MN Land Surveyor flashcards
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34 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Retracement
- The process of re-establishing the location of an original boundary by locating original monuments and evidence, without creating a new boundary or correcting errors in the original survey.
- Proportionate measurement
- A method to re-establish a lost corner by using the record distances between existing original corners on the same line; it is used only when the original corner is lost and at least two original corners control the line.
- Natural monument precedence
- A call in a deed to a natural monument such as a river, lake, or tree generally controls over calls to artificial monuments or distances, if the natural monument is certain and identifiable.
- Boundary line definition
- A boundary line is the intersection of two vertical planes; the location of a corner is the intersection of two boundary lines on the ground, not merely a point on a map.
- Best evidence rule
- In boundary law, original documents such as deeds, plats, and field notes are preferred over copies or secondary evidence when determining the location of a boundary.
- Parol evidence
- Oral or extrinsic evidence that is generally not admissible to contradict a written deed, but may be admitted to explain an ambiguity or to locate a monument called for in the deed.
- Boundary by agreement
- Adjacent landowners may establish a boundary by agreement if the location is uncertain, they agree on a line, and they occupy to it; the agreement binds them and their successors.
- Boundary by acquiescence
- A long-standing boundary line that is mutually recognized and treated as the boundary may be binding even if not the true line, especially where improvements have been made in reliance on it.
- Adverse possession period
- In Minnesota, adverse possession generally requires 15 years of actual, open, hostile, exclusive, and continuous possession under a claim of right; payment of taxes is not required for boundary by adverse possession.
- Township dimensions
- A PLSS township is 6 miles square and contains 36 sections, each 1 mile square (640 acres); sections are numbered from 1 at the northeast corner, west to 6, then east to 12, and so on.
- Standard parallels
- Correction lines established every 24 miles north and south of the base line in the PLSS to control the convergence of meridians; township lines are run between them.
- Guide meridians
- Lines run every 24 miles east and west of the principal meridian, parallel to it, to limit errors in the PLSS; they are not true meridians but are used for control.
- Section subdivision
- A section is divided into quarter sections (160 acres) by lines through the section corners, and further into quarter-quarter sections (40 acres) by the same pattern.
- Fractional lots
- Lots along the north and west tiers of a PLSS township that are irregular due to convergence and the need to close on standard lines; their areas are determined by the original survey and shown on the official plat.
- Latitude and departure
- Latitude = distance × cos(bearing), departure = distance × sin(bearing); north and east are positive, south and west are negative; used in traverse computations.
- Compass rule adjustment
- A method to adjust a closed traverse by distributing the total error in latitude and departure in proportion to each course length: correction = total error × (course length / total traverse length).
- Double meridian distance
- A method to compute area: DMD of a course = DMD of previous course + departure of previous course + departure of current course; area = sum of (DMD × latitude) / 2.
- Area by coordinates
- The shoelace formula: area = 0.5 × |Σ (N_i × E_{i+1} − N_{i+1} × E_i)|, where points are taken in order around the traverse.
- Circular curve formulas
- Tangent T = R × tan(Δ/2), length L = R × Δ (radians), external E = R × (sec(Δ/2) − 1), middle ordinate M = R × (1 − cos(Δ/2)).
- Total station EDM accuracy
- Electronic distance measurement in a total station typically has an accuracy of ±(2 mm + 2 ppm), meaning 2 millimeters plus 2 parts per million of the measured distance.
- RTK GNSS
- Real-time kinematic GNSS provides centimeter-level positioning using a base station and rover with a radio or cellular link; it corrects common errors in real time.
- Minnesota Coordinate System
- A legal coordinate system based on the Lambert Conformal Conic projection, with North, Central, South, and statewide zones; coordinates must state the zone and datum.
- NAVD 88
- The current vertical datum in Minnesota, replacing NGVD 29; elevations differ by several feet and require a datum transformation model for conversion.
- NAD 83
- The current horizontal datum in Minnesota, with later realizations; coordinates must be transformed using published software, not by simple shifts, when converting from NAD 27.
- Minn. Stat. § 505
- Minnesota statutes governing plats and subdivisions, including the form and content of plats, the role of the county recorder and surveyor, and recording requirements.
- Minn. R. 1800
- Minnesota administrative rules for the Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design, including standards of practice for land surveying.
- Minn. Stat. § 541.02
- The adverse possession statute in Minnesota; it sets a 15-year period for recovery of real property and does not require payment of taxes for boundary by adverse possession.
- Torrens registration
- Minn. Stat. § 508: registration of land titles; boundaries of registered land are determined by the court and shown on the certificate of title; a registered land survey may be required.
- Easement appurtenant
- An easement that benefits a dominant parcel and burdens a servient parcel; it runs with the land and passes automatically with the dominant parcel.
- Easement in gross
- An easement that benefits a person or entity rather than a parcel; it is not transferable unless the easement is commercial or the parties intend otherwise.
- Prescriptive easement
- An easement acquired by open, notorious, hostile, and continuous use for the statutory period (15 years in Minnesota) without permission; it is similar to adverse possession.
- Easement by necessity
- An easement implied by law when a landlocked parcel is created and there is no access; the location is determined by reasonable necessity and may be fixed by a court.
- Plat requirements
- A recorded plat must comply with Minn. Stat. § 505 and local ordinances; it must show the surveyor's certificate, platting certificate, auditor's certificate, and be based on an accurate survey.
- Metes and bounds description
- A description using bearings and distances from a point of beginning, referencing monuments and adjoiners; it must close mathematically and be sufficiently certain.