msls.org

The Maine Society of Land Surveyors (MSLS) supports the future of the surveying profession in two main ways: it provides scholarships to students preparing to enter the field, and it supports surveying education programs at the University of Maine and Central Maine Community College. It also positions itself as a resource for continuing education for licensed Maine professionals. If you are a student considering surveying, a parent, or a licensed surveyor looking for ongoing education, these are the areas where MSLS is directly involved.

Scholarships for students entering surveying

According to MSLS, the society contributes to the future of surveying by providing scholarships to students studying to join the profession. The site lists a dedicated Scholarship Application page in its main navigation, which is where application details and requirements would be found.

What the available information confirms:

• Scholarships are aimed at students who are studying to enter the land surveying profession.
• The society frames this as part of its broader mission to contribute to the future of surveying.

What is not specified on the page: award amounts, eligibility criteria, deadlines, and the number of scholarships available. Those details would need to be checked on the Scholarship Application page or by contacting MSLS directly.

Support for surveying education programs

MSLS states that it supports surveying educational programs at two institutions:

This matters if you are evaluating where to study surveying in Maine, or if you are an educator or industry member interested in where the profession's pipeline is being built. The page does not break down the form that support takes (funding, equipment, curriculum involvement, or otherwise), so treat the two institutions as the confirmed points of contact rather than assuming a specific program structure.

Continuing education for licensed professionals

Beyond student-facing support, MSLS says it strives to be the primary resource for continuing education for licensed Maine professionals. Related activities mentioned on the site include:

• An Annual Conference described as an education and trade highlight of the year
• Other continuing education offerings alongside the conference
• FieldNotes, the society's publication, plus email updates to keep members current

For licensed surveyors, this is the practical education channel: the conference and other offerings are where continuing education credits and professional updates are most likely concentrated. The page does not list specific credit hours or course catalogs, so confirm those through MSLS directly.

How to act on this

• If you are a student: start with the Scholarship Application page linked in the site navigation, and check whether your program is at the University of Maine or Central Maine Community College, since those are the programs MSLS explicitly supports.
• If you are a licensed surveyor: look at the Annual Conference and other continuing education offerings, and consider membership, which the site ties to staying up to date through FieldNotes and email updates.
• If you need specifics (amounts, deadlines, eligibility, credit details): the homepage does not provide them, so use the site's contact options or the relevant page rather than relying on general assumptions.

One caveat worth stating plainly: the available page content confirms that MSLS provides scholarships and supports these programs, but not the terms. Any decision about applying or enrolling should be based on the current details published by MSLS or the schools themselves.

The Maine Society of Land Surveyors (MSLS) provides a public services directory on msls.org that connects you with licensed professional land surveyor members. Use the "Find a Surveyor" / "Search Our Directory" feature when you need a licensed professional for property transactions, boundary work, or permit preparation in Maine.

What the MSLS Directory Is

MSLS describes itself as a public resource for the land surveying profession in Maine. Its stated goals include educating, advocating, and serving as a resource for the profession, and it offers the public "a services directory to connect with our licensed professional members."

The directory is hosted on msls.org and is separate from the members-only area of the site (which requires a username and password). The public directory is the part intended for people seeking a surveyor.

When You Might Need a Surveyor

According to MSLS, a survey is recommended when you are:

• Buying a new property
• Dividing your existing property
• Making improvements on your property
• Adjusting a boundary line
• Determining the location of your boundary lines
• Solving boundary disputes with a neighbor
• Preparing a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) for flood-prone properties
• Preparing a site plan for a planning board permit

If your situation matches one of these, the directory is a reasonable starting point for finding a licensed professional.

How to Use the Directory

1. Go to msls.org.
2. Locate the "Find a Surveyor" section or the "Search Our Directory" link on the site.
3. Search the directory to find licensed professional members.
4. Contact a surveyor directly to discuss your project.

The site presents the directory as the way for the public to connect with licensed professional members, so the search results are drawn from that membership.

What to Expect and What to Confirm

• The directory connects you with licensed professional members of MSLS, based on the site's description.
• The site does not publish pricing, response times, or availability for individual surveyors, so confirm fees, timelines, and scope directly with the surveyor you contact.
• The members-only resources area is restricted and requires login; it is not part of the public directory.

Other Ways MSLS Supports the Public

Beyond the directory, MSLS states that it monitors legislation, advocates for rules affecting professional practice in Maine, works to protect public interests, and is represented by liaisons with other professional organizations and government entities. It also attends all Board of Licensure for Professional Land Surveyors meetings. These activities are background on the organization rather than steps in finding a surveyor, but they explain why the directory is limited to licensed members.

Joining the Maine Society of Land Surveyors (MSLS) gives licensed surveyors and students a combination of professional development, advocacy, networking, and industry updates. According to msls.org, membership is aimed at people working to "enhance and protect" the surveying profession in Maine. The benefits below are the ones the organization itself lists.

Professional development and continuing education

MSLS positions itself as a resource for continuing education for licensed Maine professionals. Members gain access to:

• The Annual Conference — described as an education and trade highlight of the year.
• Other continuing education offerings throughout the year.
• Scholarship and education support — MSLS provides scholarships to students entering the profession and supports surveying educational programs at the University of Maine and Central Maine Community College.

If maintaining your license requires continuing education credits, the conference and other offerings are the most direct membership benefit.

Staying informed

Members receive:

• FieldNotes, the MSLS publication.
• Email updates that keep members current on society news and profession-related developments.

