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Boundary surveys or property surveys can be categorized as Establishing property lines, Re-establishing property lines or Locating Existing property lines. In the case of Establishing or Re-establishing property lines, the exterior corners or angle points of the property lines are marked with permanent durable markers. The markers are generally referred to as property corners or monuments. In instances where visibility is restricted between property corners, line points may be set intervisible to assist in building fence lines or establishing setbacks for building construction. There is generally a considerable difference in cost between Establishing property lines, Re-establishing property lines and Locating Existing property lines.
Establishing property lines, virtually in all cases requires the preparation and filing of a Record of Survey with the County recorder. The requirements for the filing of the Record of Survey are defined in the Business and Professions Code under Section 8762 (The Land Surveyors Act). The rule of thumb, if points or lines are established in the course of a field survey of any parcel described in any deed or other instrument of title recorded in the County recorder’s office, and are not shown on any Subdivision Map, Parcel Map, Official Map, or Record of Survey, the Surveyor shall file a Record of Survey with the County recorder. Most Counties charge a fee for review of the Record of Survey and all charge a fee for the recording of the Record of Survey. Establishing property lines is considered the more costly category of Boundary Surveys.
Re-Establishing property lines, consists of retracing a previous recorded survey of the property. The property or property lines must appear on a recorded map. If the property corners have been previously set on either a Record of Survey, Parcel Map or Subdivision Map, the work primarily consists of Locating Existing property corners and verifying their position against the recorded mapping. The process of Locating Existing property corners generally does not require any official mapping to be filed. If property corners are missing or found unacceptable, the process of Re-Establishing property lines takes place. The process of Re-Establishing property lines is generally less expensive than Establishing property lines, and may or may not require a Record of Survey to be filed with the County recorder. However, a Corner Record may be required subject to the Business and Professions Code under Section 8773. In cases where property corners are set, that do not require a Record of Survey, it is recommended that a Corner Record be filed with the County Surveyor to assist in preserving the survey for posterity.
Topographic surveys are generally performed to facilitate site design and/or site grading plans. As-Built surveys, following project completion, is a form of topographic survey. Topographic surveys are typically performed to locate existing site improvements or specified entities horizontally and vertically. The horizontal control for the project may be assumed, relative to the parcel boundary, or relative to a specific horizontal datum. The vertical control may also be assumed, related to a specific vertical benchmark, or a specific vertical datum.
It is highly recommended that the topographic survey be relative to the boundary of the parcel. In cases where the boundary of the parcel is unknown, a Boundary Survey may need to accompany the Topographic survey to meet the requirements of the Engineer or Architect. Most often in the course of site design and the preparation of a site plan, the Engineer or Architect will relate the existing or future buildings to the property lines for proper setbacks. The boundary being relative to the topographic survey will allow the site plan to accurately reflect the placement of structures.
Topographic surveys, do not always require the elevation of the features collected. However, with little effort, and a very minimal cost, vertical information relative to an assumed vertical datum can be generated. Should the vertical information be required at a future date, even to a specified vertical datum, the surveyor can transfer an elevation to the project, and convert the information to a specified datum. It is highly recommended that all topographic surveys be relative to a vertical datum, whether or not the information is displayed on the Topographic Map of the project.
Topographic surveys can be used to generate contour lines for a specific project for modeling or generating quantities of earth to be moved. It is very important to notify the surveyor during negotiations that contour lines will be required. The generation of the contours, in most cases will require the field work to be more detailed in specific areas to avoid crossing break lines, and generate a more accurate model.
Aerial Photo Mapping, is a form of topographic surveying that is typically used on large scale projects. The surveyor typically places aerial photo control targets on the ground that will be used by the photogrammetrist to rectify and process the photography. The photogrammetrist can show the location of structures, improvements and generate contours for an entire site. For areas requiring detail, the surveyor can provide specific topographic data that can be incorporated into the final drawings prepared by the photogrammetrist. Once again, it is highly recommended that the aerial photo control be relative to the property boundary, and that the vertical control be relative to a know vertical benchmark. One advantage of the aerial photogrammetry, is the ability to incorporate a photo of the site into the drawing file or finished product. If you prefer the photography to be in color, the client will have to notify the surveyor or photogrammetrist, before a flight is scheduled.
