ARIZONA MINIMUM STANDARDS OF PRACTICE FOR BOUNDARY SURVEYS
1. INTRODUCTION
A. These Minimum Standards are subject to existing Arizona Revised Statutes, the Arizona Administrative Code and Substantive Policy
Statements of the Arizona Board of Technical
Registration.
B. Standards of Practice are neither a substitute for professional judgment, nor performing
work to an acceptable Standard of Care and are intended to help provide clients and the
public with a more uniform product.
C. If it is
the professional opinion of the Surveyor to deviate from these standards of
practice the Surveyor should justify the reason for the deviation on the Record
of Survey.
2. DEFINITIONS
A. For the purposes of
this document, a Boundary Survey
is a survey that
locates the boundary of real
property; is a survey that is dependent on the location of a boundary of real
property; is a survey that recovers, rehabilitates, or places a monument that marks or controls the location of
real property.
B. Monument means an object set to mark a boundary corner, as a witness corner, or as a reference object.
C. For the purposes of this document Registrant means a Land Surveyor licensed
by the Arizona Board of
Technical
Registration.
D. Documents shall include but not be limited to the following: maps, deeds, title reports, title
opinions, County Engineer’s records, Department of Transportation records, private surveyor’s records, Railroad Company
records, Mining Company records, Utility Company records, United States
Public Lands Survey records and other County, State, Municipal or
Federal Agency records.
E. Supplemental Surveying Work includes control surveys, topographic
surveys and easement surveys, and means surveying work performed in order to densify, augment and enhance previously performed surveying work (performed in compliance with these Standards) or site information,
where monuments are not set, but excludes Boundary Surveying as defined in this Section.
For
the purposes of
these Standards,
Supplemental
Surveying Work is
not
a Boundary Survey.
F. Sufficient
Identifying Marks of
found monuments include one or more of the following:
1. A qualified Registrant’s
identification number;
2. The name of a Municipality or Agency together with the stamped date of monument(s) placement;
3. Sufficient record information to verify the unique location and identity of government set
monuments;
4. Sufficient
record information to
verify
the location
and unique identity
of all other monuments.
3. SCOPE OF
SERVICES
There must be a documented scope of services determined for every Boundary Surveying
engagement.
4. RESEARCH, IDENTIFICATION, MEASUREMENTS AND COMPUTATIONS
The Registrant in conducting a Boundary Survey must:
A. Review the Documents necessary to perform a Boundary Survey.
B. Perform an investigation of the property being surveyed and search for evidence necessary
to
determine boundary
location(s).
C. Analyze
the data gathered and reach a professional opinion as to the location of the
boundary of the property. The survey must achieve an accuracy which meets the
standard of care.
D. Retain a summary of the analysis and the conclusions reached, a list of all the documents
utilized in the analysis, and copies of any documents utilized in the analysis that are not public records.
5. IDENTIFICATION AND RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS
The Registrant in conducting a Boundary
Survey must:
A. When the
Registrant disagrees with
another survey, the
Registrant
shall make an attempt to contact the other surveyor and together they
shall attempt to resolve the disagreement.
B. Notify clients of evidence that, by reasonable analysis,
might result in alternate positions of lines or points.
6. IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF MONUMENTS
The Registrant, in conducting a Boundary Survey,
must:
A. Thoroughly describe and specifically identify monuments as set or found, when shown on
the
Record of Survey.
B. Affix his/her registration number to accepted found monuments on the
boundary of the
property being surveyed which do not
bear Sufficient Identifying Marks.
C. Never move, remove, alter or obscure an existing monument unless it is first properly referenced and all dimensions necessary to preserve its location are reported on a Record
of
Survey.
D. Set new monuments prior to the completion
of
the survey, in conformance with the Monumentation Standards, as defined in Section 9, at all corners of the property being
surveyed unless acceptable monuments already exist.
E. Show the monuments marking
the location(s) of the corner(s) relied upon to determine the location of
the boundary of the property being surveyed on the Record of Survey. If the
location(s) of the corner(s) relied upon are not occupied by monuments containing
Sufficient Identifying Marks, the registrant must set new monument(s) or tag existing monument(s) and show them on the
Record of Survey.
7. RECORD
OF
SURVEY
A. The Registrant
shall prepare an appropriately
scaled Record of Survey
drawing
in accordance with A.R.S. §33-105. The Record
of
Survey shall include at a minimum, the
following items:
1. The record description of the property or the reference to the source of the record description.
2. A graphic and a stated scale.
3. The boundary being surveyed including the dimensions as measured on the ground and
the
relevant record dimensions unless the two are equivalent, in which case it shall be so stated.
4. Pertinent
facts and dimensions
used in the determination
of the
Boundary Survey
together with all controlling monumented corners, calculated corner positions and all dimensions pertaining to the restoration of a lost or obliterated corner or the subdividing of a section.
