Manual Errata - By Date
The Bureau of Land Management respectfully requests that readers of the Manual of Surveying Instructions (2009) (Manual) report any errors found. Errors should be brought to the attention of the Bureau of Land Management Chief Cadastral Surveyor, by sending an email with the details to blmsurveymanual@blm.gov.
List by: Date|Chapter
12/16/2010
Section 1-20., Page 8
The last sentence in item (5) of the right column should read:
However, case law in the courts later established that the Surveyor General, i.e., the Government, could correct or change a survey up until such time as private rights were acquired based on the survey.
(12/16/2010 - 34)
Section 2-19., Page 31
The formula for the factor of eccentricity should read:

(12/16/2010 - 35)
Section 3-121., Page 70
The last sentence should read:
This subdivision-of-section method is also used when the evidence conclusively shows that the meander corner, as well as closing or equivalent corners, was actually established as a terminal corner.
(12/16/2010 - 36)
Appendix III, Specimen Field Notes, Pages 452 through 462
The distance column should read: FEET
See revised Appendix III, Specimen Field Notes.
(12/16/2010 - 37)
Appendix III, Specimen Field Notes, Page 453
The description at 170.28 feet should read:
Intersect line 3-4, M.S. No. 19142 I.X.L. lode, at a point from which Cor. No. 3 bears N. 61° 27' E., 871.43 ft. dist. and Cor. No. 4 bears S. 61° 27' W., 628.57 ft. dist., both hereinafter described.
(12/16/2010 - 38)
Appendix III, Specimen Field Notes, Pages 463 through 470
The distance column should be blank.
See revised Appendix III, Specimen Field Notes.
(12/16/2010 - 39)
10/27/2010
Section 3-157., Page 81
The third sentence of item (7) should read:
In a like manner, random and true lines will be surveyed from the established protracted corner to the existing corner designated on the amended protraction diagram.
(10/27/2010 - 1)
Section 3-157., Page 81
In the fourth line of item (10), the spaces between the words and punctuation are missing.
(10/27/2010 - 2)
Chapter III Notes Prefaces, Page 97
See Washington Office Instruction Memorandum No. 2010-187 (08/19/10).
(10/27/2010 - 3)
Section 5-17., Page 131
The period is missing at the end of the first paragraph.
(10/27/2010 - 6)
Section 7-10., Figure 7-2., Page 167
Under the "True line solution", the bearing from "X" to "C" should be S. 89° 59' 09" W., not N. 89° 59' 09" W., and in the "True Line" table, for Course X-C, the "Lat." column, should read S. 0.010, not N. 0.010. See revised figure 7-2.
(10/27/2010 - 7)
Section 7-22., Figure 7-3., Page 169
The figure is out of scale, i.e., the ¼ section corners should be at midpoint between the section corners. See revised figure 7-3.
(10/27/2010 - 8)
Section 7-23., Figure 7-4., Page 169
The figure is out of scale, i.e., the ¼ section corners should be at midpoint between the section corners. See revised figure 7-4.
(10/27/2010 - 9)
Section 7-26., Page 170
The second sentence of the section should read:
In these cases, a recovered junior corner not actually located on the line that it was intended should not control the line for measurement or alinement.
(10/27/2010 - 10)
Section 7-42., Figure 7-6., Page 172
The figure is out of scale, i.e., the ¼ section corners should be at midpoint between the section corners. See revised figure 7-6.
(10/27/2010 - 11)
Section 7-52., Figure 7-8., Page 175
- For "departure C =" the denominator should be "total record dist" and not "total lat record dist"
- For "departure C1 =" the denominator should be "78.44" and not "78.4107"
- Also for "departure C1 =" the product should be "-0.5028" and not "-.5025"
- The bearing C1 should be "N. 0° 44' 46" W." and not "N. 0° 44' 45" W."
- For "departure C2 =" the denominator should be "78.44" and not "78.4107"
- Also for "departure C2 =" the product should be "1.6530" and not "1.6532"
- The bearing C2 should be "N. 2° 21' 13" E." and not "N. 2° 21' 14" E."
See revised figure 7-8.
(10/27/2010 - 12)
Section 7-58., Page 178
The period is missing at the end of the third sentence.
(10/27/2010 - 13)
Section 7-59., Figure 7-12., Page 179
The correct easting coordinate for point A-3 is 39.835, not 17.683. See revised figure 7-12.
(10/27/2010 - 14)
Section 8-45., Page 191
The last sentence of the section should read:
Where a prestatehood grant of real property to an Indian tribe includes navigable waters within the grant boundaries and the grant is construed to include the submerged lands, title to the bed was withheld for the benefit of the tribe.