Construction staking is generally setting temporary points to control the horizontal and/or vertical position of structures and improvements. Typically the points are set as off-sets to the construction at a distance and interval either specified by the contractor or to an industry standard. The terminology of hub, stake, nail, nail & shiner or point, generally refers to the type of temporary point set to control the construction.
Off-set points with the cut or fill to the finished grade are called “grade stakes”. Under certain circumstances, points are set to a specific elevation and the contractor grades to the top of the hub or entity set to identify the control position. This process is called “blue tops”. Blue topping a project is generally more time consuming and more costly than grade stakes. When projects require significant cuts or fills to accommodate the site grading plan, “slope stakes” are required to control the projects. Typically slope stakes are set at the toe of fill, with a reference stake to the toe. They are also set as a reference to the top of a cut, with a reference stake to the slope stake. The slope stakes allow the contractor to cut the slope of a project as designed by the engineer.
Slope staking is more common in building roadways or placement of pads in mountainous terrain. In areas that are considered flat, grade stakes are the most common type of construction staking. The types of construction vary from controlling the placement of infrastructure, building pads, buildings, roadways, to ponds and canals.
For many projects, a post construction survey called an “As-Built Survey” is required to satisfy the architect, engineer, governing agency or lender. An as-built survey falls under the guide lines for a Topographic Survey
We prepare a wide variety of mapping. There are “Exhibit Maps” that are prepared to supplement written legal descriptions or used as court exhibits. The Record of Survey and even Corner Records are a form of mapping. When projects do not require a formal recorded mapping, our in-house mapping of a project is called a “Map of Survey”. The topographic surveys, as-built surveys, and ALTA surveys are all forms of mapping. Virtually every entity of surveying ends up as some form of a map as a final deliverable.
Subdivision Maps are prepared when the client wants to subdivide land into 5 or more parcels or lots. Subject to whether or not you are within a City of County, the guidelines for the preparation of the Subdivision Map is vested in the “Subdivision Map Act”, State of California Government Code Sections 66410 to 66499.58. In addition to meeting the requirements of the Subdivision Map Act, there are local ordinances that have to be complied with also.
The first step to creating a subdivision is to do your homework. Subdivisions are costly and require considerable agency processing. In addition to design criteria and traffic considerations, there are environmental issues to consider. If you have land and with appropriate zoning for subdividing, you should develop several configurations of the tract layout that will meet the requirements of the structures that you wish to construct on the lots. Once you have an idea of what will work, taking into consideration the surrounding area, you will have to meet with the planning agency, city or county, that will control the conditions of approval for the process.
Once the agencies are on board with your conceptual plans for the project, it is time to begin the preparation of the Tentative Map. The Tentative Map will generally require a topographic survey of the site as well as a boundary survey of the site. The combination of the topographic and boundary survey will serve as the basis of the Tentative Map and future Final Tract Map. The Tentative Map preparation takes into consideration the project zoning, conceptual design and local ordinances to develop a Tentative Map that is acceptable to the governing agency. The Tentative Map is submitted to the agency, reviewed and “Conditions of Approval” are issued. The “Conditions of Approval” are the criteria that must be met to complete the Final Map Process.
Once the Conditions of Approval have been met, the Final Map can be processed and the end result is a recorded Tract Map. The above outline is very simplistic and is atypical. There will be many hurdles to cross before the Final Map process is complete. In most cases, the improvements and utilities will have to be installed before the Final Map can record, or some form of bonding will have to occur based upon the improvement plans. Typically the improvement plans are prepared after Tentative Approval. For commercial subdivisions, a site plan will be submitted along with the Tentative Map as part of the review process.
If you are not familiar with the subdivision process, I would recommend working with a reputable developer or other professional to get through the process.
The Parcel Map process like the Subdivision Map process is governed by the Subdivision Map Act and local ordinances. Parcel Maps are prepared when the client wants to subdivide land into 4 or fewer parcels and generally is not as cumbersome as the Subdivision Map process. Subject to where your parcel lies and the size of the parcels, you may be required to place improvements on your property to facilitate the Final Parcel Map Process.