5. Monuments identified per Section 6 of these Standards.
6. The location and description of any evidence
of a boundary or occupation including such
things as a fence, building, hedge, wall, etc. or the remains thereof used to determine
the
boundary location.
7. A minimum of three curve parameters for all curves; together with a chord, radial or tangent
bearing for non-tangent
curves.
Curves are assumed to
be tangent
to
the incoming and outgoing lines unless otherwise noted.
8. A list of documents used to determine the boundaries and to prepare the Record of Survey drawing.
9. When coordinates are published on the Record of Survey, in addition to stating the
Northing (Y), Easting (X), and if applicable, Elevation, Latitude, Longitude and Ellipsoid
Height,
the
following are also required:
Horizontal Metadata:
a. Datum: If using an official datum recognized by a government agency, state the datum name, adjustment, epoch and government agency. If an unofficial datum is
used, supply the necessary parameters to recreate said datum.
b. Projection: If using an official projection recognized by a government agency, state the projection name and government agency. If using something else, state the
projection parameters.
c. Horizontal
Adjustment
Parameters: If
any adjustments
or modifications are performed
to the
projected coordinates, provide pertinent parameters such as translation(s), scale
factor and scale factor
origin to
reproduce the
coordinate system.
d. Units: State the unit
of
measure.
e. Controlling Positions: The name(s) and coordinate(s) of station(s) used to orient (realize)
your survey to the coordinate system. In the event
a real time GNSS network solution was utilized to generate positions, state the source (firm
or agency)
of
the GNSS network solution
Vertical
Metadata:
a. Datum: If using an official datum recognized by a government agency, state the datum
name
and government
agency, if not
state the word “Local” datum.
b. Controlling Benchmarks: List the name(s), horizontal
coordinate(s)(if known), and
elevations of the station(s) used to orient your
survey to the vertical
datum.
10. The firm name and address of the
Registrant.
11. The date(s)
of
survey.
12. The signature and dated seal
of
the Registrant.
B. The Registrant need
not record a Record of Survey if all of the following conditions are met:
1. The Boundary Survey is the retracement of a previously surveyed boundary for which a
Record of Survey or subdivision plat is on file with the County Recorder.
2. The previously recorded
survey
or plat uniquely identifies
all monuments on the
boundary of the parcel being retraced.
3. All previously identified monuments exist at
the
time of
the
current survey.
4. No new monuments are set.
8. PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
A. When written in conjunction with or in support of a Boundary Survey as defined in this document and the property's boundary
is
substantially as described in an existing recorded document
then the existing record description should be utilized.
B. When a new description is created in conjunction with or in support of a Boundary Survey as
defined in this document it must be legally sufficient and the following should apply:
1. The general format of caption, body, qualifications, closing and references should be used.
2. A “metes” or “metes and bounds” description of an existing aliquot description or of an
existing lot and block description should be written as being subordinate to the primary
aliquot or lot and block description.
3. A metes and bounds description of the surveyed boundary should include a reference to
the
same basis of bearing that was used for the Boundary Survey.
4. A metes only description should be avoided.
C. The contact information of the firm
or Registrant preparing the
description should be included
with the description.
9. MONUMENTATION
Monuments set by the Registrant in the course of completing a Boundary Survey must conform to the following:
A.
Where practicable all monuments shall be at least
one-half inch in diameter, at a minimum 16 inches long and the body of the
monument shall be made of metal as determined by the registrant, suitable for
the environment as to avoid corrosion. The Registrant’s number shall be
stamped, cast or scribed into a metallic surface as determined by the
registrant, suitable for the environment as to avoid corrosion. The metal the
registrant’s number is on, if not on the body of the monument itself, shall be
affixed either by compression fit to the body of the monument, epoxied to it or
attached by a wire as determined by the registrant, suitable for the
environment as to avoid corrosion. In situations where all the metals used are
not ferromagnetically detectable, a magnet shall be incorporated into or buried alongside the monument.
B.
When a corner is located at a place where it is not practical to set a Monument, reference
Monuments or a witness monument shall be set and dimensioned on the plat such that the
location of the corner can be reestablished therefrom.
C. If local subdivision regulations allow for the recording of a subdivision plat without having all
of the Survey monuments set, an acceptable interim practice would include placing
all exterior boundary
monuments at the time of the filing of the preliminary plat and recording a
Record of Survey in compliance with State statutes.
Interior property
corners shall then be monumented as soon as completion
of the
infrastructure and improvements
make it
practical to do so. If such Monuments should differ from the type described on the Final
Plat,
a Record of Survey Plat shall be recorded showing these differences. All monuments set
shall be under the direct supervision of the
Registrant of record. If for any
reason the Registrant
of record
is not available to
supervise the setting
of the interior corner
monuments, subsequent to the recording of the
Final Plat, the replacement Registrant shall
set Monuments with his/her identifying number
and a Record of Survey Plat
shall be recorded in accordance with the State Statutes.
