Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and Federal Surveys Syllabus

Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and Federal Surveys syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and Federal Surveys in Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   PLSS Framework and History

   4 topics

   • Origin and purpose of the rectangular system
   • Principal meridians and baselines
   • Standard parallels and guide meridians
     • Correction lines and convergence of meridians
   • The Manual of Surveying Instructions and BLM authority
2. 2

   Township, Range, and Section Subdivision

   4 topics

   • Township and range numbering from initial point
     • Establishing the 6-mile township grid
   • Section numbering and layout within a township
   • Subdivision of sections into aliquot parts
     • Quarter-quarter sections and the order of subdivision
     • Center of section determination
   • Government lots and fractional sections
3. 3

   Original Corner Restoration and Retracement

   4 topics

   • Existent, obliterated, and lost corners
     • Evidence required to classify a corner
   • Single and double proportionate measurement
     • Selecting controlling corners
     • Computations for proportionate restoration
   • Index correction and broken boundary methods
   • Corner perpetuation and reference monuments
4. 4

   PLSS Records and Field Evidence

   4 topics

   • Original field notes and plats interpretation
   • Bearing trees, mounds, pits, and accessories
   • Reconciling record measurements with modern surveys
   • Dependent versus independent resurveys

Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and Federal Surveys flashcards for Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS)

24 of 49 cards from the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and Federal Surveys deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), and what was its primary purpose when established by the Land Ordinance of 1785?

   The PLSS is a rectangular system of surveying used to subdivide and disperse U.S. public domain lands. Its purpose was to create an orderly, systematic method for describing, dividing, and transferring land from the federal government to private ownership, replacing the chaotic metes-and-bounds practice.

2. What are the two governing reference lines from which all PLSS townships are measured, and in which directions do they run?

   The principal meridian (runs north-south, governing east-west range numbering) and the baseline (runs east-west, governing north-south township numbering). They intersect at the initial point.

3. What is the 'initial point' in the PLSS, and how is it established?

   The initial point is the origin of a survey from which the principal meridian and baseline radiate. It is established by astronomical observation (latitude/longitude) and monumented permanently; township and range numbering begins from it.

4. How many principal meridians govern the PLSS in the United States, and is numbering continuous across them?

   There are 37 principal meridians (plus the Ohio-area special surveys). Each principal meridian governs its own independent survey area, so township/range numbering restarts at each initial point and is not continuous across meridians.

5. Define a 'standard parallel' (correction line) and state how frequently they are placed.

   A standard parallel is an east-west line surveyed parallel to the baseline at regular intervals (typically every 24 miles, i.e., every 4 townships) north and south of the baseline, used to correct for the convergence of meridians.

6. Define a 'guide meridian' and state its spacing relative to the principal meridian.

   A guide meridian is a north-south line run from a standard parallel (or baseline), placed at intervals of 24 miles east and west of the principal meridian, used to limit the accumulated effect of convergence in range lines.

7. Why are standard parallels and guide meridians necessary in the rectangular system?

   Because meridians converge toward the north pole, true north-south lines cannot remain a constant distance apart. Standard parallels and guide meridians break the survey into 24-mile tracts so convergence error is periodically corrected and absorbed.

8. On which side of a township does the convergence error (the 'closing' deficiency or surplus) accumulate, and where is it placed within sections?

   Convergence causes the north and west tiers of a township to be irregular. The excess or deficiency is thrown into the sections along the north and west boundaries (sections 1–6 and 7, 18, 19, 30, 31), creating fractional lots there.

9. What is a 'closing corner' versus a 'standard corner' along a standard parallel?

   A standard corner is set when the standard parallel is originally run (controlling the township to the north). A closing corner is set later where a meridian from the south closes onto the standard parallel; the two corners do not necessarily coincide because of convergence.

10. What document provides the official rules for conducting U.S. public land surveys, and what is its current principal edition?