The first step in preparing a parcel map is to determine the zoning and a parcel configuration that complements your site. The design should take advantage of existing access roads or existing road frontage. Once again a conceptual layout of the parcels should be taken to the planning department of the governing agency for review prior to preparation of a Tentative Parcel Map. Once you are satisfied that the project is viable, the Tentative Map process can begin.
The Tentative Parcel Map will require a topographic survey and boundary survey. Although the Tentative Parcel Map can use record information to produce the boundary, it is highly recommended that the boundary survey be performed along with the topographic survey. Once the tentative map is completed, it is submitted to the agency for review. The agency will issue “Conditions of Approval” that govern the Final Parcel Map process.
After the Conditions of Approval have been met, and monuments are placed at the corners of the new parcels and along the road right-of-way, the Final Parcel Map can be recorded. Once again this is a very simplistic overview of the process. In areas where water is an issue, you may need to prove water quantity and quality before the Tentative Map Process can begin. If there are environmental, archeological, botanical or geological concerns, studies will have to be made before Tentative Approval is issued. If the map is within the City, you will be required to place improvements based upon an approved site plan and site grading plan or bond for the cost of the improvements before a Final Parcel Map will be recorded.
The Parcel Map Waiver process is not allowed in the City of Madera or City of Fresno. The Waiver process is discouraged in the County of Madera. The County of Fresno does allow the Parcel Map Waiver process to proceed. The waiver process is generally to divide land into larger parcels that meet the current zoning. The waiver process requires an application map that shows the improvements on the land, without an official Tentative Map. The process is actually a waiver of Tentative and Parcel Map. The land division is conditioned through a Waiver Certificate. The Waiver Certificate identifies the future parcel configuration. The actual creation of the parcels is by deed and not a formal map. The Parcel Map Waiver process typically does not require a formal boundary survey. We highly recommend a boundary survey and subsequent Record of Survey to show the placement of monuments at the parcel corners to facilitate the future sale of the property.
Right-of-way Mapping includes Right-of-way Appraisal Map, Right-of-Way Record Maps, Base Maps and Area Maps. These maps are not prepared for the general public. The mapping is generally part of California Division of Highways, or local Transportation Agency projects.
ALTA Surveys (American Land Title Association) are most often prepared at the request of a lender in order to perfect an ALTA Policy of Title. ALTA Surveys can best be described as an inventory of the improvements on the land. An ALTA Survey requires the property boundary to be resolved in order to determine the setback of buildings and other structures as well as encroachments relative to the property lines. For properties where the property boundaries are not of record, a Record of Survey will be required as part of the ALTA Survey.
ALTA Surveys are based upon the current “Minimum Standard Detail Requirements For ALTA/ACSM Land Title surveys” (minimum standards), adopted by the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors.
In order to determine the cost of an ALTA Survey, the surveyor should be supplied a copy of a current Preliminary Title Report, supporting documents noted in the Preliminary Title Report, a specific Certification if the certification contained in the minimum standards is not sufficient, and Table “A” of the minimum standards filled out.
In addition to the property boundary, generally all structures and improvements are located in the course of the ALTA Survey. The surveyor is typically performing a Topographic Survey, most often with less detail. Unless specified in Table “A” of the minimum standards, elevations are not a requirement of the ALTA Survey. The location of improvements such as walk ways, curb & gutter and streets do not require street cross sections at specific intervals. Subject to the requirements specified, the ALTA survey may range from moderate to very detailed. For large parcels or parcels with numerous buildings, an ALTA Survey can be supplemented using aerial photography. Typically aerial photographic targets are set relative to the boundary and locations are determined by the photogrammetrist. The site is flown and the photos are orthorectified to the project. The detail portion of the survey is generally limited to structures and improvements within the building setback adjacent to the property lines. If the building square footage or footprint is required to the accuracy of the ALTA Survey, the field survey will need to include the location of the buildings.
