Is this a survey document?

[mpallamary]

Question:

If a document is required to show the following, is it a survey document?

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Property lines (site boundaries) with dimensions.

Dimensions from buildings to property lines.

Public Right-of-way dimensions. Curb to property line distance, or centerline of street to property line distance.

Easements. Dimensions and location of all easements.

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Thank you.

[Warren Smith]

Signed, dated, and sealed.

[mpallamary]

Excellent my friend!

Yes, I agree.

[E_Page]

More context needed. How is it titled? What is its purpose? How is it being used? How is the map and the information contained on it being represented? How is the preparer representing himself (or herself)?

[marchenko]

If you owned 160 acres in the boonies and digitized it off Google Earth, pulled dimensions off your title policy exceptions and made up the rest, in order to get a building permit to add a bedroom to your cabin, probably not.

[mpallamary]

Evan,

See the attached.

Thanks all.

[E_Page]

In that context, what they are asking for is a survey document. No mention anywhere that a licensed surveyor must prepare it. But hey, they told us that it was printed on recycled paper and that's what's really important, that everyone is aware that they care about the environment.

Between including info on legal requirements and including statements complying with unspoken political mandate showing concern for popular causes, you gotta keep your priorities in order. ;-)

[mpallamary]

As is often the case, one cannot rely on the city to decide or opine as to whether a document should be prepared by a licensed professional. Indeed, the City of San Diego is notorious for giving out bad information. With regards to the EMRAs, it took me ten years to get a response from the Board.

[PLS7393]

This is a typical Planning Department informational sheet for the public, who does not know specific requirements under state law.
Furthermore, most Planning Departments (State wide) do not understand the value (or laws) associated with a good land survey for a design/construction project.

Just yesterday while talking to a local City Surveyor, we discussed how CLSA does not stand up and support a motion to educate and act on all planning departments that accept, approve, sign off on a survey document without licensed surveyors input at their agency. See Section 8761(e) of the PLS Act outlining this.

How many planning departments take the lead, approve and sign off on a lot line adjustment, or lot merger without a City Surveyors signature and stamp?

Now back to our regularly scheduled workload, as I have been down this road many times over the past many years, and nothing has changed.

[LS_8750]

And what passes for a site plan?
Good grief!

[mpallamary]

Please see the attached CLSA document describing a site plan as a land surveying document.

[mpallamary]

