MO Land Surveyor study guide
MO Land Surveyor · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Missouri Professional Land Surveyor credential is a state-issued license administered through the Missouri Division of Professional Registration, which oversees architects, engineers, and land surveyors. It is intended for surveyors who perform or take responsibility for boundary, cadastral, geodetic, and construction surveying work in Missouri, and who must demonstrate competence before offering services to the public. The MO Land Surveyor study guide has 7 sections and about 2,505 words.
01Boundary Surveying and Retracement
This domain tests whether you can rank conflicting boundary evidence, distinguish retracement from a resurvey, and apply Missouri's mixed cadastral fabric to a real set of field facts. Natural monuments outrank artificial monuments, which outrank courses (bearings), then distances, then area.
382 words, about 2 min02Missouri Minimum Standards and State Statutes
This domain tests your working knowledge of Missouri's regulatory framework: the licensing statutes in RSMo Chapter 327, the county surveyor and corner-record provisions of Chapter 60, the plat act in Chapter 445, and the Board's minimum standards for property boundary surveys at 20 CSR 2030-16. A property boundary survey requires research of record documents, adequate field work, monumentation at the parcel's corners, and a report or plat that states the basis of the survey, the record description relied on, the monuments found and set, and any discrepancies or ambiguities.
353 words, about 2 min03Geodesy and Coordinate Systems
This domain tests datum literacy: NAD83(2011) versus the retiring NSRS, NAVD88 heights and the geoid, Missouri's three State Plane zones, and the grid-versus-ground conversion you must get right on any project deliverable. NAD83(2011) at epoch 2010.0 is a GRS80-based horizontal realization; NGS is replacing it with NATRF2022, and NAVD88 with NAPGD2022.
303 words, about 2 min04Measurement and Instrumentation
This domain tests instrument performance, correction discipline, and closure analysis - whether you know what your total station, level, and GNSS receiver are actually reporting and how to prove it. Total station accuracy is stated in arc-seconds (typically 1", 2", 3", 5") under ISO 17123-3 test procedures; verify with a circle closure or a series of direct/reverse readings.
356 words, about 2 min05Cadastral Systems, PLSS, and Subdivision
This domain tests the Public Land Survey System as it exists in Missouri, the special surveys layered on top of it, and the statutory process that turns raw land into a recorded lot. Missouri's federal townships derive from the Fifth Principal Meridian.
381 words, about 2 min06Topographic Mapping and Construction Surveying
This domain tests whether you can turn field measurements into usable terrain and layout information: contour interpretation, mapping accuracy standards, quantity computation, and construction stakeout procedure. Contour interval sets the map's vertical resolution; index contours are heavier and labeled.
351 words, about 2 min07Business, Ethics, and Professional Practice
This domain tests the business and ethical side of practice in Missouri: licensure and firm registration, responsible charge, contract and liability exposure, and the professional obligations that attach to a seal. Practice is regulated by the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors, and Landscape Architects under RSMo Chapter 327.
379 words, about 2 min