CSLB Cadastral Surveying study guide
CSLB Cadastral Surveying · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Cadastral surveying is the branch of land surveying concerned with the location, description, and documentation of real property boundaries - the parcels that make up the cadastre, the public record of land ownership. A cadastral surveying credential signals that a practitioner can retrace a boundary from documentary and physical evidence, interpret deeds and plats, resolve conflicts between them, and prepare records that will hold up under legal scrutiny. The CSLB Cadastral Surveying study guide has 8 sections and about 2,532 words.
01Boundary Law and Legal Principles of Real Property
Boundary law separates ownership (title) from the physical location of the line. A surveyor resolves location, not title, and must know the interests that affect a boundary: fee simple, easements appurtenant and in gross, profits, licenses, and prescriptive easements, which require open, notorious, adverse, continuous use for the statutory period.
299 words, about 1 min02Evidence, Monuments, and Boundary Retracement
Courts weigh boundary evidence in a settled order: natural monuments, then artificial monuments, then courses and distances, then area. A call for an adjoiner (a neighbor's line or corner) carries great weight because it is a monument by reference.
294 words, about 1 min03Public Land Survey System and Original Government Surveys
A principal meridian and base line anchor the system. Townships are nominally 6 miles square, numbered north from the base line and ranges east or west from the meridian, each containing 36 sections numbered from the northeast corner in a boustrophedon pattern.
315 words, about 2 min04Records Research, Deeds, Plats, and Chain of Title
Records include recorded deeds and maps, easements, CC&Rs, liens and judgments, probate and corporate documents, tax and assessment records, BLM/GLO plats and field notes, mineral surveys, county surveyor and corner records, highway and right-of-way records, historical atlases, aerial imagery, and LiDAR. Each has a different weight and purpose.
545 words, about 3 min05Field Measurement, Monumentation, and Survey Procedures
Distinguish accuracy from precision. Random errors average out; systematic errors (prism constant, atmospheric correction, scale, instrument calibration) bias every shot; blunders are gross mistakes to be found and eliminated.
258 words, about 1 min06Subdivision Mapping, Parcel Design, and Boundary Resolution
The Subdivision Map Act and local ordinances govern tentative maps, vesting maps, parcel maps, and final maps, including certificates, dedications, offers of dedication, findings, time limits, and extensions. A lot line adjustment rearranges land between existing legal parcels and does not create new lots; it must still be approved and documented.
256 words, about 1 min07Geodesy, Coordinate Systems, and Positional Accuracy
A horizontal datum is realized by a reference frame tied to an ellipsoid; a vertical datum relates to the geoid through orthometric heights. Know the difference between ellipsoidal and orthometric heights and know that coordinates are only meaningful with their datum, realization, and epoch.
286 words, about 1 min08Professional Practice, Ethics, and Statutory Responsibilities
Surveying is practiced under a licensure act that defines the practice, responsible charge, and the seal. Only a licensee may sign and seal work, and only work the licensee personally supervised or reviewed in responsible charge.
279 words, about 1 min