-Surveying 101 –

Why Do Surveys Cost so Much? (and Take so Long?)

International Right of Way Association

55th International Education Conference

Indianapolis, Indiana

June 30, 2009

The U.S. Public Land Survey System

The U.S. Public Land Survey System

The U.S. Public Land Survey System

The U.S. Public Land Survey System

Public Land Survey Issues

• Original monuments were oftenwood posts, mounds, charcoal, stones, etc.

• More often than not, these corners were not very well perpetuated over time.

Section Corners

Out of the +/-100,000 original corners in Indiana, how many are existent (i.e. properly perpetuated and referenced)?

15-20%?How many of those have state plane coordinates associated with their locations?

30% (5% of the total)?

Survey Control

There is NO inherent relationship between the land fabric and “GPS.”

Survey-grade accuracies cannot be achieved with the typical Wal-Mart purchased GPS. (Survey-grade accuracies require >$20,000 investment in equipment)

Section Corners

Average cost to perpetuate a lost or obliterated corner in Indiana:

$1000-2000 per corner

What impact does this lack of documented

corners have?

• Uncertain reference monuments

• Conflicting reference monuments

• Indeterminate reference monuments

= Higher Cost Surveys that take more time

“Sufficiency”

A legal description is considered sufficient if a competent surveyor can locate it on the ground.

Why might a description be insufficient?

Problems with Record Documents

• Descriptions that do not close• Ambiguous or missing words• Multiple possible interpretations• Plats and deeds with errors• Descriptions that follow ill-defined or

undefined rights of way• Deed gaps and overlaps with

adjoiners

Examples

• Description miscloses by over 900 feet

• “…Beginning at a stone near the corner of Kent’s barn (now gone)…”

• Bounds descriptions that call for each other

• “thence in the shape of a half-moon…”

Examples

• Description miscloses by over 900 feet

• “…Beginning at a stone near the corner of Kent’s barn (now gone)…”

• Bounds descriptions that call for each other

• “thence in the shape of a half-moon…”

• “…Also, being described by survey, as follows:…”

• An easement, 10 feet in width, adjoining and lying west of the right of way line…”

NE Cor. SE ¼(Co. referenced monument fd.)

SE Cor. N ½ SE ¼

by split

SE Cor. SE ¼(Co. referenced monument fd.)

350’ D&M

Pipe fd.

iron pin fd. in C.L. Rd.at (1309’ S. of cor.)

5’

2’

Old fence

½ ¼ line

¼ line

Centerlineof Co.Rd.

Beginning at an iron pin in the centerline of Road #300 W that is 1309 feet south of the NE corner of the SE 1/4 of Section 10-23-5; thence west on the fence line of the south half of said Section 10-23-5 a distance of 350 feet to an iron pipe; thence north and parallel to the east line of said Section 10-23-5 a distance of 173 feet to an iron pipe; thence east and parallel to the 1/4 Section line of Section 10 a distance of 350 feet to an iron pin in the center of Road #300 W and the east section line of 10-23-5; thence south on centerline of said road 300 W a distance of 173 feet to the place of beginning, containing 1.38 + or - acres

173’d172.57’m

2’Pipe fd

.

350’ D&M

Old fence

½ ¼ line

2’

The Schneider Corporation

The Schneider CorporationHistoric Fort Harrison8901 Otis AvenueIndianapolis, IN 46216Phone - 317.826.7100Fax - 317.826.7200contact@schneidercorp.com

Gary R. Kent

Director, Integrated Services

phone 317/826-7134

fax 317/826-7110

gkent@schneidercorp.com