The Restoration That Wasn't

When One Wrong Definition Destroyed Two Careers

Two surveyors' failure to distinguish obliterated from lost, to follow proper restoration procedures, converted routine corner reestablishment into litigation, sanctions, and a cautionary tale that still echoes through state board hearings

ENROLL NOW LEARN MORE

Perfect for Truck Time

No Screen Required

40 Years Experience

We Don't Teach Definitions. We Show You What Happens Without Them.

You're not memorizing a dictionary. You're standing before the state board, explaining why you set a new corner when the original was only obliterated, not lost. You're in a boundary dispute, justifying your retracement procedure while opposing counsel dissects every decision. You need to know the difference between resurvey and retracement without hesitation, explain The Call without confusion, defend your restoration method without stumbling over legal distinctions that should have guided every stake you set.

The Black's Law Dictionary courses include:

  • 15-Minute Micro-Lessons
  • Bite-sized episodes fit any schedule. Pause when you arrive at the site, resume when you leave.
  • Professional Production
  • Voice-over narration, sound design, and scoring. No robotic voices or echoey webinar audio.

ENROLL NOW

Why Continuing Education Courses Usually Fall Short

(And why this course is different)
×

Traditional CE Courses

  • ⊘ Memorizing the difference between retracement and resurvey without experiencing when each applies..
  • ⊘ Charts defining obliterated vs. lost corners with no consequences shown.
  • ⊘ Theoretical discussions of "The Call" that never connect to your field decisions.
  • ⊘ Lost corner restoration formulas divorced from the board complaints they prevent.
✓

Survey Life CE CoursesNEW

  • ★ The catastrophic moment a surveyor called it a resurvey when the law demanded retracement.
  • ★ Boundary disputes where obliterated vs. lost determined restoration procedure—and careers.
  • ★ How understanding The Call saved one surveyor in court while ignorance destroyed another.
  • ★ Restoration decisions that either withstood legal scrutiny or collapsed under cross-examination.

COURSE OVERVIEW

Black's, Retracement and resurvey, Obliterated, Lost, Call, Lost Corner Restoration
ONLINE COURSE

A deep dive into the legal distinctions that separate proper restoration from professional suicide. Learn why knowing retracement from resurvey isn't academic, it's survival.

This course isn't just about corner definitions; it's about preventing catastrophic mistakes that haunt careers. We examine the critical distinctions surveyors misunderstand daily, retracement versus resurvey, obliterated versus lost, The Call, and lost corner restoration procedures,until they're challenged in a board hearing or courtroom. You'll discover why confusing these legal standards can mean the difference between a defensible restoration and a career-defining complaint. Every corner you restore either follows the legal framework courts demand or violates the restoration procedures that boards will always enforce. This is about knowing when a corner is truly lost, when restoration requires proportionate measurement, and why your professional procedures must align with legal definitions, not assumptions.

  • 1 Hour (4 x 15min Audio Lessons)
  • Includes Assessment & Certificate

Single Course
$25
1 HR CE Credit
Black's Retracement and resurvey, Obliterated, Lost, Call, Restoration Course
One Year Access
Certificate Included
GET INSTANT ACCESS

TRUSTED BY A SECURE PAYMENT SERVICE

Stripe American Express Mastercard PayPal Visa Apple Pay

Our Confidence Guarantee

Refund Policy & Course Standards - Because your completion certificate is issued immediately upon course completion, all sales are final and refunds cannot be issued. Survey Life CE courses are developed in alignment with NCEES continuing education guidelines and are designed specifically for professional land surveyors. Each course is built from over 40 years of real-world field experience and presented through deep-immersion narrative instruction focused on real surveying situations, legal principles, and professional decision-making.

"You're not just getting your CE credits - you're investing in professional development that will actually make you a better surveyor." – Dan Provolt, PLS

40 Years of Survey Investigation in Your Earbuds, On Your Way to Work

In the process of researching, gathering stories, and crafting a better way for all of us as surveyors to learn, I discovered a wealth of knowledge out there, just waiting to be heard. These lessons draw not only from my own forty years in the field, but from the shared experiences of countless surveyors.

As I assembled these narratives, I revisited my own past mistakes, near misses, small triumphs, and moments of clarity. But more importantly, I recognized how many of the challenges we face, boundary puzzles, legal conflicts, ethical dilemmas, and split-second field decisions, are universal across our profession.

You're not just buying CE credits. You're investing in professional development that will actually make you a better surveyor.