Advocacy and representation

MSLS monitors legislation and advocates for rules affecting professional practice in Maine. It also works to protect public interests. The society is represented by liaisons with other professional organizations and government entities, and it attends all Board of Licensure for Professional Land Surveyors meetings. Membership means your professional interests are represented even when you can't attend those meetings yourself.

Networking and community

Membership opens doors to professional and informal exchanges of ideas and discussion. The site notes that members are welcoming and eager to talk surveying — useful if you're new to the profession in Maine or looking to build local connections.

Access to members-only resources

The site includes a Members' Only Resources section that requires a username and password to enter. The specific contents aren't listed publicly, so treat this as gated content available after joining rather than a documented feature set.

Who should consider joining

What membership is not

MSLS is not a licensing body — it doesn't grant or renew your surveyor license. It also isn't a job board or a client-matching service for individual members; the public-facing "Find a Surveyor" directory connects the public to licensed professional members, which can raise your visibility but isn't framed as a member benefit in the site's own list.

For current dues, application steps, and the exact contents of the Members' Only Resources area, check msls.org directly or use the "Join Today" link, since those details aren't published on the homepage.

msls.org is the official website of the Maine Society of Land Surveyors (MSLS), a professional organization for licensed land surveyors in Maine. The site serves two audiences at once: surveyors who join as members, and members of the public who need to find or understand land surveying services. If you are looking for a licensed surveyor in Maine, or trying to figure out whether you need one, this is the organization's public-facing hub.

What the organization does

MSLS describes its purpose in three parts: to educate, to advocate, and to act as a public resource for the land surveying profession in Maine. In practice, that translates to several concrete activities:

• Continuing education — the Society aims to be a primary resource for continuing education for licensed Maine professionals.
• Legislative monitoring and advocacy — it tracks legislation and advocates for rules affecting professional practice in Maine, and states that it works to protect public interests.
• Representation — Society liaisons sit with other professional organizations and government entities, and MSLS says it attends all meetings of the Board of Licensure for Professional Land Surveyors.
• Scholarships and education support — it provides scholarships to students entering the profession and supports surveying education programs at the University of Maine and Central Maine Community College.

Member resources and benefits

The site includes a "Members' Only Resources" area reached through a member login (username and password, with a "keep me logged in" option). Membership benefits described on the homepage include:

• The Society's publication, FieldNotes, plus email updates
• An Annual Conference described as an education and trade highlight of the year, along with other continuing education offerings
• Professional and informal exchange of ideas among members

A "Join Today" path is available from the main navigation for surveyors who want to become members.

For the public: finding a surveyor

The site offers a searchable directory to connect the public with licensed professional members. It also lists situations where a land survey is recommended:

• Buying a new property
• Dividing an existing property
• Making improvements on your property
• Adjusting a boundary line or determining where boundary lines are
• Solving a boundary dispute with a neighbor
• Preparing a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) for flood-prone properties
• Preparing a site plan for a planning board permit

The homepage frames the value simply: "Good boundaries make good neighbors."

Site structure at a glance

Who should use it

If you own property in Maine and are considering a purchase, a division, a boundary question, or a permit that needs a site plan, the directory is the most direct starting point. If you are a surveyor in Maine, the membership pages cover education, advocacy, and networking. The homepage also answers a question many people have when they see surveyors at work: "Who's that with the fancy equipment working on the roadside?" — the answer being a professional land surveyor.

Hire a licensed Maine land surveyor when you are buying a property, dividing land, making improvements, adjusting or locating a boundary line, resolving a boundary dispute with a neighbor, preparing a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) for a flood-prone property, or preparing a site plan for a planning board permit. These are the situations the Maine Society of Land Surveyors (MSLS) identifies as warranting a professional survey. If your situation matches any of them, the next step is to find a licensed surveyor through MSLS's services directory.

Situations that call for a survey

The MSLS website lists the following triggers for hiring a surveyor:

• Buying a new property — confirm what you are actually purchasing before closing.
• Dividing your existing property — establish new lot lines for a subdivision or split.
• Making improvements on your property — place structures, fences, or driveways with confidence about where the lines fall.
• Adjusting a boundary line — formally move a line between adjoining owners.
• Determining the location of your boundary lines — find out where your property actually begins and ends.
• Solving boundary disputes with a neighbor — get a professional determination instead of arguing over markers.
• Preparing a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) for flood-prone properties — support a request to change flood zone designation.
• Preparing a site plan for a planning board permit — supply the plan your local board requires.

MSLS frames the underlying principle simply: good boundaries make good neighbors.

How to find a surveyor in Maine

MSLS maintains a services directory to connect the public with its licensed professional members. Use it to search for a surveyor rather than relying on general search results, since directory listings come from the professional society itself.

What MSLS is

The Maine Society of Land Surveyors describes its mission as educating, advocating, and serving as a public resource for the land surveying profession in Maine. Relevant to anyone hiring a surveyor:

• It monitors legislation and advocates for rules affecting professional practice in Maine.
• It is represented by liaisons with other professional organizations and government entities.
• It attends all meetings of the Board of Licensure for Professional Land Surveyors.
• It provides scholarships and supports surveying education programs at the University of Maine and Central Maine Community College.

This matters to a property owner because it means the society is positioned as a central reference point for the profession in the state, including its directory of licensed members.

What to expect from membership versus public resources

MSLS separates public-facing resources from members-only content. The site has a "Members' Only Resources" area that requires a username and password, so some materials are not open to the general public. If you are a property owner rather than a surveyor, plan on using the public pages — the directory and general information — and contact a listed surveyor directly for your specific project.

Quick reference

If you are unsure whether your project falls into one of these categories, the safest approach is to describe your plans to a licensed surveyor found through the MSLS directory and let them advise on whether a survey is needed.