Free Arizona Land Surveying Examination (AZLS) Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Arizona Land Surveying Examination (AZLS) practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1Under Arizona's municipal subdivision definitions, which division qualifies as a land split?

   1. A. 2.5 acres or less into 2 or 3 tracts for sale or lease
   2. B. 5 acres or less into 4 tracts for sale or lease
   3. C. 10 acres or less into 2 tracts for agricultural use
   4. D. 20 acres or less into 3 tracts for inheritance

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The controlling text uses the limit "two and one-half acres or less" and requires division into two or three tracts for sale or lease. Therefore the first division meets the Arizona definition.

   Reference: 9-463 - Definitions — 9-463. Definitions

2. 2Which parcel-count condition states Arizona's general municipal definition of subdivision before the new-street and recorded-plat cases are considered?

   1. A. Four or more lots, tracts, or parcels
   2. B. Two or three parcels involving a new street
   3. C. Two or three parcels not involving a new street
   4. D. A parcel acquired for a public project

   Answer: A

   Explanation: A.R.S. 9-463.02 defines subdivision as land divided "into four or more lots, tracts or parcels of land." The other choices describe a special trigger, the land-split category, or a statutory exception rather than the general definition.

   Reference: 9-463.02 - Subdivision defined; applicability — § 9-463.02(A)

3. 3An owner proposes a subdivision in an unincorporated area within three miles of a city that has minimum subdivision standards. What is the owner's first statutory step?

   1. A. Give written notice to the city or town and submit a tentative plat
   2. B. Record the final plat without municipal notice
   3. C. Apply first to the federal land office
   4. D. Convey the proposed streets to the county

   Answer: A

   Explanation: A.R.S. 9-474 says the owner "shall first give written notice to the city or town" and "shall submit ... a tentative plat." Those are the required initial actions.

   Reference: 9-474 - Subdivision plats; projection of street and alley lines; approval; survey — § 9-474(A)

4. 4Before conveying land by reference to a subdivision plat under A.R.S. 9-479, which plat status is required?

   1. A. Tentative plat submitted
   2. B. Preliminary plat approved
   3. C. Map or plat prepared and filed
   4. D. Final plat drafted but unfiled

   Answer: C

   Explanation: A.R.S. 9-479 requires the map or plat to be "prepared and filed under the provisions of this article." The prepared-and-filed plat is the key prerequisite.

   Reference: 9-479 - Conveyance by reference to plat; restriction; violation; classification — § 9-479(A)

5. 5Who regulates subdivisions in unincorporated county territory under A.R.S. 11-821?

   1. A. The county board of supervisors
   2. B. Every neighboring municipality jointly
   3. C. The county recorder alone
   4. D. The federal land office

   Answer: A

   Explanation: A.R.S. 11-821 says "The county board of supervisors shall regulate the subdivision of all lands within its corporate limits, except subdivisions that are regulated by municipalities." The county board is the regulator.

   Reference: 11-821 - Subdivision regulations; subdivision reservation for public facilities and services; conditions; procedures; time limitation — § 11-821(A)

6. 6Which recording action creates an Arizona condominium under A.R.S. 33-1211?

   1. A. Record the declaration as a deed in each affected county
   2. B. Record the association bylaws in one selected county
   3. C. Record the plat without its declaration in each county
   4. D. Record a tax-parcel map in the principal county

   Answer: A

   Explanation: A.R.S. 33-1211 says a condominium may be created "by recording a declaration in the same manner as a deed in each county in which any portion of the condominium is located." That recordation creates it.

   Reference: 33-1211 - Creation of condominium — § 33-1211

7. 7Which treatment of cemetery land does A.R.S. 32-2194.21 require before interment use?

   1. A. Survey and subdivide it into mapped cemetery units
   2. B. Describe it only as one undivided cemetery parcel
   3. C. Map only the plots already sold for interment
   4. D. Record only the outer-boundary legal description

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The statute directs a cemetery to "survey and subdivide it into sections, blocks, plots, avenues, walks or other subdivisions." Survey and subdivision into cemetery units are required.

   Reference: 32-2194.21 - Survey of property; maps and plats — § 32-2194.21(1)

8. 8How does the official AZLS content outline characterize A.R.S. 33-121 through 33-128, the "Old" Arizona Coordinate System?

   1. A. Current and mandatory for every survey
   2. B. Current only in the west zone
   3. C. Repealed
   4. D. A county-option system

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The official outline labels this scope: ""Old" Arizona Coordinate System (Repealed 33-121through128)." Therefore the listed old-system provisions are repealed.

   Reference: Land Surveyor Handbook — Arizona Land Surveying Examination Content Outline, item 14

9. 9Under Arizona law, which description matches A.R.S. 12-521's definition of adverse possession?

   1. A. Actual, visible, hostile appropriation under a claim of right
   2. B. Continuous possession uninterrupted by a recovery action
   3. C. Successive possession connected by privity of estate
   4. D. Possession supported by a recorded color-of-title instrument

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The statute defines adverse possession as "an actual and visible appropriation of the land, commenced and continued under a claim of right inconsistent with and hostile to the claim of another." The first option tracks the definition.

   Reference: 12-521 - Definitions — 12-521. Definitions

10. 10Which item belongs on an Arizona lode-claim location notice under A.R.S. 27-202 rather than only on the claim map?

    1. A. General course of the claim
    2. B. Scale of the claim map
    3. C. North arrow for the claim map
    4. D. Type of corner monuments used

    Answer: A

    Explanation: A.R.S. 27-202 lists "The general course of the claim" as location-notice content. Scale, north arrow, and monument type are map items under A.R.S. 27-203.

    Reference: 27-202 - Method of locating a lode claim; monument; location notice; amendments — § 27-202