Occasionally, an ALTA Survey may become what is referred to as an Architectural ALTA Survey (Detailed design survey added to the ALTA). When an Architectural ALTA is requested the quantity of detail work is much greater. Most often all of the detail information cannot be displayed on the ALTA Survey and a separate map is prepared with the detailed survey information displayed for the architect or engineer. An Architectural ALTA is the most expensive form of an ALTA Survey. However, it is generally less expensive than performing an ALTA Survey and then returning to perform a Topographic Survey. The minimum standards are available on the web and can be found by searching for “ALTA Survey Requirements”.
Legal Descriptions are prepared for a variety of reasons. Typically we prepare legal descriptions for the Parcel Map Waiver process, Lot Line Adjustment Process and right-of-way acquisition. Legal descriptions are also prepared for ingress/egress (access) easements, utility easements, life estate parcels, well sites and more. We generally prepare Exhibit Maps for each of the legal descriptions as an attachment to the Legal Description. For most clients, the Exhibit Maps show a picture of the Legal Description and a method of following the written description. Exhibit Maps are not usually a requirement to supplement Legal Descriptions. However, Exhibit Maps are highly recommend for clarity.
We offer a wide range of assistance in the preparation of Lot Line Adjustments, Certificates of Compliance and Director Review & Approvals (DRA). For most of these processes, we range from providing full service to only being involved in the portion of the project requiring a licensed surveyor and the client process the balance of the project.
Elevation Certificates that are filed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are most often required by lenders. Elevation Certificates are also required by the County when building in flood prone areas of the county. The costs related to elevation certificates vary subject to the flood zone you are located in and the availability of bench marks in the area. With regards to elevation certificates required by the County of Fresno, where no Base Flood Elevation (BFE) is established, there are two scenarios that will apply. For those structures within 100’ of a public roadway, the BFE using the County of Fresno’s Municipal Code, is two feet above the crown of the roadway immediately adjacent to the structure. For those structures which lie more than 100’ from the crown of a public roadway, the BFE is 3’ above the highest adjacent grade of the structure. For those structures which lie more than 100’ from the crown of the road, a site topographic survey is required to determine the BFE. It is critical that the property owner does not attempt to build a pad or perform grading before the topographic survey is performed.
Typically, multiple site visits are necessary to complete the elevation certificate process when new structures are being constructed. The initial site visit is to determine the BFE and the elevation certificate is checked as “Building Under Construction”. When the construction and the site grading have been completed, a second site visit is necessary to prepare an elevation certificate based upon “Finished Construction”. We recommend an intermediate site visit to verify the pad elevation prior to forming for the foundation, to insure that the pad is to the proper elevation.
Based upon the latest version of the Elevation Certificate, the property owner needs to supply the surveyor a foot print of the building or foundation plan to determine which diagram in the Elevation Certificate is appropriate and the building layout. The plans must also show the square footage of the garage, the elevation difference between garage and finished floor of the house, and whether or not machinery to service the structure will be located on the ground adjacent to the structure. The surveyor will also need to know where on the site the building is going to be placed and the orientation of the structure. If the structure is near a property line, a Boundary Survey may be necessary to determine the appropriate setback of the building.
My surveying career began in 1982 and I have considerable experience in all facets of surveying. I have served as an expert witness on cases ranging from wrongful death to easement and property boundary disputes. Generally each case has its own specific criteria. For many cases we provide exhibits of the site to be used by both the plaintiff and defendant testimony is relative to the accuracy of the field survey and the Exhibit Maps prepared. In other cases, the testimony is relative to property boundaries, historical data and acceptable survey procedures. Since each case is rather specific, we accept new cases on a case by case basis.
Additional Services
Boundary Surveys
Record of Surveys
Corner Records
Topographic Surveys
Design/Site Surveys
Aerial Photographic Control
Construction Staking
As-Built Surveys
Mapping
Subdivision Maps
Parcel Map
Parcel Map Waivers
Right of Way Mapping
ALTA Surveys
Legal Descriptions
Exhibit Maps
Land Planning
Lot Line Adjustments
Certificates of Compliances
Director Review & Approvals (DRA’s)
Elevation Certificates
Expert Witness
Court Exhibits