in Texas.

SB 1259 took effect on September 1, 2025, and specifically applies to applications filed with the Board on or after that date. The Board was also required to adopt rules implementing these changes as soon as practicable after September 1, 2025.