(10/27/2010 - 15)
Chapter VIII Notes Prefaces, Page 225
See Washington Office Instruction Memorandum No. 2010-187 (08/19/10).
(10/27/2010 - 4)
Chapter VIII Notes., Page 241
The first sentence of the page should read:
The Arizona Supreme Court, at 107 Ariz. 465 (1971), proceeded to define the OHWM as having the same meaning as the ordinary high water line and to affirm that Arizona employs the vegetation and the agricultural uses test for determination of the OHWM.
(10/27/2010 - 16)
Chapter VIII Notes., Page 253
The last sentence of the fourth paragraph of the Koch case should read:
Each parcel was found to be above the OHWM of the river at the time of the original survey and at all times since.
(10/27/2010 - 17)
Chapter VIII Erroneously Meandered Ferry Lake Case Study, Page 266
See Washington Office Instruction Memorandum No. 2010-187 (08/19/10).
(10/27/2010 - 5)
Section 9-96., Page 309
The second sentence of the section should read:
The specific purpose to be served and the details involved are included in the authorization signed by the Chief Cadastral Surveyor or request signed by the requesting official.
(10/27/2010 - 18)
Section 9-97., Page 310
The section should read:
Upon the determination by the approving official of the requirement for a supplemental plat, special instructions giving the detailed specifications will be set out, prepared, signed, and approved. Assignment instructions will be issued. A survey group file will be created and contain the entire record of the supplemental plat process.
(10/27/2010 - 19)
Section 9-99., Page 310
The last sentence of the first paragraph should read:
The survey group file must contain corner description information, copies of local surveys, examination reports, the authorization or request, special instructions, assignment instructions, and other relevant materials.
(10/27/2010 - 20)
Section 9-102., Figure 9-6., Page 313
The caption should read:
Figure 9-6. Supplemental plat with segregation of mineral claims.
(10/27/2010 - 21)
Section 9-115., Page 318
The second sentence of the section should read:
The specific purpose to be served and the details involved are included in the authorization signed by the Chief Cadastral Surveyor or request signed by the requesting official.
(10/27/2010 - 22)
Section 9-115., Page 318
The last sentence of the section should read:
The administrative determination of the need for a protraction diagram rests with the appropriate Chief Cadastral Surveyor, subject to the diagram's acceptance for the BLM Director, and filing in the official survey records.
(10/27/2010 - 23)
Section 9-116., Page 318
The section should read:
Upon the determination by the approving official of the requirement for a protraction diagram, special instructions giving the detailed specifications will be set out, prepared, signed, and approved. Assignment instructions will be issued. A survey group file will be created and contain the entire record of the protraction diagram process.
(10/27/2010 - 24)
Section 9-117., Pages 318 and 320
The last sentence of the first paragraph should read:
The survey group file must contain corner description information, copies of local surveys, examination reports, the authorization or request, special instructions, assignment instructions, and other relevant materials.
(10/27/2010 - 25)
Section 10-110., Page 352
The section number should read "10-110." not "1-110."
(10/27/2010 - 26)
Section 10-133., Page 356
The first sentence of the fourth paragraph should read:
The three preceding paragraphs are intended to permit the surveyor to obtain connections in a practicable manner based upon existing field conditions.
(10/27/2010 - 27)
Appendix I, Specimen Field Notes, Cover Page, Page 375
The space between "Survey commenced:" and "June 1, 2009" is missing and should read:
Survey commenced: June 1, 2009
(10/27/2010 - 28)
Appendix I, Specimen Field Notes, Index Diagram, Page 376
See revised Index Diagram.
(10/27/2010 - 29)
Appendix I, Specimen Field Notes, Page 378
The first sentence of the "EDITOR NOTE" should read:
EDITOR NOTE.- The field notes of the resurvey of a portion of Rancho San Blas, Mineral Surveys No. 3202, 3205, and 3206, and a portion of the east boundary are omitted.
(10/27/2010 - 30)
Appendix I, Specimen Plat, Pocket inside the back cover
The topographic feature Clear Creek in section 33 is missing and should be added. See revised plat.
(10/27/2010 - 31)
Appendix I, Specimen Plat, Pocket inside the back cover
The bearing between sections 17 and 18 from the corner of sections 7, 8, 17, and 18, on the main plat, should be "S. 0° 05' E." and not "N. 0° 05' W.". See revised plat.
(10/27/2010 - 32)
Appendix I, Specimen Plat, Pocket inside the back cover
The dashed line showing the outline of the unnamed island in the Yellowstone River in section 25 is missing and should be added. See revised plat.