Boundary Surveying and Retracement
This domain tests retracement of existing boundaries: how a surveyor weighs record calls against physical evidence and legal doctrines. Expect questions on the order of evidence, proportionate measurement, PLSS lost corners, water boundaries, and California's Spanish and Mexican grants.
Order of evidence and seniority
- Retracement re-establishes the original survey; it never creates a new boundary.
- Evidence hierarchy: natural monuments, artificial monuments, courses and distances, then area. A called monument generally controls a distance call.
- An existing original corner is not moved to its record position; it stands, and the lines run to it.
- Senior rights: the earlier conveyance or patent controls; the junior parcel takes what remains.
- Proportionate measurement applies to lost corners between found original corners. In the PLSS, single or double proportion depends on the corner's position in the township.
- Meander lines are not boundaries; the water boundary is, subject to accretion (gradual, owner gains), avulsion (sudden, boundary stays), and erosion.
- Spanish and Mexican ranchos use varas and leagues; one vara is about 33 inches, and a league is 5,000 varas.
Worked example
A record line runs 100.00 chains between two original corners, both found. The measured distance is 99.60 chains. An interior lot corner called at 40.00 chains from the west is lost. Proportion: 40.00/100.00 x 99.60 = 39.84 chains from the west corner. If that interior corner monument had been found, it would control and no proportion would be applied.
Traps
- Averaging a found monument with the record position.
- Applying proportion when original corners exist.
- Treating a meander line as the boundary.
- Ignoring seniority when deeds overlap.
- Reading 'more or less' as permission to discard a call.