Board of Land Surveyors approves education item, issues warnings and dismissals in complaint docket

The Tennessee Board of Land Surveyors on Aug. 28 adopted its meeting agenda and approved minutes from May before taking action on an education item and a docket of disciplinary complaints.

The board voted to add a US Fish and Wildlife-sponsored course delivered by Carlson Software to its approved continuing-education list. It also considered 10 complaint matters brought to the board’s legal review and issued a range of dispositions including letters of warning, letters of instruction and dismissals. One complaint involving an unlicensed drone/LiDAR firm was deferred to the next regular meeting for further review.

Why it matters: The board’s actions mix regulatory enforcement with routine professional governance. Letters of warning and instruction place surveyors on formal notice about technical or professional shortcomings without escalating to license suspension; dismissals close matters where board staff and experts found no violation. The deferred drone/LiDAR matter could shape future enforcement around modern data-collection technologies.

Key outcomes (motions adopted by voice vote unless noted): - Agenda adoption — approved (voice vote). - Approval of May meeting minutes — approved (voice vote). - Education report — approved, adding Carlson Software / US Fish & Wildlife course (voice vote).

Legal docket (complaint IDs are board records): - 2025011191 — Letter of warning issued to a licensed surveyor after expert review found remote-sensing documentation and certificate-category issues; board determined remedial action was needed to address technical shortcomings but did not pursue suspension. - 2025020721 — Letter of instruction for missing north-arrow/source information on a preliminary plat; expert review found a single technical omission to be corrected before plat approval. - 2025024061 — Dismissed (complainant dispute over feasibility to subdivide; no rule violation found). - 2025021781 — Dismissed (billing/contract dispute among family members; no regulatory violation found). - 2025035431 — Dismissed (family dispute over scope and fees; conservatorship issues slowed final delivery; no violation found). - 2025026821 — Letter of warning (self‑reported Nevada discipline involving late recording of a survey; board accepted mitigation but issued a warning under interstate-discipline authority). - 2025029721 — Letter of warning (respondent who signed a set of plats during a short-term merger/assistance arrangement; board found appearance of multiple responsible-charge relationships and issued a warning while noting mitigating factors). - 2025029741 — Dismissed (a separate assisting-surveyor matter; no evidence respondent acted as responsible charge for two different firms). - 2025033801 — Letter of instruction (complaint alleging an on-site alcohol reference; board recommended professional conduct guidance rather than discipline). - 2025034961 — Deferred (complaint alleging that an unlicensed company’s drone/LiDAR deliverables and marketing constitute unlicensed land surveying; board agreed to revisit with fuller board attendance and possible expert review).

The board also approved 2 continuing‑education credit hours for the meeting itself.

What the board said: Glenn (executive director) presented the legal recommendations and expert findings on each complaint and summarized the technical deficiencies where present. Board members generally supported letters of warning or instruction where deficiencies were narrow and the licensee had remediated or self‑reported, while dismissals were entered where the record showed disputes among private parties or insufficient evidence of rule violations.

Next steps: The board will revisit the deferred drone/LiDAR complaint at its next meeting (November), when members said they expect fuller attendance and the opportunity to consider expert technical review.