Surveying in North America

It inherits the basis of its land tenure from the United Kingdom, as well as the other countries that established colonies, namely Spain and France.

The original colonies that made up the United States were granted royal charters that described the limits of the lands where the settlements could be located.

As the population grew and the land was explored, the state borders were defined, like the Mason–Dixon line, finalized in 1767.

In Canada, most provinces have Common Law legal systems for the management and regulation of land and personal property being a former dominion of the British Empire, while in Quebec, a mixed legal system also combines a large amount of Civil Law and traditions in dealing with property going back to its founding and subsequent expansion as the central hub of New France.

Mexico has a land surveying system based upon Civil Law, inherited from the Colonial expansion starting with the first exploration and campaigns of the Conquistadors, right through to the wave of settlement coming over from Spain, and as such certain rights differ and are looked at dissimilarly with respect to private and personal property compared to countries with English Common Law systems such as the United States.

Most states insist upon the basic qualification of a degree in surveying, plus experience and examination requirements.

In most states, this is the Principles and Practice of Land Surveying (PS) exam and a state-specific examination.