California Surveyors Forums

Hello.

I'm in the process of working on a two parcel SB9 urban lot split. The tentative map shows two 8100 +/- square foot lots.

In the Draft conditions provided by the City, they note that there need to be street monuments installed on the adjacent streets. Can they do this legally? This a minor subdivision of a 16000 sq. ft. lot. What's wrong with setting permanent monuments at all the property corners?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Mike

Unless a city has an ordinance regarding monument setting, you are legally bound by the subdivision map act and PLS act.

Adjacent street or abutting? Where exactly, can you sketch it?

My theory is that if you have enough confidence in a point to use it for your boundary survey then you should have the professional courtesy to perpetuate it for future surveyors by setting a durable monument or at least a nail and tag that can be traced back through your Corner Record or Record of Survey (or subdivision for that matter) to determine its pedigree.
Just think how happy another surveyor will be when he discovers a big, shiny spike and washer that fits recorded ties and has your number on it. A feather in your cap for sure.
I want other surveyors to use the same control points I used so we agree on at least that portion of the survey.

subdivision map act says:
66495. At the time of making the survey for the final map or parcel map unless the survey is not required pursuant to Section 66448, the engineer or surveyor shall set sufficient durable monuments to conform with the standards described in Section 8771 of the Business and Professions Code so that another engineer or surveyor may readily retrace the survey. He shall also set such additional monuments as may be required by local ordinance. The local agency shall require that at least one exterior boundary line of the land being subdivided be adequately monumented or referenced before the map is recorded.

PLS act talks about monuments sufficient for retracement, which leaves room for some interpretation. In a lot of cases it is important to have centerline monumentation, especially in urban areas, on occasion the CL monument doesn't control your boundary, or a boundary can be retraced based on right of way monuments.
Good practice for right of way retracement is usually by using centerline monuments and finding the alignment of the entire street stretch, and not relying on the two immediate right of way monuments. However, this is very dependent on the specific location and it's history.

In order to retrace your boundary, subsequent surveyor needs to understand your entire process, rather than just relying on the solution. If you don't monument or identify key components of the process, then the monuments are not sufficient to retrace your boundary. Again, something that is best evaluated on case by case basis.

Thanks for your responses.

I don't have any trouble monumenting the property corners with iron pipes and setting a 3" steel nail and washer in the pavement at an offset. That would definitely satisfy the SMA. It's the setting of street monument boxes that I have a problem with. I don't think that's necessary for a two parcel subdivision.

I'm curious, What is Chrisp Charging to set a disk/casting these days?

MikeT wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 3:56 pm I don't have any trouble monumenting the property corners with iron pipes and setting a 3" steel nail and washer in the pavement at an offset. That would definitely satisfy the SMA. It's the setting of street monument boxes that I have a problem with. I don't think that's necessary for a two parcel subdivision.

I agree. That requirement of monument wells is onerous for this application and suggests implications for other adjacent properties that would need to be addressed. I don't feel that it is apporpriate

I, too, disagree with having to set well monuments. Set your spike and washer or nail and tag and let the city perpetuate it with a well monument.
If you established the point by city ties, ask them why they haven't set a well monument yet.
The last quote I got for setting a well monument was $2200 each.