ND Land Surveyor key terms

A survey marker documented in a recorded plat, deed, or survey that legally fixes a boundary corner. Retracing surveyors must hold it as evidence unless it is proven fraudulent, misplaced, or not the original.

The statutory or professional duty to preserve original boundary evidence when a monument is disturbed by construction or development. Surveyors typically reference offsets or set witness monuments before removal so the corner location survives.

A monument placed at a known offset from a true corner, usually because the corner itself cannot be occupied. It allows later surveyors to re-establish the corner by measuring from the witness.

A survey performed to recover and verify the location of an existing boundary as originally established, rather than to create new boundaries. The retracing surveyor follows the original evidence and record calls in their legal order of precedence.

Boundary interests created by long use or acquiescence rather than by deed language, such as practical location or prescriptive easements. They can override record measurements when proven, so a surveyor must investigate occupation evidence.

A doctrine allowing a person who openly, actually, exclusively, and continuously occupies another's land for the statutory period to gain title. North Dakota sets that period by statute, and surveyors must recognize occupation claims in boundary analysis.

A right to use another's land acquired through open, adverse, continuous use for the statutory period. Unlike adverse possession it grants use rights, not title, and its location must be mapped during boundary and title investigations.

A property line defined by the edge or thread of a navigable water body. Accretion, reliction, erosion, and avulsion change these boundaries, and North Dakota law governs how state-owned submerged lands are treated.

The gradual, imperceptible addition of land by natural water action, which normally belongs to the adjacent riparian owner. It is distinguished from avulsion, a sudden change that leaves the original boundary intact.

A sudden, perceptible change in a watercourse, such as a flood cutting a new channel. The boundary generally stays where the water was before the avulsion, so the surveyor must document historical channel location.

A survey line run along a water body to compute area, not a boundary of title. Calling it a boundary is a common error; the true boundary is the water's edge or thread as the law provides.

The northing (latitude) and easting (departure) components of a course, computed as distance times cosine and sine of the bearing. Traverse closure checks compare their sums to zero.

The misclosure remaining after summing latitudes and departures around a closed traverse. It is expressed as linear error and as a ratio of error to perimeter, and it must fall within the standard for the survey purpose.

A traverse adjustment method that distributes latitude and departure misclosure in proportion to each course's length. It is also called the Bowditch rule and is common for compass-rule or transit-rule adjustments.

The direction of a line measured from a stated reference meridian, given as an angle and quadrant, such as N45E. Bearings must be referenced to a stated basis, or they are ambiguous.

A direction measured clockwise from a reference meridian, normally north, through 360 degrees. Azimuths avoid quadrant notation and simplify computations of angles and bearings.

The parameters describing a circular horizontal curve, including radius, degree of curve, tangent length, length of curve, external distance, middle ordinate, and chord. They let the surveyor stake and check alignment geometry.

A measure of curvature defined by the central angle subtended by a 100-foot arc (arc definition) or a 100-foot chord (chord definition). Highway practice commonly uses the arc definition.

The station where a tangent ends and a circular curve begins, commonly abbreviated PC. Its counterpart, the point of tangency, marks where the curve returns to tangent.

A reference surface or framework from which elevations or coordinates are measured, such as NAVD 88 for elevations or a state plane projection for coordinates. Every reported value must state its datum.

A stable, known point with published elevation or coordinates used as a reference for other surveys. Its quality and stability determine the reliability of the work tied to it.

A system of projected coordinate zones designed to keep distortion small within each zone. North Dakota is covered by the North Dakota North and South zones, and surveys may be tied to it by statute.

A mathematical transformation of the curved earth surface onto a plane, such as transverse Mercator or Lambert conformal conic. All projections distort distance, direction, or area, so scale factors must be applied.

The ratio between a distance on a projection or grid and the corresponding distance on the ellipsoid. Combining grid and elevation factors converts ground distances to grid distances for coordinate computations.

Real-time kinematic positioning, in which a rover receives corrections from a base station or network to achieve centimeter-level coordinates. Accuracy depends on correction latency, satellite geometry, and initialization quality.

An aerial image geometrically corrected so that terrain relief and camera tilt are removed, giving uniform scale like a map. It is used for mapping, GIS baselayers, and measuring features.

The science of deriving measurements and maps from photographs, commonly through stereo overlap and bundle adjustment. Modern practice includes structure-from-motion processing of drone imagery.

A surveyed point visible in imagery that anchors photogrammetric or lidar products to real-world coordinates. Its accuracy and distribution control the absolute accuracy of the resulting map.

A raster representation of ground surface elevation, often derived from lidar or photogrammetry. Bare-earth and surface models differ, and choosing the wrong one affects drainage and design work.

Light detection and ranging, an active remote sensing method that measures distance by laser pulse travel time. Point clouds support terrain modeling, canopy analysis, and corridor mapping.

A system for storing, analyzing, and displaying spatially referenced data in layers with attributes. Surveyors supply authoritative geometry and must manage coordinate reference systems and metadata carefully.

The complete definition of how coordinates relate to the earth, including datum, projection, units, and axis order. Mismatched reference systems are a leading cause of misaligned GIS and survey data.

Descriptive information about a dataset, such as source, date, accuracy, coordinate system, and responsible party. It lets others judge whether data are fit for a purpose.

An electronic instrument combining an electronic theodolite with a distance meter to measure angles and distances. It records coordinates and is checked by closing on known control.

The process of determining elevation differences, commonly by differential leveling with an instrument and graduated rods. Closure checks against known benchmarks verify the work.

The process of identifying and marking buried utilities before excavation, often through a one-call notification service. Surveyors and field crews must respect markings and verify conflicts before digging.

A site-specific document identifying hazards, required protective equipment, emergency contacts, and procedures for field work. It addresses traffic, weather, terrain, and utility hazards before crews mobilize.

Any excavation or earth-moving activity that could damage buried utilities or destabilize slopes. Surveyors often mark limits and must coordinate with the one-call system and site safety rules.

Setting marks and offsets that guide construction to design lines and grades. Stakes must reference stable control and be documented so they can be re-established after disturbance.

The excavation (cut) and embankment (fill) volumes needed to bring existing ground to design grade. Volumes are computed from cross sections or digital terrain models.

A survey documenting constructed conditions, including locations, elevations, and dimensions of improvements. It is compared with design plans to identify deviations and support acceptance or record drawings.

A map of a subdivision or land division showing lots, streets, and dedications, prepared for recording. North Dakota law sets content, approval, and recording requirements for plats.

The degree of care and skill ordinarily exercised by competent surveyors under similar circumstances. It is the usual measure of professional negligence and is often established through expert testimony.

A situation in which personal, financial, or other interests could improperly influence professional judgment. Surveyors must disclose or avoid such situations to protect public trust.

The licensed surveyor's authentication of professional work, applied only to work the licensee prepared or directly supervised. North Dakota rules govern when and how the seal is applied.

A recorded map of a survey of an individual tract that describes the parcel and its monuments without creating new lots. North Dakota statutes specify its content and filing requirements.

The state board that licenses land surveyors, administers examinations, and enforces the statutes and rules governing practice. Candidates should know its complaint and disciplinary authority.

The professional development hours a licensee must complete each renewal period to maintain licensure. North Dakota rules set the number of hours, recordkeeping, and audit requirements.