Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Making a Boundary Survey
8.1 How Does a Boundary Survey Proceed?
All boundary surveys are made by following four basic steps. These are:
1. Legal research to gather record evidence.
2. Field work to gather physical evidence.
3. Calculations to adjust survey data and to reconcile record and physical
evidence.
4. Field work to set property corners.
These steps will be discussed in detail in the following chapters. Sometimes, the
steps may appear to merge or occur out of order, but they occur nonetheless. For
example, a simple stakeout of an existing subdivision lot might be accomplished
with only one trip to the field. The following is such a scenario. The client's deed
calls for a plan which is subsequently found on record in the registry of deeds.
This plan is then used to calculate the location of lot corners based on physical
monuments shown on the plan. A trip to the field discloses that the monuments do
exist and that they are in good agreement with each other. The surveyor then uses
these monuments to set the corners of the client's lot.
The preceding is possible only when the record information and physical evi-
dence are in good agreement. Although this does occur, in the real world the sur-
veyor frequently encounters problems that must be resolved before the lot corners
can be set.
