Ontario land surveyor lookup: check an AOLS surveyor.

What a licence covers, and what it does not

The AOLS describes itself as a self-governing association established in 1892, responsible for licensing and governing professional land surveyors under the authority of the Surveyors Act. Its Public Protection page says that anyone wishing to practise cadastral (legal boundary) surveying in Ontario must hold a licence issued by the Association. The Act defines the practice of cadastral surveying as advising on, reporting on, conducting or supervising surveys to establish, locate, define or describe lines, boundaries or corners of parcels of land or land covered with water. That is the work you need when a fence line, a lot split or a title dispute turns on exactly where a boundary lies.

The Association also offers Certificates of Registration in geodesy, photogrammetry, hydrography and geographic information management. They are not mandatory and are a separate credential from the cadastral licence, so a firm advertising mapping or imagery work does not necessarily hold one.

The Certificate of Authorization

One detail trips people up. The AOLS says only holders of a valid Certificate of Authorization (C of A), issued by its Registrar, may offer cadastral surveying services to the public. A C of A can be issued to a member, a partnership of members, or a corporation of which 50 per cent of the board of directors are licensed Ontario Land Surveyors and whose primary function is providing cadastral services. The guideline for applicants is experience in cadastral surveying of a minimum of 3 to 5 years since commissioning. Firms engaged only in other branches of professional surveying do not require a C of A, though they may choose to acquire one. So “is the person licensed” and “is the firm authorised to offer the service” are two questions.

Why it is worth asking

The Association’s page on action against illegal practitioners states that unlicensed practitioners do not carry liability insurance and may leave you subject to serious financial liability. The same page advises that if someone claims to be a surveyor and offers to establish legal boundaries (including marking a property for fencing) or prepare survey plans, you should ask for identification, and if the person cannot prove they are a member or are working for a member, note the name and contact the Registrar. The Registrar can also answer what to expect from an Ontario Land Surveyor even if you do not intend to file a complaint.

A worked example (hypothetical)

A homeowner in Oshawa receives a quote from “Example Boundary Services” (made up) for pegging a rear lot line before building a fence. This describes no real firm.

Ask who the licensed surveyor is and whether the company holds a Certificate of Authorization. Open the directory, switch to the list view and look for the company name; if it is not there, ask whether the work will be done by or under an Ontario Land Surveyor who is listed. If the person quoting says “I am a surveyor” but cannot prove membership or employment by a member, the AOLS asks you to note the name and contact the Registrar. For work that stops at topography or elevation mapping, a Certificate of Registration in another branch may be what the firm holds, which is not a boundary licence.

What this page does not cover

• It does not run the directory search or store what you type; there is no form on this page.
• It does not state a licence-number format, which the AOLS does not publish.
• It does not describe the directory’s individual search boxes, which could not be read from the page source.
• It does not cover surveyors in British Columbia, Alberta or other provinces, which have their own bodies.
• It does not advise on boundary disputes, easements or title; talk to a lawyer and a licensed surveyor.