Land Surveying Law and Statutory Framework (Jamaica)
Statutory framework
Jamaica's land surveying practice is governed principally by the Land Surveyors Act and regulations made under it, read with the Registration of Titles Act and related land legislation. The Land Surveyors Board administers registration, licensing or commissioning, professional discipline and practice standards. The Survey and Mapping Division of the National Land Agency holds cadastral and geodetic records and receives survey plans and related data. The exam tests whether you can identify the source of authority for a survey, the status of the surveyor, and the legal effect of plans, marks and records.
Core rules
- A surveyor must hold the licence or commissioning required for the work and must not allow unqualified staff to sign or certify surveys.
- Boundary surveys start from the legal description and title/plan records, not from a client's fence or verbal claim.
- Field monuments, original survey evidence, statutory notices and plan standards must be respected and recorded.
- Survey records and plans must be accurate, legible, retained and filed as required.
Worked example
A client asks you to 'measure the boundary from the title diagram' and produce a plan without checking the title or adjoining owners. The correct response is to obtain the legal description and registered plan, search the records, inspect and identify original marks, notify parties where required, survey and mark the boundary, then prepare a plan and report. The reasoning is that measurement alone does not create or prove a legal boundary; the title, original survey evidence and statutory process control the result.
Traps that cost marks
Confusing the Board with the National Land Agency; treating diagram dimensions as conclusive; failing to search; signing work you did not supervise; ignoring notice requirements; and disturbing or replacing marks without recording it.