Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 15
Setting Lot Corners
Once the boundary lines have been determined and calculated, the lot corners can
be set. The surveyor makes a trip to the site, sets the instrument on a traverse
point and uses the calculated angle and distance from a traverse line to the lot
corner to set a marker at the exact location of the corner. If GPS is available, the
surveyor just walks to the corner with the GPS receiver and fine tunes the location
by gradually moving the receiver until the data collector shows it is exactly at the
corner.
The actual monument that a surveyor will set depends upon where the lot cor-
ner falls. If the lot corner is in a lawn or open field or other location consisting
of soil the surveyor can set a wooden stake, rebar, iron pipe or concrete or stone
bound. If the lot corner falls on a large stone or stone wall, the surveyor is usually
limited to setting a drill hole, copper or aluminum pin or a metal disk. A disk is
often an aluminum disk about 2 inches in diameter that is held in place by a pin. It
is identical to a metal pin except the large disk makes it easier to find (Fig.
15.1
).
A drill with a carbide bit is used to drill holes in stones and concrete for setting
drill holes and pins (Fig.
15.2
).
15.1 How Many Monuments?
It is good practice to set permanent monuments at each property corner and at
250-500 foot intervals along long property lines. It is not uncommon in retrace-
ment surveys to discover that many of the original monuments have disappeared
or have been disturbed. The more original monuments that a retracement surveyor
has available, the easier and more economical it will be to reestablish the original
boundaries. In other words, the more monuments that a surveyor sets, the better
the chance that a sufficient number will remain in the future to enable reestab-
lishment of the boundaries. A property owner will incur substantial expense in the
