California Surveyors Forums

Typically I have always shown existing fences/walls and/or buildings which were close to property lines in my retracement efforts of boundaries. Whether it involves the exterior boundary of a Parcel Map, Subdivision Map or Record of Survey, I have always made attempt to show that existence and provide ties to the established boundary. On an ALTA, it is spelled out on the ALTA/ACSM standard requirements, but, what I am looking for is the California Law reference which relates to showing it on a map. I know I have read it, but, I can't seem to locate it.

I would appreciate input from my fellow surveyors on this issue.

Thank you,
Mike Walters PLS

COUNTY ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION
OF CALIFORNIA
GUIDE TO PREPARATION
OF
RECORDS OF SURVEY
AND
CORNER RECORDS
Surveyor Policy Committee
March 27,2009
4th Revision


5. All information pertinent to the establishment of land boundary lines must be clearly shown or referenced on the map of the survey. It shall be the responsibility of the surveyor to examine available records in analyzing his or her survey.

6. Lines of occupation or features near corners shall be shown if they assist in determining the location of boundary lines and must be shown if they indicate possible alternate locations.

Notice that is not discussed in the PLS Act. Your inquiry is noble. Current and former contributors to this forum have noticed the same.

Nothing exists in California state law to suggest that those practices you describe are minimum standards of practice in our state. Say what?! Yes.

Wild eh? I get calls all the time about this from attorneys. I refer them to our esteemed Mr. Wooley.

Keep doing what you are doing. And I will do the same.... Shh.

Who the H----ll is the California Engineers Association?

Clark,

It is an association of County Engineers and County Surveyors.

Established in 1914 for the sharing of common concerns.

Its website:

http://www.ceaccounties.org/aboutceac.aspx

The problem is, in my view;that our California law is written in a manner such that it would appear that the writers believed that the minimally qualified licensee understood the basics and therefore it was unnecessary to codify them into law. Sort of like from the movie, "A Few Good Men" where the code of conduct manual does not include instructions on how to get to the mess hall.

Having said that,I believe it is in the law in a way. And it certainly is there by the way the board enforces the rules of the road.

Monuments disappear on a regular basis and when surveyors include the type of data Mr Hall does,it makes the retracing surveyors job much easier and more likely that they will be able to retrace his work accurately.

I think that the closest it gets to being in the law is in §8762(b)(2), Material evidence...

The only problem with that is that if fences, walls, and other improvements which may or may not indicate lines of possession have not been previously mapped and/or described with dimensions enabling exact positions by calculation, many surveyors wouldn't be able to recognize if such improvements may have an effect on the boundary location.

Well Evan...why would you be so obvious to communicate one of the real problems in our profession? ;)

What complicates our profession is the litigious society we live in, meaning TOO many starving lawyers.
You can write a manual on how to build a house - the UBC, but there are so many variables in what we do that a rule book to cover everything would make the tax code look like a children's book.

Thank you all for your help and input. I must have read it in the "COUNTY ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA GUIDE TO PREPARATION OF
RECORDS OF SURVEY AND CORNER RECORDS". I would like to see a legal requirement added to compel us to do as such (as opposed to the above guide publication). I believe it is our responsibility to show such occupation lines (especially old fences/walls) and will continue to do so. I have hopes that it perhaps will make a retracement easier for the surveyor who "follows in my footsteps"!