    The Manual of Surveying Instructions, issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The current governing edition is the 2009 Manual of Surveying Instructions.

11. Which federal agency holds jurisdiction over the survey and resurvey of public lands, and from what authority?

    The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), within the Department of the Interior, derives authority from federal statutes (notably the Act of 1812 creating the General Land Office, succeeded by BLM in 1946). It conducts and supervises all public land surveys and resurveys.

12. State the standard dimensions of a township and how many sections it contains.

    A standard township is nominally 6 miles by 6 miles ($36$ square miles) and contains 36 sections, each nominally 1 mile square ($640$ acres).

13. How are townships and ranges numbered relative to the initial point? Give the meaning of 'T3N, R2W.'

    Townships are numbered north or south of the baseline; ranges are numbered east or west of the principal meridian. 'T3N, R2W' means the township in the 3rd tier north of the baseline and the 2nd range west of the principal meridian.

14. Describe the section numbering pattern within a standard township (the boustrophedon order).

    Numbering begins with Section 1 in the northeast corner, proceeds west to Section 6 in the northwest corner, drops south one tier to Section 7, runs east to Section 12, and continues serpentine (boustrophedon) ending with Section 36 in the southeast corner.

15. In what order are the 36 sections of a township surveyed and the errors thrown, and which sections become fractional?

    Sections are surveyed from south to north and east to west, holding the south and east lines at full measure; sections 1–6 (north tier) and 7, 18, 19, 30, 31 (west tier) absorb closing errors and convergence, becoming the fractional sections containing lots.

16. What is an 'aliquot part' of a section?

    An aliquot part is a fractional subdivision of a section created by repeated halving and quartering—e.g., the NE 1/4, the W 1/2, the SE 1/4 of the NW 1/4—that follows the legal rules of subdivision rather than being separately surveyed in the field.

17. How many acres are in (a) a quarter section, (b) a quarter-quarter section, and (c) a half-quarter section?

    (a) A quarter section = $160$ acres; (b) a quarter-quarter (e.g., NE 1/4 of NE 1/4) = $40$ acres; (c) a half-quarter = $80$ acres. (Based on a nominal $640$-acre section.)

18. By what rule are the interior quarter-section corners located when subdividing a regular section?

    Interior (center) quarter corners are set at the midpoint of straight lines connecting opposing quarter-section corners on the section boundaries. The center of section is the intersection of the two lines joining opposite quarter corners.

19. What is a 'government lot,' and under what circumstances is it created?

    A government lot is a parcel given a lot number on the original plat instead of an aliquot description, created where a regular aliquot part cannot be formed—typically in fractional sections along the north/west township boundaries, or where water bodies, reservations, or irregular boundaries intervene.

20. What is a 'fractional section,' and why does it usually not equal 640 acres?

    A fractional section is one that cannot be subdivided into regular aliquot parts because part of it is cut off by a township boundary, navigable water, a prior survey, or a reservation. Its acreage differs from $640$ because part of the nominal area is absent or irregular.

21. Define a 'meander line' and state whether it is a boundary.

    A meander line is a traverse run along the mean high-water mark of a navigable body of water to compute the area of the adjoining fractional (riparian) lots. It is NOT a boundary; the actual boundary is the water's edge itself.

22. Classify the three legal categories of original corners used in retracement and resurvey.

    Existent corners, obliterated corners, and lost corners. (A fourth practical distinction is whether the corner is original/government-set versus a later-established corner.)

23. Define an 'existent corner.'

    An existent corner is one whose position can be identified beyond reasonable doubt—either because the original monument or its accessories are still present, or because its location is recoverable through testimony of competent witnesses or unquestionable evidence.

24. Define an 'obliterated corner.'

    An obliterated corner is one at which no visible evidence of the original monument or its accessories remains, but whose original location can be recovered beyond reasonable doubt through other acceptable evidence (collateral evidence, testimony, undisputed possession lines, or related corners).

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