Cadastral Survey
An official government survey that establishes and defines the boundaries of land parcels for ownership and management purposes.
Detailed Definition
A cadastral survey is an official survey that creates, marks, and defines the boundaries of land parcels. In the United States, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for cadastral surveys on federal and Indian lands.
BLM cadastral responsibilities: - Original surveys of unsurveyed public lands - Dependent resurveys to restore lost corners - Independent resurveys when original survey was fraudulent - Special surveys (mining claims, mineral surveys, etc.) - Boundary surveys for federal reservations
Types of cadastral surveys
Original Survey: - First survey of previously unsurveyed land - Establishes the initial legal boundaries - Creates section corners and monuments
Dependent Resurvey: - Restores lost or obliterated corners - Follows procedures based on original survey evidence - Does not alter original boundaries
Mineral Survey: - Surveys mining claims for patent applications - Creates metes and bounds descriptions - Required for mineral patents (historical)
Legal authority: - Derived from the Constitution (Property Clause) - Governed by the Manual of Surveying Instructions - Survey plats become legal documents - Filed with General Land Office/BLM records
Cadastral surveys create the legal framework for land ownership and are essential for mining claims, land transfers, and resource management.
Related Terms
PLSS
The Public Land Survey System, a method of subdividing and describing land in the United States using townships, ranges, and sections.
BLM
The Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency that administers public lands including mining claim filings and maintenance.
Section Corner
A surveyed point marking the intersection of section lines, monumented on the ground to define section boundaries.
Monument
A physical marker placed at a survey corner to permanently identify the location on the ground.