California Surveyors Forums

I have another question about corner records. Section 8773.3 states that when you file a corner record you need to rehabilitate a monument.

I discover a disturbed monument during a boundary survey, and I want to rehabilitate the monument. I find a tag that the previous surveyor put on the disturbed monument.

I replace the disturbed monument with a new one. Do I put the old surveyors tag back on the monument? Do I put my tag back on the monument? Do I put them both back on the monument?

I believe I would put my own tag on the new monument, and that I would show this change on my corner record. However, it seemed like some other surveyors at our last chapter meeting were very uncomfortable with this idea. They seemed to think I should put the old tag back on. I was very uncomfortable with the idea of putting another surveyor's tag on a monument I set, no matter what the situation was.

What do you think? What is the best practice when rehabilitating a disturbed monument?

The Sunburned Surveyor (PLS 8489)

Whether or not you put the old tag back on matters less than that you document what you did.

tag in it, and it needs to be rehabilitated, it is okay with me to put my tag in the new monument. It's okay with me if you put your tag in it. Dittos as to what Evan said.

As far as best practice goes, I've done them both and didn't feel uncomfortable in either situation. I was just happy to find the tagged pipe.

Don't put my tag back in! Set your tag - file a corner record or appropriate document.

I would replace it with my tag and say so on the CR.

Should you find a pipe which is bent but can be "spun" , straightened and set back into place, is that acceptable ?

such a note could read "Fd 3/4" pipe tagged LS9900 bent southerly. I straightened pipe and reset into position as per (record map)"

now if during the straightening process, the tag fell out, Why couldnt I simply reattach the tag.

When tags were commonly affixed using bailing wire, often the wire would rust. It was common to simply reaffix said tag with new wire, thus preserving and respecting your colleague's good work.

Story:
A new dog comes by a fire hydrant, smells a previous mark and sets one of his own.
Is surveying going to the dogs ?

Just a dog gone story

in the pipe, okay.

My cousin lives in Wildwood, thousands of property corners set with rebar and a tag wired to it, yeah, lots of untagged rebar up there. Hard to believe surveyors consider bailing wire in a snow/rain area permanent.

comparing apples(corner records) to oranges (records of surveys). Each one serves a purpose, not necessarily the same purpose, although they might in a given scenario.

regarding the filing of corner records for property corners didn't become part of the law until 1983 or 85 or somewhere around there. It was added so that the "mom and pop" surveys could be filed without the benefit of a RS and subsequent checking fees.

That's how I remember it.

If I found a bent pipe, I would find the portion of the pipe still vertical, tie out the center, pull the bent pipe, set a new one or straighten the old one, put it back and set my tag and file a CR. The corner is owned by the land owners, not the surveyor who set it.

I agree Ryan... except if I were to find that the existing tag is still OK after the straightening and reset I would just leave it rather than replacing the tag.
At least that is how things were always done when I was in the field regularly.

It appears there are all sorts of opinions on this issue. My concern would be working against a strong consensus in one direction.

It looks like this is one of those issues that is up to professional judgement.

The Sunburned Surveyor (PLS 8489)

The way I see it, once I've set a mon to mark a client's corner, that monument is no longer "mine". It belongs to the landowners. My tag is on it to calim responsibility for placing it.

While we would all object to someone placing our cap or tag on a monument in a location that we did not set it, rehabilitating a disturbed monument to it's verified original location and replacing my tag or cap on the rehabbed mon is just fine. If you found my cap or tag lying near the disturbed pipe, straightened the pipe, put your tag or cap on it and buried mine alongside, or destroyed it and threw it away, that's fine too.

If there is any question as to whether the monument is in the correct location as it sits disturbed or as would sit restored, call me. If you are quite certain it's OK once restored... Well, you're a professional, right? I don't need a call. On behalf of my client and me, thanks for straightening it up.

One of my clients called me to check a corner for him a few weeks back. The mons were set for a parcel map 10 or 15 years ago, and the LS is still practicing in the area. I found a few other mons, found this particular one to be bent over, cap and pipe otherwise intact. I was quite sure that once straightened, it was in its original position. I didn't bother the other LS with the details. I doubt he is at all bothered by that.