U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Cadastral Survey
Lands and Realty Group (WO-350)
1849 C Street, N.W., LS1000
Washington DC 20240 USA

Website: http://www.blm.gov/cadastral

The rectangular survey system, which was first proposed by Thomas Jefferson and enacted into law by the Land Ordinance of 1785, forms the backbone of the Nation's land surveys. As a young nation, we faced the daunting task of surveying over 1.8 billion acres of public domain lands acquired through the Louisiana Purchase, the Alaska Purchase, and other acquisition actions. Contract surveyors chosen through competitive bidding were eventually replaced with today's professional cadre of Cadastral Surveyors.

Over the past two centuries, almost 1.5 billion acres have been surveyed into townships and sections and monumented. This impressive accomplishment represents the greatest land surveying project ever undertaken: there are about 2.6 million section corners throughout the United States, each one located about a mile apart. Placing these corners required a vast expenditure of human energy in carrying heavy surveying equipment, dragging chains, cutting trails, climbing mountains, placing monuments, digging pits, and blazing "witness" trees.

Today, the BLM is the Federal Government's official record keeper for over 200 years' worth of cadastral survey records and plats. In addition, the Bureau is still completing numerous new surveys each year, mostly in Alaska, as well as conducting resurveys to restore obliterated or lost original survey corners, to enhance the management of all federal and tribal land.

Typically, BLM recruits potential surveyors through the Student Education Employment Program as Student Career Employment Program (SCEP) or Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) participants. On completion of the Land Surveyor Trainee component employees are converted to an entry level Cadastral Surveyor position. Promotion potential to the journeyman level and beyond comes quickly to the employee who remains flexible in their work location. This is your opportunity to become a member of the BLM family in an exciting and rewarding job with promotional opportunities and great benefits