HB 608 Mississippi House · 2025 Regular Session

Licensure of land surveyors; merge into licensure of engineers.

HB 608 combines the licensing requirements for land surveyors and professional engineers in Mississippi under a single board. It revises definitions, increases application and renewal fees for both professions, and eliminates separate licensure for surveyors by repealing existing surveyor-specific sections. The bill creates new provisions allowing surveyors to enter land without trespass liability (with limited civil liability) and exempts sole proprietors and professional associations from needing a separate certificate of authority. This directly affects licensed surveyors and engineers by consolidating their regulatory framework and changing fee structures.
Bill status died 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
Governor
Introduced Feb 17, 2025 Last action Mar 31, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Introduced Committee Substitute · 9 edits
MAJOR
This bill amends Mississippi's engineering and surveying licensure laws to create a unified Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors, revise qualification requirements, increase fees, and establish new protections for surveyors entering private property. The changes consolidate previously separate licensure chapters and update administrative procedures.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of the Board of Licensure to include both professional engineers and professional surveyors under one regulatory body, replacing the previous separate licensure framework for surveyors.
DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'surveyor', 'professional surveyor', 'surveyor intern', and 'practice of surveying' to align with engineering terminology.

REQUIREMENT

Changed Board member terms from four years to six years and increased the number of required quarterly meetings from two to four per year.

Added requirement that Board members must attend four quarterly meetings annually, with removal from the Board possible for missing two consecutive meetings.

ELIGIBILITY

Updated qualification requirements for surveyor licensure to include specific degree and experience combinations, ranging from a bachelor's degree with four years of experience to a high school diploma with twelve years of experience.

ENFORCEMENT

Created new Section 73-13-47 allowing licensed surveyors to enter private property without criminal trespass liability when performing surveying duties, provided they identify themselves and make a good faith attempt to announce their presence.

FISCAL

Increased application fees from $75 to $150, renewal fees from $50 to $100, and certificate of authority fees from $250 to $350 for one-year certificates.

SCOPE

Repealed Sections 73-13-71 through 73-13-105 which previously provided separate licensure provisions for land surveyors.

EXEMPTIONS

Clarified that sole proprietorships owned by licensees and professional associations of licensed engineers or surveyors are not required to obtain a certificate of authority.

TIMELINE

Established staggered six-year terms for Board members beginning July 1, 2026, 2028, and 2030 to ensure continuity of board service.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 11, 2025 · House Feb 13, 2025

How they voted

510
Passed
Total votes 51
Mar 11, 2025
D Democratic16
16 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican35
35 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
17
Key actions
6
Committee
4
Amendments
2
Mar 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed As Amended
upper
Mar 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
Mar 3, 2025
Upper · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass As Amended
upper
Feb 18, 2025
Committee
Referred To Business and Financial Institutions;Government Structure
upper
Feb 17, 2025
Introduced
Transmitted To Senate
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed As Amended
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
Feb 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub
lower
Jan 15, 2025
Committee
Referred To Judiciary A
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Lee Yancey
Lee Yancey
RRepublican
MS
74