Association of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors

Welcome to the Association of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors


In past years, land surveyors were licensed as Provincial Land Surveyors(PLS) or Crown Land Surveyors under the authority of the Department of Lands and Forests. Surveying in Nova Scotia has a rich history dating back to the early explorers and surveyors such as John Cabot, Samuel de Champlain, James Cook, Joseph FW Des Barres, Samuel Holland, Charles Morris, Charles Morris Jr. and Ambrose F. Church.

The Association of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors (ANSLS) was created in 1951 by provincial statute, replacing the Land Surveyors Act of 1910. The Association was incorporated in 1955 as the Association of Professional Land Surveyors of Nova Scotia, and was later changed in 1968 to the Association of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors.

The Association is a self-governing body, constituted by the Land Surveyors Act. The objectives of the Association are to establish and maintain standards of professional ethics, knowledge, and skill among its members and regulate the practice of professional land surveying – including governing Nova Scotia Land Surveyors in order to protect the public interest. The Association is guided by the Act, Regulations, By-laws, and related governance documents, in providing the highest level of land surveying services.

Professional land surveying is defined in the Land Surveyors Act (2, ad) as “the advising on, the reporting on, the supervising of or the conducting of surveys to determine the horizontal and vertical position of any point and the direction and length of any line required to control, establish, locate, define or describe the extent or limitations of title.” Additional information on the profession can be accessed on the ANSLS website under the RESOURCES tab.

“The profession is crucial because it underpins virtually every aspect of the physical development and management of our world. Surveyors provide the essential data and expertise needed for building infrastructure, managing natural resources, planning urban growth, and ensuring legal and financial certainty in land-related matters. Their work has a profound impact on the economy, environment, and society as a whole.” [1]

Surveying is an important and lucrative profession. Surveyors analyze, solve problems, resolve disputes, confront issues, and address societal needs. Without surveyors, our future economic and social development would be challenged. Professional land surveyors provide opinions on the extent of ownership and ultimately protect the public, creating social harmony and driving economic development.

[1] Posted on X (Twitter) 19 July 2024 @ 11:01am by Get Kids Into Survey

The Association does not perform surveys, nor keep any members files.  If you would like to speak to a surveyor, go to our "find a surveyor" page for contact information. 

If you've found a survey marker with a name or 3-digit number on the top of the marker, you can refer to our Historical Members page under "find a surveyor" tab.  If the listed name has a link, it will give you the info of a past surveyor who has passed their files to another surveyor.

**PLEASE NOTE**  Anyone who removes a surveyor marker, other than a licensed Land Surveyor, is guilty of a criminal offense and punishable by law.  Criminal Code 442 & 443  -  Department of Justice Canada.