I note this definition as per:
http://wiki.gis.com/wiki/index.php/Surveying

Types of surveys and applicability
• ALTA/ACSM Survey: a surveying standard jointly proposed by the American Land Title Association and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping that incorporates elements of the boundary survey, mortgage survey, and topographic survey.
• Archaeological survey: used to accurately assess the relationship of archaeological sites in a landscape or to accurately record finds on an archaeological site.
• As-Built Survey: a survey conducted several times during a construction project to verify, for local and state boards (USA), that the work authorized was completed to the specifications set on the Plot Plan or Site Plan.
• Bathymetric Survey: a survey carried out to map the seabed profile.
• Boundary Survey: a survey to establish the boundaries of a parcel using its legal description which typically involves the setting or restoration of monuments or markers at the corners or along the lines of the parcel, often in the form of iron rods, pipes, or concrete monuments in the ground, or nails set in concrete or asphalt. Surveying is regarded as a sub-discipline of civil engineering all over the world. All Degree and Diploma level Engineering institutions ,world wide, have detailed items of Surveying in the curriculum for undergraduate courses in the discipline of Civil Engineering.
• Deformation Survey: a survey to determine if a structure or object is changing shape or moving. The three-dimensional positions of specific points on an object are determined, a period of time is allowed to pass, these positions are then re-measured and calculated, and a comparison between the two sets of positions is made.
• Engineering Surveys: those surveys associated with the engineering design (topographic, layout and as-built) often requiring geodetic computations beyond normal civil engineering practise.
• Erosion and Sediment Control Plan: a plan that is drawn in conjunction with a Subdivision Plan that denotes how upcoming construction activities will effect the movement of stormwater and sediment across the construction site and onto abutting properties and how developers will adjust grading activities to limit the depositing of more stormwater and sediment onto abutting properties than was done prior to construction.
• Foundation Survey: a survey done to collect the positional data on a foundation that has been poured and is cured. This is done to ensure that the foundation was constructed in the location authorized in the Plot Plan, Site Plan, or Subdivision Plan.
• Geological Survey: generic term for a survey conducted for the purpose of recording the geologically significant features of the area under investigation. .
• Hydrographic Survey: a survey conducted with the purpose of mapping the coastline and seabed for navigation, engineering, or resource management purposes.
• Mortgage Survey or Physical Survey: a simple survey that generally determines land boundaries and building locations. [ not signed or sealed by a surveyor.
• Plot Plan or Site Plan: a proposal plan for a construction site that include all existing and proposed conditions on a given site. The existing and proposed conditions always include structures, utilities, roadways, topography, and wetlands delineation and location if necessary. The plan might also, but not always, include hydrology, drainage flows, endangered species habitat, FEMA Federal Flood Insurance Reference Maps and traffic patterns.
• Soil survey, or soil mapping, is the process of determining the soil types or other properties of the soil cover over a landscape, and mapping them for others to understand and use.
• Subdivision Plan: a plot or map based on a survey of a parcel of land. Boundary lines are drawn inside the larger parcel to indicated the creation of new boundary lines and roads As-Built Plan is required by the local government. This is done so that the roadway constructed therein will pass ownership from the developer to said local government by way of a contract called a Covenant. When this stage is completed the roadways will now be maintained, repaved, swept, and plowed (if necessary for your geographic region) by the local government
• Tape Survey: this type of survey is the most basic and inexpensive type of land survey. Popular in the middle part of the 20th century, tape surveys while being accurate for distance lack substantially in their accuracy of measuring angle and bearing. ards that are practised by professional land surveyors.
• Topographic Survey: a survey that measures the elevation of points on a particular piece of land, and presents them as contour lines on a plot.
• Wetlands Delineation & Location Survey: a survey that is completed when construction work is to be done on or near a site containing defined wetlands. Depending on your local, state, or federal regulations wetlands are usually classified as areas that are completely inundated with water more than two (2) weeks during the growing season.

[mpallamary]

I am flying to Minneapolis next week to be filmed for an NBI webinar for MCLE credits. I will be discussing and explaining what a site plan is. It will be broadcast on April 14. Given the nature of this topic, I am considering putting together a white paper to elaborate on this topic. Does anyone have any thoughts they would like to share?

https://www.nbi-sems.com/ProductDetails ... 20CLE&pt=1

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Program Description per NBI

Benefit From the Combined Insights of a Land Surveyor and Seasoned Counsel
Land surveys are critical components of real estate transactions, land use and development, and boundary disputes. Surveys confirm the location and size of a property, in addition to the location of improvements, encroachments, easements, set-back lines and so much more. Yet many aspects of surveys are a mystery to attorneys. Do you know what surveys are trying to tell you about the property in question? Join our land surveyor and attorney faculty in this focused program. They will show you how surveys are conducted, how to review them and how to resolve common issues that arise. Get the comprehensive knowledge you need to spot, avoid and resolve problems - register today!
• Get an inside look at how land surveyors work, what tools they use and how they make decisions.
• Learn by example: walk through real-world surveys with the advice of an expert.
• Discover how to spot and analyze access issues, easements, encroachments and more.
• Cross-read your survey with legal descriptions and the title commitment to ensure everything lines up.
• Gain tips for resolving issues unearthed by the land survey, including encumbrances and conflicts between written and unwritten rights.
• Anticipate resolutions to survey and boundary problems by applying real-world case examples and court opinions.