Section 1270.65  Professional Development

The professional development (PD) required as a condition for license renewal under the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act is set forth in this Section.  All land surveyors shall meet these requirements.

a)         Professional Development Hours Requirements

1)         Beginning with the November 30, 2006, renewal and every renewal thereafter, in order to renew a license as a land surveyor, a licensee shall be required to complete 20 professional development hours (PDHs) relevant to the practice of land surveying or be exempt from the professional development requirements as provided in subsection (h).  All 20 PDHs may be earned through online programs or courses.  Failure to comply with these requirements may result in non-renewal of the land surveyor's license or other disciplinary action, or both.  The professional development hours shall be in the following categories:

A)        A minimum of 4 hours of programs, courses or activities in the area of State of Illinois statutes and rules that regulate professional land surveyors and surveys.

B)         A minimum of 2 hours of programs, courses or activities in the area of professional conduct.

C)         A minimum of 14 hours of programs, courses or activities in the area of land surveying or related sciences.

2)         Beginning with the November 30, 2020 renewal and every renewal thereafter, the total professional development hours shall include 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention training which shall meet the requirements of Section 1130.400 of the Civil Administrative Code.  A licensee completing a course on sexual harassment prevention developed or offered by the Illinois Department of Human Rights [775 ILCS 5], the licensee's employer or an acceptable provider listed within this Section, may count that course toward the 1-hour requirement under this Section.

3)         A pre-renewal period is the 24 months preceding November of each even-numbered year.

4)         One professional development hour shall equal 50 minutes of instruction or participation.  If a program is taken that awards continuing education units (CEU) rather than professional development hours, one continuing education unit equals 10 professional development hours of class in an approved continuing education course.

5)         Land surveyors licensed in Illinois but residing and practicing in other states shall comply with the PDH requirements set forth in this Section.

6)         Professional development units used to satisfy the PDH requirements of another jurisdiction may be applied to fulfill the PDH requirements of the State of Illinois if they are substantially equivalent.

b)         Professional development activities shall include, but not be limited to:

1)         Successful completion of a college or university course in the area of land surveying, related sciences and surveying ethics.  One semester credit hour of course work is equivalent to 15 PDHs and one quarter credit hour of course work is equivalent to 10 PDHs;

2)         Successful completion of land surveying courses or programs offering professional development hours, including those offered online.  Credit will be given for self-study courses only if an examination has been completed by the licensee and graded by the sponsor;

3)         Active participation and successful completion of land surveying programs, seminars, tutorials, workshops, short courses or in-house courses;

4)         Attending program presentations at related technical or professional meetings;

5)         Teaching or Instructing.  Teaching or instructing a land surveying course, seminar, lecture, presentation or workshop shall constitute 3 PDH hours for each hour spent in the actual presentation.  Teaching credit shall be valid for the initial presentation only.  Teaching credit shall not apply to faculty teaching regularly scheduled curriculum courses at a college, university, or other educational institution;

6)         Authoring papers or articles that appear in nationally circulated journals or trade magazines.  Credit is earned in the biennium of publication.  A maximum of 5 PDHs per renewal are allowed for this activity.

7)         Active participation on a professional land surveyor board, committee or holding an office in a professional or technical society.

A)        Two PDHs will be awarded per committee membership or office held.

B)        A maximum of 8 PDHs may be accepted per pre-renewal period.

c)         All programs or courses shall:

1)         Contribute to the advancement, extension and enhancement of the professional skills and scientific knowledge of the licensee in the practice of land surveying;

2)         Foster the enhancement of general or specialized practices and values of land surveying;

3)         Be developed and presented by persons with education and/or experience in the subject matter of the program; and

4)         Specify the course objectives and course content.

d)         Auditing or Restoration

1)         It shall be the responsibility of a licensee to maintain a record of PDHs for 6 years that includes one of the following:

A)        Documentation consisting of the following items:

i)          The name and address of the sponsor or provider;

ii)         A brief statement of the subject matter, printed program schedules, registration receipts or other proof of participation;

iii)        Certificate of attendance;

iv)        The number of PDHs attended in each program; and

v)         The date and place of the program; or

B)        Transcripts or records of professional development hours maintained by an acceptable provider as set forth in subsection (e).

2)         A log of activities by itself shall not be accepted as meeting the requirements of this subsection.

e)         Acceptable providers for structured educational activities shall include, but not be limited to:

1)         Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Association;

2)         National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES);

3)         National Society of Professional Land Surveyors;

4)         American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE);

5)         Colleges, universities or other educational institutions;

6)         Technical or professional societies or organizations relating to professional land surveying.

f)         The Division shall not pre-approve individual courses or programs.

g)         Certification of Compliance with PD Requirements

1)         Each renewal applicant shall certify, on the renewal application, full compliance with the professional development requirements set forth in this Section.

2)         The Division may require additional evidence demonstrating compliance with the PD requirements (e.g., certificate of attendance).  This additional evidence shall be required in the context of the Division's random audit.  It is the responsibility of each renewal applicant to retain or otherwise produce evidence of compliance.

3)         When there appears to be a lack of compliance with PD requirements, an applicant shall be notified in writing and may request an interview with the Board.  At that time the Board may recommend that steps be taken to begin formal disciplinary proceedings as required by Section 10-65 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act [5 ILCS 100].

4)         The Division may conduct random audits to verify compliance with professional development requirements.

h)         Waiver of PDH Requirements:  A licensee may be exempt from the foregoing professional development requirements if one of the following situations occurs.  If an exemption is claimed, it is required that the renewal fee and any documentation needed to support the exemption be submitted for renewal of a license.  Waiver requests must be made before the end of the renewal period.  Waiver requests sent after the end of the renewal period shall not be considered.  

1)         A licensee shall not be required to report continuing education hours during the first biennial renewal period in which the licensee obtained initial licensure in Illinois, but shall be subject to the continuing education requirements for all subsequent biennial renewal periods.

2)         A licensee who is on full-time active duty in the military service of the United States, or is a licensee who is called to temporary active duty in the military service or Armed Forces of the United States for a period of time exceeding 120 consecutive days during the renewal period, when that activity or location restricts participation in a continuing education program.

3)         A licensee who demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Division that meeting these requirements would be an undue hardship by reason of disability, illness, or other clearly mitigating circumstances shall submit supporting documentation.

A)        The documentation shall be in the form of a sworn statement by the licensee, statement from a physician, or medical record showing the disability, illness, or circumstance preventing the licensee’s participation in the continuing education program during a substantial part of the renewal period.

B)        If the Division finds from the evidence that good cause has been shown for non-compliance, the Division may waive enforcement, extend the time within which the applicant shall comply, or establish a particular program or schedule of continuing education for the renewal period in which the undue hardship existed.

C)        Consecutive waiver requests made for reasons of disability, illness, or other circumstances may be prima facie evidence for non-renewal of applicant’s license based on inability to actively engage in licensed practice.

4)         Any renewal applicant who, prior to the expiration date of the license, submits a request for a waiver, in whole or in part, pursuant to the provisions of this Section, shall be deemed to be in good standing until the final decision on the application is made by the Division.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 798, effective January 5, 2023)