MI Land Surveyor study guide
MI Land Surveyor · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Michigan Land Surveyor licensing examination is the assessment step for candidates working toward a professional surveying credential in Michigan. It is intended for surveyors who have already built the technical and field experience licensure demands, and who now must show, under exam conditions, that they can apply that experience to the kind of work a licensed surveyor signs and seals. The MI Land Surveyor study guide has 5 sections and about 1,685 words.
01Boundary Surveying and Legal Principles
This domain tests how well you retrace Michigan's Public Land Survey System (PLSS) corners, apply Michigan remonumentation law, and resolve water and unwritten boundaries. Expect questions that supply record and measured evidence and ask what controls.
391 words, about 2 min02Geodetic and Control Surveying
The geodetic domain tests datum literacy, Michigan's State Plane system, GNSS and control procedures, and the computations that convert between ground, ellipsoid, and grid. Michigan's statutory coordinate system (Act 9 of 1964, as amended) uses the Lambert Conformal Conic projection in three zones: Michigan North (FIPS 2111), Central (2112), and South (2113), now referenced to NAD83(2011).
310 words, about 2 min03Construction Surveying
Construction surveying tests plan reading, stakeout geometry, elevation control, and measurement for payment on Michigan projects, where MDOT Standard Specifications and project special provisions govern. Alignments are described by station (100-ft stations, for example 12+35.50) and offset, with offsets signed left or right of the baseline.
314 words, about 2 min04Land Development and Subdivision Design
The land development domain tests Michigan's Land Division Act, plat procedures, and the site-design checks a surveyor verifies before a plat is recorded. Act 288 of 1967, as amended, governs divisions of unplatted land.
348 words, about 2 min05Survey Business Practices and Professional Ethics
This domain tests Michigan licensure, responsible charge, contracts, and the professional-conduct rules enforced by the Board of Professional Surveyors. Surveying in Michigan requires a license from the Board of Professional Surveyors under LARA; the surveyor intern track is a prerequisite.
322 words, about 2 min