Land Surveyors Act 1991

Land Surveyors Act 1991 2020 REVISED EDITION This revised edition incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 December 2021 and comes into operation on 31 December 2021 An Act to establish the Land Surveyors Board, to provide for the registration of land surveyors, to regulate the qualifications and practice of land surveyors and to regulate corporations, partnerships and limited liability partnerships which supply survey services in Singapore. [30 August 1991] PART 1 PRELIMINARY Short title 1. This Act is the Land Surveyors Act 1991. Interpretation 2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “allied professional” means — (a) an architect who is registered under the Architects Act 1991; or (b) a professional engineer who is registered under the Professional Engineers Act 1991; “authorised surveyor” means a land surveyor who is employed by the Authority, whether or not registered under section 12; [Act 25 of 2024 wef 01/10/2025] “Authority” means the Singapore Land Authority established under the Singapore Land Authority Act 2001; “Board” means the Land Surveyors Board established under section 4; “cadastral survey” means any survey relating to the recording of land boundaries, subdivision lines, buildings and related details; “certificate of registration” means a certificate of registration issued under section 14; “Chief Surveyor” means the Chief Surveyor appointed under section 3(1) of the Boundaries and Survey Maps Act 1998; “foreign competent authority”, in relation to any country or territory outside Singapore, means the regulatory body or its authorised agency in that country or territory having the function of regulating the practice of surveying and registering or licensing persons in connection with the practice of surveying in that country or territory; [Act 25 of 2024 wef 01/10/2025] “foreign land surveyor”, in relation to a country or territory outside Singapore, means any person who is permitted to practise as a land surveyor in that country or territory under the law of that country or territory; [Act 25 of 2024 wef 01/10/2025] “Investigation Committee” means an Investigation Committee appointed under section 24(1); “licence” means a licence to supply survey services in Singapore granted under section 17; “licensed”, in relation to a corporation, partnership or limited liability partnership, means a corporation, partnership or limited liability partnership which has in force a licence; “limited liability partnership” has the meaning given by section 4(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005; “manager” — (a) in relation to a corporation or partnership, means the principal executive officer of the corporation or partnership for the time being by whatever name called and whether or not he or she is a director or partner thereof; and (b) in relation to a limited liability partnership, has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005; “mutual recognition arrangement” means — (a) a bilateral agreement or arrangement between Singapore and any other country or territory; (b) a bilateral agreement or arrangement between the Board and a foreign competent authority of any other country or territory; (c) a multilateral agreement or arrangement between Singapore and 2 or more other countries or territories; or (d) a multilateral agreement or arrangement between the Board and the foreign competent authorities of 2 or more other countries or territories, for the mutual recognition of — (e) registered surveyors, and the survey work that may be performed by registered surveyors, in each such country or territory; and (f) foreign land surveyors of each such country or territory, and the survey work that may be performed by registered foreign surveyors of each such country or territory, in Singapore; [Act 25 of 2024 wef 01/10/2025] “nominee”, in relation to any person, means a person who is accustomed or under an obligation (whether formal or informal) to act in accordance with the directions, instructions or wishes of the firstmentioned person, except that a person is not to be regarded as a nominee of another person by reason only that the person acts on advice given by that other person in a professional capacity; “practising certificate” means — (a) in relation to a registered surveyor — an annual practising certificate issued under section 15 authorising him or her to engage in survey work in Singapore; (b) in relation to an allied professional who is an architect registered under the Architects Act 1991 — a practising certificate issued under section 18 of that Act; and (c) in relation to an allied professional who is a professional engineer registered under the Professional Engineers Act 1991 — a practising certificate issued under section 28 of that Act; “president” means the president of the Board; “register of licensees” means the annual register of licensed corporations, partnerships and limited liability partnerships kept by the Board under section 9(1)(c); “register of practitioners” means the annual register of practitioners kept by the Board under section 9(1)(b); “register of surveyors” means the register of land surveyors kept by the Board under section 9(1)(a); [Act 25 of 2024 wef 01/10/2025] “registered foreign surveyor” means a person registered as a foreign land surveyor under section 12A; [Act 25 of 2024 wef 01/10/2025] “registered surveyor” means a person registered as a land surveyor under section 12; “Registrar” means the Registrar of the Board, and includes any individual acting in that capacity; “survey” means the act or process of — (a) determining the form, contour, position, area, height, depth or any other particulars of — (i) the earth’s surface, whether of land or water; or (ii) any natural or artificial features on, below or above any part of the earth’s surface; or (b) planning the position or the boundary lines of any part of the earth’s surface, or of any natural or artificial features referred to in paragraph (a)(ii), and includes the act or process of making or obtaining any plan therefrom; “survey services” means the supply for gain or reward of any services, or any plan, certificate or other document, relating to any survey; “survey work” means any work which is part of or related to a survey; “unlimited corporation” means a corporation formed on the principle of having no limit placed on the liability of its members. [5/2018] Act not to apply to Government, etc. 3.—(1) Nothing in this Act applies to anything done or omitted to be done by the Government. (2) This Act is not to be construed as requiring any public authority which supplies survey services in Singapore under the provisions of any written law to obtain a licence. (3) In subsection (2), “public authority” means any body established by or under any written law and exercising powers vested therein by written law for a public purpose.