Students

Students of the Legal Aspects of Land Surveying courses I instruct at Santiago Canyon College will be expected to read portions of various Surveying texts which are available online through the following links. Only portions of the following texts will be assigned reading, but you will find it worthwhile to have these documents available as you progress through you surveying career.

The 1973 "Manual of Instructions of Survey of the Public Lands of the United States"

The 1974 Supplement "Restoration of Lost or Obliterated Corners & Subdivision of Sections"

The 1975 BLM "Casebook"

Albert C. White’s "History of the Rectangular Survey System"

The BLM’s "Glossary of Surveying and Mapping Terms"

Various California Code Sections

Land Surveyors Act at Business and Professions Code Sections 8700 et seq.
Subdivision Map Act at Government Code Sections 66410 et seq.
Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act (Condos) at Civil Code Section 1350 et seq.
Board Rules at Title 16 California Code of Regulations Sections 400-476

Federal Case Law searches can be made to deepen your understanding of the points made in the course text where Federal cases are cited.

California Case Law is partially available through the "Find Law" website. This site is free but requires registration. Only cases after about 1950 are available through this site, and students are encouraged to visit their local Law Library for a complete collection of California cases, codes, regulations, legal treatises and other educational materials.

First semester students were provided Chris Perez’ excellent overview of early California settlement: "Ranchos of California". It is suggested reading for anyone interested the early history of California Land Titles, and there is also a book by the same author "Land Grants In Alta California" which goes into considerably more detail, published by Landmark Press and available through its successor, Paul Como Press.

These are links to the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) who create the exams for the Land Surveyor in Training (LSIT) and the National portion of the Professional Land Surveyors (PLS) exam.

This link is to a free copy of the book "Boundaries and Landmarks" by A.C. Mulford. The book is almost 100 years old but is still one of the best books on basic boundary law and its application, and an understanding of it will go a long way in your education.