Illinois Jurisdictional Land Surveyor
Exam with Practice Questions And
Correct Answers (V
1. A 1962 subdivision plat depicts Lot 14 as bounded by a meandered stream, but the
2024 retracement survey finds the stream has gradually shifted 35 feet east over six
decades. Under Illinois law, which principle governs the lot's legal boundary?
A. The boundary remains at the stream's 1962 location because the plat is the controlling
document.
B. The boundary follows the stream's current location under the doctrine of accretion,
provided the shift was gradual and imperceptible.
C. The boundary follows the stream's current location only if the state has not claimed
the vacated bed.
D. The boundary is fixed at the thread of the stream as it existed on the date of the
original government survey.
Answer: B. The boundary follows the stream's current location under the doctrine of
accretion, provided the shift was gradual and imperceptible.
Rationale: Under Illinois common law, gradual and imperceptible accretion shifts the
boundary with the water, and the riparian owner gains or loses land accordingly. A
recorded plat does not freeze the meander line when the change results from natural
accretion. Options A and D ignore the accretion doctrine, and C misstates the role of state
ownership of navigable streambeds.
Page 1 of 90
,2. A section corner monument is lost, and the original government field notes record
bearing trees and a measured distance from the section corner to a quarter-section
corner of 40.00 chains. The retracement finds the two witness bearing trees still
standing, but the recorded distance is 40.30 chains. Which restoration method is most
defensible?
A. Single-proportion the distance along the line between the nearest found corners.
B. Set the corner at the recorded distance from the nearest found corner, disregarding the
bearing trees.
C. Re-establish the corner at the intersection of the recorded bearing-tree bearings.
D. Use the average of the bearing-tree intersection and the proportional distance.
Answer: C. Re-establish the corner at the intersection of the recorded bearing-tree
bearings.
Rationale: When original bearing trees survive, their recorded bearings are the best
available evidence of the corner's true position, and the intersection of those bearings
controls over measured distance. Proportioning (A) is used only when no original evidence
remains. B and D improperly subordinate or blend the strongest evidence.
Page 2 of 90
,3. Which Illinois statute governs the minimum standards for a land survey performed
for the purpose of conveying title and requires the surveyor to file a plat of survey
with the county recorder?
A. Illinois Plat Act (765 ILCS 205)
B. Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act (225 ILCS 330)
C. Illinois Land Surveyors Standards of Practice (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270)
D. Illinois Recording Act (765 ILCS 5)
Answer: C. Illinois Land Surveyors Standards of Practice (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270)
Rationale: The Standards of Practice adopted under the Illinois Professional Land
Surveyor Act set the technical requirements for boundary surveys and mandate recording
of plats of survey. The Plat Act governs subdivision platting, while the Professional Land
Surveyor Act provides the licensing framework. The Recording Act governs document
recording generally, not survey standards.
4. A surveyor uses a GNSS receiver in RTK mode to establish a control point for a
boundary survey. The horizontal accuracy specification is 0.05 ft + 1 ppm. The
baseline length is 4 km. What is the expected 95% horizontal accuracy?
A. 0.05 ft
B. 0.18 ft
C. 0.29 ft
D. 0.55 ft
Answer: B. 0.18 ft
Rationale: The 1 ppm term contributes 1 mm per km, so 4 km gives 4 mm 0.0131 ft; adding
0.05 ft gives 0.063 ft at 1. The 95% (2) value is approximately 0.126 ft, but the stated
specification is often interpreted as a 95% confidence interval, making 0.18 ft the closest
listed option when combining terms at the 95% level. Options A, C, and D misapply the
ppm scaling or the confidence multiplier.
Page 3 of 90
, 5. An Illinois surveyor discovers that a 1998 retracement monument was set at a
location that conflicts with the original 1840 GLO corner by 12 feet. The 1998
monument has been relied upon by adjoining owners for 25 years. Under Illinois law,
which doctrine is most likely to control the boundary?
A. Boundary by acquiescence, because the adjoining owners have treated the 1998
monument as the corner for over 20 years.
B. Adverse possession, because the statutory period for recovery of land is 20 years.
C. The original GLO corner controls absolutely, and the 1998 monument has no legal
effect.
D. The 1998 monument controls because it is the most recent survey of record.
Answer: A. Boundary by acquiescence, because the adjoining owners have treated the
1998 monument as the corner for over 20 years.
Rationale: Illinois recognizes boundary by acquiescence when adjoining landowners treat
a monument or line as the boundary for the statutory period (20 years), even if it does not
match the original survey. Adverse possession (B) requires hostile possession and payment
of taxes in Illinois. C is too rigid and ignores the acquiescence doctrine, and D incorrectly
assumes recency equals authority.
6. A surveyor is preparing an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey in Illinois. The client
requests that the surveyor certify the survey to the lender and the title company.
Which statement best describes the surveyor's professional obligation regarding
certification?
A. The surveyor must certify to all parties named in the title commitment without
limitation.
B. The surveyor may certify to the lender and title company, but should limit liability by
clearly stating the scope and any reliance limitations.
C. Certification is prohibited under the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act.
D. Only the title company may be certified, because lenders are not intended users.
Answer: B. The surveyor may certify to the lender and title company, but should limit
liability by clearly stating the scope and any reliance limitations.
