FUNDAMENTAL SURVEYING Legal Descriptions, Boundary & Construction Surveying 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'monument' in boundary surveying?
- Any large structure used as a sighting target
- A physical object marking a corner or boundary point of a survey (Correct answer)
- The final plat map recorded with the county
- A benchmark set only by the NGS
Correct answer: A physical object marking a corner or boundary point of a survey
A monument is a physical marker — iron pin, concrete post, stone, or natural object — that marks a property corner or boundary line point.
Question 2: In the priority of calls for a boundary survey, which call generally takes the highest priority?
- Distances
- Areas
- Natural monuments (Correct answer)
- Bearings
Correct answer: Natural monuments
The traditional US priority order is: natural monuments, then artificial monuments, then bearings/angles, then distances, then areas/calculations.
Question 3: What is an 'easement' in land surveying?
- A measurement error caused by instrument eccentricity
- A legal right to use another's land for a specific purpose (Correct answer)
- The process of easing a boundary dispute in court
- A temporary survey marker removed after construction
Correct answer: A legal right to use another's land for a specific purpose
An easement grants a non-owner the right to use a portion of a property for a specific purpose such as a utility line, road access, or drainage.
Question 4: What does 'right-of-way' (ROW) refer to in surveying?
- The surveyor's right to enter private property
- A strip of land set aside for transportation or utility infrastructure (Correct answer)
- The legal priority given to a senior deed over a junior deed
- The right to place survey monuments without a permit
Correct answer: A strip of land set aside for transportation or utility infrastructure
Right-of-way is a designated strip of land owned or controlled by a government or utility for roads, railroads, pipelines, or power lines.
Question 5: What is the 'senior rights' doctrine in boundary surveying?
- Older surveyors have precedence in resolving disputes
- An earlier (senior) conveyance takes priority over a later (junior) conveyance from the same grantor (Correct answer)
- The government always has priority over private deeds
- The first surveyor to record a plat owns the monument rights
Correct answer: An earlier (senior) conveyance takes priority over a later (junior) conveyance from the same grantor
Senior rights means that when two deeds from the same grantor overlap, the earlier recorded deed prevails over the later one.
Question 6: A construction survey 'blue top' (grade stake) indicates:
- A utility line crossing the survey line
- A hub set at exact design grade elevation used to control earthwork (Correct answer)
- A benchmark for vertical control only
- A temporary station for horizontal control
Correct answer: A hub set at exact design grade elevation used to control earthwork
A blue top (or grade stake) is a hub driven flush with design grade, painted blue, giving the grading crew the exact fill or cut elevation target.
FUNDAMENTAL SURVEYING Legal Descriptions, Boundary & Construction Surveying 1
What is a 'monument' in boundary surveying?