William D. “Bill” O’Hara, RPLS, LSLS

Bill O’Hara began his land surveying career in 1981 as a chainman on a surveying crew following his honorable discharge from the United States Air Force. He spent the next 18 years completing his land surveying degree, working in both the private and public sectors, and obtaining the two Texas professional surveying licenses. In 1999 he joined Loomis Austin (now Bowman Consulting) to start up the Surveying Department and was able to put together a versatile, talented, successful team of surveyors.

Bill accepted the offer by Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson to be his Director of Surveying and Chief Surveyor at the Texas General Land Office in 2006 where he served until 2015. Bill returned to Bowman Consulting in August 2015 as a Senior Survey Project Manager.

On June 1, 2016, Bill started a private surveying practice to call on his vast experience in various types of surveying services and focus on complex boundary surveys, land title issues, gradient boundary surveys, coastal boundary surveys, riparian and littoral boundary issues, and “official” surveys for the Texas General Land Office.

View Full CV

Texas stream viewed through surveying viewer
Professional Education
  • Austin Community College, AAS in Land Surveying Technology (1983)
Professional Registrations
  • Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor No. 4878 (1990)
  • Licensed State Land Surveyor (1997)
Professional Associations
  • Texas Society of Professional Surveyors, Chapter 13, since 1987
  • National Society of Professional Surveyors, since 2007
Professional Activities
  • Board Member of the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying as the land commissioner’s official designee, 2006-2015
  • Member of the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES) Exams for Professional Surveyors (EPS) committee, since 2007.
  • Member of TSPS Chapter 13 Board of Directors and Executive Committee 1996-2004
  • Director on TSPS Board of Directors, 2004-2007; voted in by Ex-com in 2016 to fill an open Director position.
  • Instructor at two annual TSPS sponsored 3-day, boundary retracement seminars, since 2002.
  • Occasional developer and presenter of programs for the annual TSPS Symposium and Convention and Chapter meetings since 2003.
  • Named TSPS “Surveyor of the Year” in 2004.
  • TSPS Government Affairs Committee Chair, 2016-present.
  • TSPS Secretary / Treasurer 2016 – present.
Texas Hill Country Land Survey

Riparian Boundary Expert

Segment of Frio River near Concan, Uvalde County, Texas. O’Hara is frequently hired as a consulting expert to determine if a particular stream is navigable and to locate the gradient boundary along navigable streams.

Energy

Responsible development of energy resources in Texas is vital to our state’s economy. O’Hara has been called upon by the energy sector to assist with curing title issues and the resolution of land boundary matters prior to the development.

Rock carved with land survey numbers

State Land Surveying

Original survey corner monument found in Loving County. A Licensed State Land Surveyor is authorized to provide “official” surveys for filing in the County Surveyor records and in the archives of the Texas General Land Office. O’Hara has provided official surveys to assist land owners in obtaining patents and deeds of acquittance, purchasing land from the Permanent School Fund, filing a vacancy application, and providing Coastal Boundary Surveys.