PS Professional Liability & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A licensed surveyor discovers an encroachment onto a client's property during a boundary survey. What is the surveyor's primary ethical obligation?
- Ignore it if the client did not request encroachment analysis
- Report the encroachment to the client in writing (Correct answer)
- Notify the encroaching neighbor directly before telling the client
- Only disclose it if the encroachment exceeds six inches
Correct answer: Report the encroachment to the client in writing
Surveyors have a professional duty to disclose all material findings to the client, including encroachments discovered during the course of a survey.
Question 2: Which scenario best describes a conflict of interest for a licensed surveyor?
- Performing surveys in two different counties
- Surveying a parcel in which the surveyor has a financial interest without disclosure (Correct answer)
- Using two different instruments on the same project
- Employing a field crew member who is related by marriage
Correct answer: Surveying a parcel in which the surveyor has a financial interest without disclosure
A conflict of interest arises when the surveyor has an undisclosed personal or financial stake in the outcome of their professional work.
Question 3: Under most state licensing laws, a surveyor's professional stamp and signature on a survey plat indicates:
- The plat has been reviewed by the state board
- The surveyor accepts personal and professional responsibility for the work (Correct answer)
- Title insurance is guaranteed for the property
- The survey was conducted within the past 12 months
Correct answer: The surveyor accepts personal and professional responsibility for the work
Affixing a seal and signature means the surveyor takes full professional and legal responsibility for the accuracy and compliance of the survey.
Question 4: A client asks a surveyor to alter a recorded plat to relocate a lot line in the client's favor. The surveyor should:
- Comply if the change is less than one foot
- Refuse, as altering a recorded document is fraudulent (Correct answer)
- Comply if the adjoining owner verbally agrees
- Submit the alteration request to the title company for approval
Correct answer: Refuse, as altering a recorded document is fraudulent
Altering a recorded plat without proper legal process constitutes fraud and is a serious violation of professional ethics and law.
Question 5: Which principle from the NSPS Code of Ethics requires surveyors to act in the public interest even when it conflicts with a client's wishes?
- Competency
- Primacy of public welfare (Correct answer)
- Confidentiality
- Loyalty
Correct answer: Primacy of public welfare
The primacy of public welfare principle holds that protection of public safety and welfare supersedes the interests of individual clients.
Question 6: A surveyor who is found guilty of gross negligence in performing a boundary survey may face which of the following consequences?
- A verbal warning from the county recorder only
- License suspension or revocation by the state licensing board (Correct answer)
- A mandatory peer review with no further action
- Automatic referral to the federal government
Correct answer: License suspension or revocation by the state licensing board
State licensing boards have authority to suspend or revoke a license when a surveyor is found to have committed gross negligence.
Question 7: A licensed surveyor accepts a project but realizes mid-project that the complexity exceeds their expertise. The ethical course of action is to:
- Complete the project and note limitations in the final report
- Immediately withdraw and forfeit all fees
- Associate with or refer to a more qualified surveyor and inform the client (Correct answer)
- Continue and purchase additional errors and omissions insurance
Correct answer: Associate with or refer to a more qualified surveyor and inform the client
When a surveyor lacks sufficient competency for a project, ethics require informing the client and either associating with qualified help or referring the work out.
PS Professional Liability & Ethics 2
A licensed surveyor discovers an encroachment onto a client's property during a boundary survey.
What is the surveyor's primary ethical obligation?