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Frequently Asked Questions
What's involved in a typical property, or boundary, survey?
After the land surveyor examines the legal description of the property and ascertains the general location and accessibility, he will perform a thorough research of the public records for any pertinent information or prior work in the area. Obviously this includes other Records of Survey, but can extend to any map or document showing some relevant record or measured relationship. For example, utility company and the railroad plans will often contain information about the position of since obliterated corners or survey monuments.
The surveyor will review his own records, and those of others, for any unrecorded information. He will also examine County Assessor maps and records, in conjunction with adjacent deeds, to identify and interpret apparent conflicts, gaps, or overlaps.
The field portion of the survey will typically start with a reconnaissance of the property and surrounding area, and recovery of existing monuments. A control traverse then ties together these monuments and pinpoints search positions for those missing. Relevant improvements, such as potential encroachments, fence lines, and other physical features are located, as well as any rights-of-way and pertinent easements.
Corners are set after a thorough analysis of all the record and field data, after which a Record of Survey is prepared and filed, along with any required legal descriptions.
How much will it cost to have my property surveyed?
Costs can vary greatly for a property or 'boundary' survey, and for the most part are not directly related to the size of the parcel. A big factor is the existence and quality of prior surveys in the area. Therefore unfortunately it is usually the first survey in an area or a Section which costs the most. Neighbors can agree to have their parcels surveyed concurrently and thus more equitably distribute the initial survey costs.
What is an "aliquot part"?
An aliquot part of a Section is some subdivision portion of that Section, usually described in terms of "halves" and "quarters" of each other. For example, the N?SW?SE? Section 22 is the North Half of the Southwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter of Section 22.
What's involved in the survey of an aliquot part?
Since an aliquot part is a proportional subdivisional part of a Section, the location of the exterior corners of that Section must be known and tied together in order to "break down", or subdivide, that Section. Although the original government surveys indicate uniform and regular measurements and areas, the actual dimensions always vary to some degree - sometimes substantially. Therefore, it is not enough "come off" or base a survey on just one or even two government corners. The location of all four quarter corners of the Section and the Section Corner of the ? Section the parcel is in must be located in order to define the parcel - even if that parcel may be only 5 or 10 acres.
Why do surveys often extend seemingly far beyond the actual parcel area?
The subdivision of a Section into aliquot parts is one big reason. Also, if one of the required 5 government corners is lost, it must be proportioned between the closest adjacent corners in other Sections.
What is a "metes and bounds" description?
A metes description defines a parcel by bearings and distances; a bounds description defines a parcel by adjacent or surrounding physical features or other described parcels. A metes and bounds description is a combination of both.
What's involved in a metes and bounds survey?
Generally, a metes and bounds parcel is defined by references more local and close at hand than the 5 section corners required for an aliquot part. In some cases this can simplify the survey, but again depends on other factors as well.
But my legal description consists of bearings and distances - why can't you simply run those on the ground?
The problem is that before the arrival of survey grade GPS equipment, accurate astronomic bearings were very difficult to obtain, survey, and repeat. Consequently, bearings have accurate meaning only in terms of their relationship to other bearings within the same survey. Surveyors must "tie into" another survey, and thus have any newly established lines be on the same "basis of bearing" as the prior survey. However, surveys even in the same Section in the past were often performed on different " bases". If you look closely at a Record of Survey, it will contain a statement on the "Basis of Bearing" of that survey. Older distance measurements tend to be less accurate as well. Consequently, the record distance of a lot line must be proportioned against adjacent monuments and surveys. |
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