AZ Land Surveyor flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Order of conflicting calls

Courts and surveyors resolve conflicting description calls in this order: natural monuments, artificial monuments, adjoining boundaries, courses and distances, then area. Earlier items generally control later ones.

Lost corner

A corner whose original position cannot be recovered from physical evidence or reliable testimony. It is re-established by proportionate measurement between existing corners, not by guessing.

Single proportionate measurement

Method to restore a lost corner on a line between two found corners: multiply the measured total distance by the ratio of the record distance to the corner over the record total distance.

Double proportionate measurement

Method to restore a lost corner in both north-south and east-west directions, using controlling corners on each side and proportioning latitude and departure separately.

Original government corner

A corner established by the original federal survey. It is held fixed and cannot be moved by a later surveyor; only its position may be perpetuated or restored.

Accretion vs avulsion

Accretion is gradual, imperceptible addition of land by water and belongs to the riparian owner. Avulsion is sudden change, and the boundary remains at the former water position.

Adverse possession

A legal doctrine by which long, open, hostile, exclusive, and continuous possession may vest title. The surveyor locates and reports the evidence but does not decide title.

Senior and junior rights

When two conveyances overlap, the earlier (senior) grant generally prevails over the later (junior) grant, subject to intent and other controlling facts.

Sufficient legal description

A description adequate to allow a competent surveyor to locate the parcel on the ground without additional oral testimony. It must identify the land with reasonable certainty.

Aliquot part description

A description using PLSS fractional divisions, such as the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4. Its location and acreage depend on the official plat and subdivision of the section.

Closure ratio

Total traverse length divided by the linear error of closure, expressed as 1:N. It measures relative traverse precision and is reported with the survey computations.

Latitude and departure

Latitude equals distance times cosine of the bearing angle; departure equals distance times sine. Signs follow the quadrant of the bearing.

Bowditch rule

A traverse adjustment that distributes latitude and departure errors in proportion to each course length relative to total traverse length. Also called the compass rule.

Transit rule

A traverse adjustment that distributes errors in proportion to the magnitude of each course's latitude or departure rather than to course length.

Area by coordinates

Twice the area equals the sum around the closed figure of (N_i times E_(i+1)) minus (N_(i+1) times E_i). Take the absolute value and divide by two.

Curve tangent formula

For a circular curve, tangent T equals radius R times tangent of half the intersection angle I. This gives the distance from the PC or PT to the PI.

Middle ordinate

The distance from the midpoint of a circular curve's long chord to the curve, computed as M equals R times (1 minus cosine of I/2).

Level loop misclosure

The difference between measured and known elevation around a closed loop. It is distributed among setups in proportion to distance or number of setups.

RTK fixed solution

A GNSS carrier-phase solution with resolved integer ambiguities, typically providing centimeter-level horizontal accuracy when satellite geometry and corrections are adequate.

PDOP

Position dilution of precision, a measure of satellite geometry quality. Lower values indicate better geometry; high PDOP degrades GNSS position accuracy.

Inverse computation

From two coordinate pairs, distance equals the square root of the sum of squared coordinate differences; azimuth is computed with atan2 of easting over northing.

Arizona Technical Registration

The State Board of Technical Registration licenses and regulates Arizona land surveyors, administers examinations, and enforces statutes and rules of practice.

Record of survey

A recorded document depicting a boundary survey, monuments, and evidence, required by Arizona standards in specified circumstances such as conflicting evidence or newly established corners.

Arizona boundary survey standards

State-adopted minimum standards specifying research, field evidence, monumentation, and record-of-survey content required for boundary surveys performed in Arizona.

County recorder filing

Arizona survey records such as records of survey and corner records must be filed with the county recorder, and where required with the county surveyor, within statutory time limits.

PLSS in Arizona

Arizona lands are largely subdivided under the federal Public Land Survey System; original corners are protected, and remonumentation is administered through county programs.

Surveyor seal and signature

The licensed land surveyor signs and seals survey documents, certifying personal responsibility for the work. The seal may not be applied to work not performed or supervised.

Unlicensed practice

Offering or performing land surveying in Arizona without registration is prohibited and subjects the person to enforcement action by the State Board of Technical Registration.

Monument of record

The monument called for in the deed or plat. A found monument must be evaluated to determine whether it is original, re-established, or errant before it is accepted.

Possession line

A fence or occupation line showing actual use. It is evidence compared with record lines; it does not by itself establish the legal boundary.

Parol evidence

Testimony outside the written document. A sufficient description should not require it; ambiguous descriptions may be clarified by evidence of intent.

Metes and bounds closure

A boundary description returning to the point of beginning. Its record closure error is reported as a ratio and does not change the record bearings and distances.