MN Land Surveyor study guide
MN Land Surveyor · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Minnesota Professional Land Surveyor credential is the license that lets a surveyor take legal responsibility for boundary determinations, plats, and property descriptions in Minnesota. It is administered through the state licensing board, and candidates typically reach it after a combination of education, progressive field and office experience under a licensed surveyor, and a written examination. The MN Land Surveyor study guide has 8 sections and about 2,655 words.
01Boundary Determination and Retracement
This domain tests whether you can reconstruct an existing boundary from the best evidence rather than invent a new one. Minnesota questions emphasize original GLO evidence, lost-corner procedure, and the difference between an original survey and a retracement.
329 words, about 2 min02Evidence and Boundary Law Principles
This domain tests the legal rules that decide what evidence a Minnesota surveyor may rely on and how ambiguity is resolved. Expect questions on intent, monument control, adverse possession, acquiescence, and the burden of proof.
366 words, about 2 min03Public Land Survey System (PLSS)
This domain tests the rectangular system in Minnesota: principal meridians, standard parallels, township and range, section subdivision, and the special rules for fractional sections and lost corners. Townships are nominally 6 miles square, divided into 36 sections of 640 acres.
365 words, about 2 min04Mathematical Principles and Survey Computations
This domain tests the calculations behind boundary and control work: bearings, coordinates, traverses, areas, curves, and closure. Minnesota questions favor clean computations with a check.
297 words, about 1 min05Measurement and Positioning Systems
This domain tests how observations become positions: total stations, GNSS, levels, datums, control, and grid-to-ground reductions. Minnesota questions often turn on whether a measurement is precise but not accurate, or accurate but on the wrong datum.
314 words, about 2 min06Minnesota Statutes and Administrative Rules
This domain tests the legal framework a Minnesota land surveyor works in: licensure, platting, Torrens, common-interest property, adverse possession, and easements. Expect questions that ask which statute governs a record or practice.
315 words, about 2 min07Easements, Rights-of-Way, and Encumbrances
This domain tests the creation, scope, and termination of easements and the difference between an easement and a fee right-of-way. Minnesota questions often involve prescriptive easements, access by necessity, and public-road rights.
338 words, about 2 min08Plats, Subdivisions, and Descriptions
This domain tests how land is described and how plats create lots, blocks, streets, and dedications. Minnesota questions emphasize record descriptions, exceptions, abutter's rights, replats, and vacation.
331 words, about 2 min