The history of the surveying profession in Hong Kong dates back to 1843 with the appointment of the first Government Surveyor General In the 1960s, the Hong Kong Technical College started to deliver diploma courses in surveying. Now there are three local universities offering degree courses in surveying.
The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) was formally established in April 1984. At that time, the number of founding members was 85. The membership has now grown to over 10000 (of which 6791 are Corporate Members). The first President of the Institute was Sr KAN Fook Yee.
The HKIS was statutorily incorporated by the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Ordinance which was passed in 1990, and is the only surveying professional body incorporated by ordinance. The Surveyors Registration Ordinance was passed in 1991 to set up a Registration Board to administer the registration of professional surveyors.