RPLS Documentation and Reporting 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of legal description method references a fictitious point of beginning and uses courses and distances to describe a parcel perimeter?
- Lot and block (platted) description
- Metes and bounds description (Correct answer)
- Rectangular (Public Land Survey System) description
- Coordinate description
Correct answer: Metes and bounds description
A metes and bounds description uses a defined point of beginning, then traces the parcel boundary by courses (bearings) and distances (metes) back to the point of beginning.
Question 2: When preparing a topographic survey report, which datum is most commonly used for vertical control in the United States?
- North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27)
- North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) (Correct answer)
- World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84)
- International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD)
Correct answer: North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88)
NAVD 88 is the current official vertical datum for the contiguous United States and is the standard reference for elevation data in survey reports.
Question 3: In a survey field book, what notation best documents the condition of a found monument?
- 'Found' with no additional detail
- Description of the monument type, size, stability, and any markings observed (Correct answer)
- Only the coordinates of the monument
- The monument's age as estimated by the surveyor
Correct answer: Description of the monument type, size, stability, and any markings observed
Thorough documentation of a found monument includes its type, dimensions, stability, and markings so the record can support future surveyors' reliability assessments.
Question 4: A surveyor discovers that a previously recorded plat contains a mathematical closure error. What is the proper documentation step?
- Quietly correct the plat and re-record without notation
- Prepare a plat amendment or correction plat noting the error and correction (Correct answer)
- Inform only the adjacent property owner
- Do nothing since the plat is already recorded
Correct answer: Prepare a plat amendment or correction plat noting the error and correction
A correction plat or amended plat that clearly identifies the error and its correction must be prepared and recorded to maintain an accurate public record.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a 'surveyor's certificate' or 'surveyor's statement' on a plat?
- To provide a title insurance commitment
- To attest that the survey was performed in accordance with applicable laws and standards (Correct answer)
- To assign liability to the property owner for boundary conflicts
- To waive the surveyor's professional responsibility
Correct answer: To attest that the survey was performed in accordance with applicable laws and standards
The surveyor's certificate is the professional statement attesting that the survey was performed under the surveyor's supervision and complies with applicable standards and laws.
Question 6: When reporting coordinates on a survey plat using the State Plane Coordinate System, which unit of measure is standard in the United States?
- Meters only
- International feet only
- US Survey feet or meters, depending on the state zone definition (Correct answer)
- Chains and links
Correct answer: US Survey feet or meters, depending on the state zone definition
State Plane Coordinate System zones are defined in either US Survey feet or meters depending on the state, so the surveyor must match the units to the applicable zone definition.
Question 7: Which document is typically prepared to transfer a strip of land to a public agency for road widening and must contain a legal description and exhibit map?
- Warranty deed with no exhibits
- Right-of-way deed with attached exhibit 'A' legal description and plat (Correct answer)
- Quitclaim deed only
- Partition plat
Correct answer: Right-of-way deed with attached exhibit 'A' legal description and plat
A right-of-way deed with an attached legal description (Exhibit A) and plat exhibit precisely defines the parcel being conveyed and is required for public agency acquisitions.
RPLS Documentation and Reporting 3
Which type of legal description method references a fictitious point of beginning and uses courses and distances to describe a parcel perimeter?