  • Licensed PLS (30 Years)
  • Survey Business Owner (23 Years)
  • Expert Witness
  • Boundary Solutions
  • Registered Course Developer

Frequently Asked Questions

All Survey Life CE courses comply with NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors) Continuing Professional Competency Guidelines. Our 40-year PLS instructor, Course and time tracking, Student Dashboard Records, Automated certificates of course completion, Course Quiz and certification of passing score. The Course subject matter applies directly towards improving the surveyor's knowledge and training. Our Audio delivery method is explicitly approved by NCEES Model Rules Section 2.3.1(c)  

Survey Life CE courses are in alignment with the requirements of NCEES and the following list of states that do not require pre-approval, but do rely on the above standards. The states not listed either do not require continuing education or have particular state-centered pre-approval courses.

Tap the URL on your cell phone or, if on your lap top, Drag across and right-click on your state URL below. Select the"open" option to access their Continuing Education Requirements page. 

It is your responsibility, as a licensed Land Surveyor, to check your state's Continuing Education Requirements.

ALABAMA 
https://bels.alabama.gov/faqs/

ALASKA     https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/professionallicensing/boardofarchitectsengineersandlandsurveyors.aspx           

ARKANSAS   

https://labor.arkansas.gov/licensing/state-board-of-licensure-for-professional-engineers-and-professional-surveyors/license-renewal/                                                    

COLORADO                                                                                                     

https://dpo.colorado.gov/AES/CE

IDAHO   

https://dopl.idaho.gov/ipels/ipels-cpd/

ILLINOIS

https://idfpr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idfpr/forms/dpr/ls-renewal-pdh-requirements.pdf

IOWA

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/law/administrativeRules/rules?agency=193C&chapter=7&pubDate=02-04-2026

KANSAS

https://www.ksbtp.ks.gov/for-individuals/continuing-education/guidelines

LOUISIANA

https://www.lapels.com/docs/CPD/CPD_Audit_Transition_Examples.pdf

MAINE

https://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/professions/board-licensure-professional-land-surveyors

MICHIGAN

https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/michigan/department-licensing-and-regulatory-affairs/bureau-of-professional-licensing/professional-surveyors/professional-surveyors/part-5

MINNESOTA

https://mn.gov/aelslagid/continuinged.html

MISSISSIPPI

https://www.pepls.ms.gov/continuing-education

MONTANA

https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/montana/ARM-24-183-2105

NEBRASKA

https://nbels.nebraska.gov/profdev.html

NEVADA

https://nvbpels.org/continuing-education/

NEW MEXICO

https://www.sblpes.state.nm.us/license-renewal/

NORTH CAROLINA

https://www.ncbels.org/continuing-education/individuals/

NORTH DAKOTA

https://ndpelsboard.org/continuing-education/

OHIO

https://peps.ohio.gov/education-and-verification/continuing-education/provider-guidelines

OKLAHOMA

https://oklahoma.gov/pes/current-licensees-and-firms-/continuing-education-requirements.html

OREGON

https://www.oregon.gov/osbeels/maintaining/Pages/Continuing-Education-Information.aspx

PENNSYLVANIA

https://pcpg.org/ContinuingEdFAQs

SOUTH CAROLINA

https://llr.sc.gov/eng/PDF_Files/CPC.PDF

SOUTH DAKOTA

https://dlr.sd.gov/btp/forms_applications.aspx

TEXAS

https://pels.texas.gov/lscep.htm

UTAH

https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/utah/Utah-Admin-Code-R156-22-304

VIRGINIA

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title18/agency10/chapter20/section683/

WASHINGTON

https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=196-16&full=true

WEST VIRGINIA

https://wvbps.wv.gov/law

WISCONSON

https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/LandSurveyorProfessional/CE.aspx

WYOMING

https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/wyoming/037-4-Wyo-Code-R-SS-4-2

Absolutely! That's exactly what Survey Life CE is designed for. Plug in headphones or connect to your truck's audio system and listen while you drive to and from work. While eating lunch or waiting at the job site. Just be safe and attentive while operating vehicles.

After completing each 1-hour tracked course (four 15-minute lessons) along with a personal sign-off testifying the passing of the quiz with 75% or higher, you'll instantly receive a downloadable certificate of completion.

If you fail the quiz you'll be able to re-listen to the audio lessons and retake the quiz.


Hearing the Law Is Not Optional. Knowing The Law Is Survival.

Turn your mandatory CE requirement into deposition-proof expertise with the only course built around the dictionary judges cite more than any other legal reference..

START LISTENING NOW