Rationale: ALTA/NSPS standards permit certification to the lender and title company, but
the surveyor should define the scope and limit reliance to intended users to manage
liability. A is overly broad and exposes the surveyor to unknown parties. C is false;
certification is standard practice. D misstates the intended users under the ALTA/NSPS
Page 4 of 90
Exam with Practice Questions And
Correct Answers (V
1. A 1962 subdivision plat depicts Lot 14 as bounded by a meandered stream, but the
2024 retracement survey finds the stream has gradually shifted 35 feet east over six
decades. Under Illinois law, which principle governs the lot's legal boundary?
A. The boundary remains at the stream's 1962 location because the plat is the controlling
document.
B. The boundary follows the stream's current location under the doctrine of accretion,
provided the shift was gradual and imperceptible.
C. The boundary follows the stream's current location only if the state has not claimed
the vacated bed.
D. The boundary is fixed at the thread of the stream as it existed on the date of the
original government survey.
Answer: B. The boundary follows the stream's current location under the doctrine of
accretion, provided the shift was gradual and imperceptible.
Rationale: Under Illinois common law, gradual and imperceptible accretion shifts the
boundary with the water, and the riparian owner gains or loses land accordingly. A
recorded plat does not freeze the meander line when the change results from natural
accretion. Options A and D ignore the accretion doctrine, and C misstates the role of state
ownership of navigable streambeds.
Page 1 of 90
,2. A section corner monument is lost, and the original government field notes record
bearing trees and a measured distance from the section corner to a quarter-section
corner of 40.00 chains. The retracement finds the two witness bearing trees still
standing, but the recorded distance is 40.30 chains. Which restoration method is most
defensible?
A. Single-proportion the distance along the line between the nearest found corners.
B. Set the corner at the recorded distance from the nearest found corner, disregarding the
bearing trees.
C. Re-establish the corner at the intersection of the recorded bearing-tree bearings.
D. Use the average of the bearing-tree intersection and the proportional distance.
Answer: C. Re-establish the corner at the intersection of the recorded bearing-tree
bearings.
Rationale: When original bearing trees survive, their recorded bearings are the best
available evidence of the corner's true position, and the intersection of those bearings
controls over measured distance. Proportioning (A) is used only when no original evidence
remains. B and D improperly subordinate or blend the strongest evidence.
Page 2 of 90
,3. Which Illinois statute governs the minimum standards for a land survey performed
for the purpose of conveying title and requires the surveyor to file a plat of survey
with the county recorder?
A. Illinois Plat Act (765 ILCS 205)
B. Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act (225 ILCS 330)
C. Illinois Land Surveyors Standards of Practice (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270)
D. Illinois Recording Act (765 ILCS 5)
Answer: C. Illinois Land Surveyors Standards of Practice (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270)
Rationale: The Standards of Practice adopted under the Illinois Professional Land
Surveyor Act set the technical requirements for boundary surveys and mandate recording
of plats of survey. The Plat Act governs subdivision platting, while the Professional Land
Surveyor Act provides the licensing framework. The Recording Act governs document
recording generally, not survey standards.
4. A surveyor uses a GNSS receiver in RTK mode to establish a control point for a
boundary survey. The horizontal accuracy specification is 0.05 ft + 1 ppm. The
baseline length is 4 km. What is the expected 95% horizontal accuracy?
A. 0.05 ft
B. 0.18 ft
C. 0.29 ft
D. 0.55 ft
Answer: B. 0.18 ft
Rationale: The 1 ppm term contributes 1 mm per km, so 4 km gives 4 mm 0.0131 ft; adding
0.05 ft gives 0.063 ft at 1. The 95% (2) value is approximately 0.126 ft, but the stated
specification is often interpreted as a 95% confidence interval, making 0.18 ft the closest
listed option when combining terms at the 95% level. Options A, C, and D misapply the
ppm scaling or the confidence multiplier.
Page 3 of 90
, 5. An Illinois surveyor discovers that a 1998 retracement monument was set at a
location that conflicts with the original 1840 GLO corner by 12 feet. The 1998
monument has been relied upon by adjoining owners for 25 years. Under Illinois law,
which doctrine is most likely to control the boundary?
A. Boundary by acquiescence, because the adjoining owners have treated the 1998
monument as the corner for over 20 years.
B. Adverse possession, because the statutory period for recovery of land is 20 years.
C. The original GLO corner controls absolutely, and the 1998 monument has no legal
effect.
D. The 1998 monument controls because it is the most recent survey of record.
Answer: A. Boundary by acquiescence, because the adjoining owners have treated the
1998 monument as the corner for over 20 years.
Rationale: Illinois recognizes boundary by acquiescence when adjoining landowners treat
a monument or line as the boundary for the statutory period (20 years), even if it does not
match the original survey. Adverse possession (B) requires hostile possession and payment
of taxes in Illinois. C is too rigid and ignores the acquiescence doctrine, and D incorrectly
assumes recency equals authority.
6. A surveyor is preparing an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey in Illinois. The client
requests that the surveyor certify the survey to the lender and the title company.
Which statement best describes the surveyor's professional obligation regarding
certification?
A. The surveyor must certify to all parties named in the title commitment without
limitation.
B. The surveyor may certify to the lender and title company, but should limit liability by
clearly stating the scope and any reliance limitations.
C. Certification is prohibited under the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act.
D. Only the title company may be certified, because lenders are not intended users.
Answer: B. The surveyor may certify to the lender and title company, but should limit
liability by clearly stating the scope and any reliance limitations.
Rationale: ALTA/NSPS standards permit certification to the lender and title company, but
the surveyor should define the scope and limit reliance to intended users to manage
liability. A is overly broad and exposes the surveyor to unknown parties. C is false;
certification is standard practice. D misstates the intended users under the ALTA/NSPS
Page 4 of 90
