Cadastral and Public Land Surveys
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is the backbone of Alaska cadastral work. A candidate must understand the rectangular system: principal meridians, base lines, townships, ranges, sections, and the rules for subdividing sections into aliquot parts. Know the rules for correction lines, standard parallels, and the treatment of fractional lots along the north and west boundaries of a township. Know how corners are established (initial point, standard corners, meander corners) and how they are perpetuated. Alaska is special: much of the state was surveyed under the rectangular system, but large areas remain unsurveyed, and ANCSA and state selections overlay the federal cadastral fabric. Traps: applying the lower-48 township rules without checking Alaska-specific practice; confusing a meander corner with a section corner; and misapplying the rule that the north and west tiers of sections absorb the excess or deficiency. Know that section lines are run and corners set, and that subdivision of a section follows the official plat and field notes. Fractional lots arise where a section boundary meets a meander line or a reservation boundary.
Rule of thumb: in a regular section, the north and west tiers absorb the excess or deficiency; the south and east tiers are regular aliquot parts.
Worked example: a section is found to be 5,300 ft east-west instead of 5,280. The excess is placed in the west tier of lots, not distributed equally among all four columns.