County surveyors field review of T/M - F/M

[Lehmann]

Does your County Surveyor perform field review of your Tentative Map and or Final Map as part of their review process?

[Vancestr]

I limit my field review to ensure all monuments and characters have been set.

[DWoolley]

As a City Surveyor with similar responsibilities to a County Surveyor we field check monuments are set to release the bonds on every project.

When I worked for the County Surveyor we had a magnetic locator and shovel in the unit to occasionally look for monuments that the surveyor unbelievably stated "searched, found nothing" on the map. The work was usually completed on our way into the office or on our way home after work.

As a contract city surveyor in various jurisdictions, a handful of times a year we search for monuments the surveyor said were no longer in place and/or are "illegible" and/or the records show the monument of a different character on a previous reference, etc. We usually hit pay dirt on the field work. We will flag or keel the monuments and contact the submitting surveyor - the surveyor will usually tie in the monuments and adjust the boundary. We occasionally have a situation in which we do not think the surveyor will be able to properly resolve the boundary (for any number of reasons). We have surveyed the monuments, put the boundary in CAD and asked them to reconsider their boundary. The work described in this paragraph is 99% performed gratis due to various constraints. Another local contract City Surveyor does the same as described, also gratis.

DWoolley

[PLS7393]

When I was working in government (City & County) we established the procedure to perform only a visual of the monuments said to be "Set" on a parcel map or tract map. In my opinion, (and I believe code) it is not the agencies responsibility to check the surveyor's work, as responsibility lies on the signing surveyor. If you have knowledge of a "SNF" point was found by a referenced map, or personal knowledge, you have every right to ask the surveyor about his work, and vice a verse if there is a point shown "Found" that another reputable surveyor could not find.

Typically Parcel Maps do not have a bond, so before the mylar was released to the title company for filing, we would inquire with the surveyor about our letter per Sect. 66497 of the SMA for the points set. Upon receipt of the letter, we made it a point to go out within 3 days. We felt it should be easy enough to walk up to find and see the set points. Rarely were boundary points getting deferred, but occasionally when a new shared driveway was being constructed, we would allow for deferring the new points be set along the centerline of the driveway till after construction (By letter to the City Surveyor). I've seen PM's that deffer in the Surveyors Statement, which is not correct.

On Tract Maps, we always encouraged the surveyor to set the exterior boundary points associated with the map before construction, as the boundary is resolved, and setting exterior corners would assist the contractor in construction.
Step #1 would be to set corners, and send the agency a letter that exterior corners have been set, satisfying Sect. 66497 for the "Exterior Corners". We would perform a visual check, and be done with the exterior points. If they get destroyed with construction, they were set and can be reset at a later date with a new corner record. It is a lot easier to set exterior corners before construction of concrete/block walls. Secondly, if they defer setting points and then the character changes, they would get to do a Certificate of Correction on the points they actually set.
Step #2 would be setting of interior street monuments at a later date, and a second letter would be sent to satisfy Sect. 66497 of the SMA. We would then go out and see if the correct "LS No." was stamped, and punch set.

On to the next project . . . .