California Surveyors Forums

I have an interesting situation and could use some advice. I am going to be doing some construction staking on a project. The recently recorded Parcel Map states that the monuments must be set within 30 days of the completion of improvements. When I asked the surveyor to set them for me, he informed me that he will be waiting until the improvements are complete. I believe he was planning on remaining as the surveyor of record on this, but my firm was given the civils and staking for the project.

Here is my issue, although there are some monuments available, several of the parcels controlling corners have not been set.

1. What do I do if the contractor asks my to locate property line? I certainly am not going to file a corner record before the original monuments are set.
2. Although this is not a critical staking project with tight constraints, it does seem odd to be locating a building without fully establishing property line.


Any thoughts?

Contact the City Engineer/County Surveyor to get their input. Unless the other surveyor releases responsible charge to you, it is their project. That being said, as to deferred monumentation, they have to have set enough perimeter control to set the interior corners.

I'm not seeing the problem. If you're now the surveyor of record, your monuments will be original once set. But it doesn't sound like you have to set any monuments yet, based on what you wrote. If the contractor asks for corners in order to build improvements, why not set construction stakes based on the exterior boundary? You're going to have to retrace it per the Parcel Map in order to do any staking anyway.

I would calculate coordinates off of the PM using the existing monuments and stake the lines for construction. His final staking will match the map. Don't worry about it unless he fails to go back and stake his map. In that case, I suppose you will have to file a CR but your risk is low

I have already retraced to boundary and calculated the boundary from the map. It is just odd that the surveyor is not willing to set the monuments. Every time I have requested monuments be set in the past, the surveyor just sets them. It is only a 2 parcel map, and I am doing the staking on both parcels. Now, instead of finding easy, record monuments I have to go through the trouble to survey out to the perimeter and calculate the thing. Since it is only 2 Parcels I figure it would be more appropriate for him to set them, and I can file a Corner Record if one gets ripped out. Maybe I am just being lazy.

Also, I am preparing an ALTA Survey on the Parcel, and it would be nice to have the monuments in place. I suppose I can put a note stating that the corners have not yet been set.

Sounds like everyone has made appropriate comments and the surveyor of record doesn't have to set the mons at this time.
He could set them knowing they will be damaged prior to the completion of the improvements, but if he satisfied Section 66497 of the SMA, he would be removed from liabilities and his responsibility with the map.

As for your current contract, I hope you have retraced and established your own control. Yes it would be nice to use the new mons, but not needed.

I have found the majority of surveyors do not send a letter to the governing agency when they set either exterior boundary or interior street mons as outlined in Section 66497 SMA. I have even received a comment from the government agency asking what this letter is all about, lol.

Keith,

That has a lot to do with the release of monument bonds. It is the last leverage to either ensure the surveyor has been paid, or that he or she will be from the bond. That can be a tortuous process.

Warren,
Yes Section 66497 was established to help the surveyors get paid and lots assume it is only for interior street monumentation, but it does not specify that. It clearly states "all monuments", so what I advised, in previous positions at a government agency is this, pertaining to monumentation.

Here is a simple situation that is way too common:
When your final map shows monuments are set at the boundary and that map is filed, haven't you established your boundary resolution? Doesn't the contractor want to know where to build the wall, fence, or other boundary features on the property so you need to lay out the boundary anyways? Set the pipes associated with the request, send in a letter stating the exterior monuments have been set per 66497. Once you have done that, your done, you don't have to traverse around the retaining wall to set the pipes after the wall is built, now what if the footing is encroaching and you can 't set the pipe? Rutt Rooo, you set a nail and tag and you better record a certificate of correction, due to "change of character of a monument different than shown on the filed map". If you set the boundary monuments associated with the final map now filed, when the adjoiner has concerns and hires me to survey, I will find your monuments referenced on the filed map and all will be good.

Yes your Surveyor's Statement differs the setting of monuments, but take that as interior street monuments, also associated with Section 66497, and your life will be a lot easier. Don't forget to send your second letter after setting those street monuments too, per Section 66497.

I know it's a lot easier to set up on a vacant lot to spray in the boundary corners, rather than trying to traverse around the newly built 8' high block wall.
Its your choice, but I'm here to make money, or attempt to, lol.

This is all relative to setting deferred monuments and when possible, set the monuments, document it, and be done with that task.