Chapter two Land Surveying

Land Surveying Comprises of determination of the

location of land boundaries and the drawing of plats
Portraying the subdivision of tracts to smaller parcels.
 It also includes the preparation and interpretation of
land descriptions for incorporation in leases, deeds and
other legal instruments or documents.
Land surveying deals with the measurement,
establishment and description of boundaries of real
property (land).

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 ….cont’d
A land survey boundary is a line of demarcation
between adjoining tracts of land.
A boundary land between privately owned
parcels of land is called property line.
property surveying can be said to be synonymous
to land surveying.

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 ….cont’d
 Land surveys are made for one of the following
purposes:
To re-establish the boundaries of a section of land,
To subdivide a tract of land in to smaller parts,
Locating described boundaries on the ground,
To Obtain data for deed description,
To calculate areas.

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 Kinds of land Surveys
In general all land surveys are classified in two
broad categories;
• Original survey and
• Resurvey

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 Original Surveys
When a tract of land has not been surveyed
previously or when a new parcel is creating on a
given tract of land is called original survey.
Such surveys, frequently termed, as sub
divisions survey.
1) It is executed to define the size, shape and
relative location of a tract of land.
2) The general boundaries of this land are
evidenced by occupancy and use.

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 ….cont’d
3) Closed traverse is run and corners are marked
and monumented
4) Preparing description of the property the
length and bearings of the boundaries are
determined
5) Original surveys also done or executed to
create new parcels of land from a given tract
6. Subdivision survey is made to subdivide a
piece of land according to the plan

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 Resurvey
A resurvey is a reconstruction of land boundaries and
subdivisions accomplished by re-running and re-
marking the lines represented in the field- note record
of a previous official survey.
Resurvey is done to establish the boundaries of tract of
land for which the survey has been previously made or
done.
The surveyor is guided by the description of the
property based on the original survey.
The description may be in the form of original survey
wrote, old deed or plan which has length and bearing.
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 ….cont’d
 Such retracement survey tracts back to the source are
essential before transferring the legal ownership land from
one person or one part of another.
 Resurvey are very necessary in case of urban survey to
ensure that weather there are any encouragement up on the
property from building or structures on the adjoining tracts.
 Resurvey of very good quality can be very difficult and time
consuming.
 Some times in the evaluation about the same line location
between two equally proficient and licensed surveyor can
lead to different conclusion.
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 Problem faced for land surveyors
One of the advantages of resurveying is that to
solve the disputes over land boundaries of two or
more ownerships but the surveyor may face many
problems to relocating boundaries because of the
following things:
oIncomplete data on the feature and on the deed.
oMissing monuments on the ground.
oConflict claims by adjoining property land
owners.
oInaccurate original measurement.
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 ….cont’d
Therefore in order to solve the problem the land
surveyor should have:
Considerable experience in particular locality.
He/ She should have other rough study of the
pertaining to the subject.
The surveyor should have value knowledge and
skill to research and to investigation.

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 Types of Resurvey
a)Dependent Resurvey
b)Independent Resurvey
Dependent Resurvey:-the term “dependent” with term
“resurvey” is for emphasis and specifically suggest the recovery
and restoration of the prior official survey.
The dependent resurvey is designed to restore the original
conditions of the official survey according to the record.
 It is based
1. up on identified original corners and other acceptable points of
control, and
2. up on the restoration of lost corners by proportionate
measurement in harmony with the record of the original
survey.
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 ….cont’d
Independent Resurvey :-is an
establishment of new section lines, and
often-new township lines without reference
to the corners of the original survey.

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 Scope of land Survey
 Land surveys differ in setting, purpose and
complexity of the procedural principles.
 Any land survey comprises of three basic steps:
 Preliminary study
 Field survey
 Preparation of plat and deed description

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 Preliminary study: - It involves the collection,
study and interpretation of all available data of
record including old-field notes, subdivision
maps, descriptions of adjoining parcels, legal
documents and other information.
When a surveyor is given a private service, the
above steps should be preceded by a conference
with the client to know the nature and extent of
work desired and estimation of cost

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 Field survey:-The field survey operation comprises:
a. Search for monuments
b. The delineation of boundary lines
c. The location of encroachments if any
d. The execution of measurements and others

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 In general, while searching for any kind of
property marker the land surveyor should be
required to:
 Know the procedures used in the original survey
 Have original survey notes, plats, and the
records of most recent surveys in the vicinity of
the obliterated corners.
 Exercise good judgment and reasoning in
discovering evidences pertaining to the lost
corners.

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 The kinds of evidences that may be used to
restore a corner especially in rural regions
include:
 The corner itself
 Accessories
 Fences
 Living witness
 Aerial photographs

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Preparation of deed descriptions:-The plat is
a special form of map portraying the tract
boundaries.
It also depicts other information essential to
the description and identification of the
property.

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 Survey for deeds
 It will helpful to summarize the general procedure of
making a land survey.
 A parcel of land either rural or urban is to be conveyed
and a deed description is needed.
 The procedure is somewhat as follow: -
1. The description of the tract to be surveyed and of
adjacent tracts are obtained and carefully examined.
2. The corners of the tract to be sold are established by
re survey is necessary.

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 ….cont’d
3. A resurvey of the tract is made to obtain the
following data a) The length of each side of parcel
b) The angle of each corner.
c) The kind and position of accessories at each
corner.
d) Calculated bearing of each side, referred
e) The names of adjacent owner.

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 ….cont’d
4. from this data the area is calculated, a plate is
drawn, and a new description Written.
The plate is generally will show the following:-
a) The length of each side.
b) The angle at each corner
c) The calculated area of the tract
d) The kind of marker set and reference to the
accessory at each corner

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 ….cont’d
e) The name of adjacent property owner.
f) The position of buildings, road, sidewalk etc.
g) A title and meridian.
h) A description of the property lines.
i) A surveyor’s certificate.

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 Interpretation of deed description
 In making land survey the surveyor must refer
to the deed description.
 This in many cases faulty because of omission
of essential data or because of conflicting calls.
 Court decisions have established a few general
rules, which should govern the surveyor in
making interpretations.

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 Interpretation of deed description
 The best interpretation is that which most plainly and
completely gives effect to the intentions of the parties to the
deed as revealed by all of the evidence available.
 As regards conflicts between the calls a description, the order
of precedence is as follow.
a) A natural corner or boundary, such as tree or a stream will
stand against an artificial boundary such as stakes, stones or
fence.
b) An artificial corner or boundary, it can be identified will stand
against other conflicting calls to direction distance or area.
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 ….cont’d
c) The corner or line of an adjoining, if it can be definitely
identified will control over calls for directions or distance.
d) In case there is a conflict between the boundary
dimensions and the calculated area, the former will prevail
over the later assuming of course that the boundary
dimensions are consistent with the evidence as to the corner
monuments.

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 ….cont’d
 If description is faulty by reason of any obvious error or
omission of essential data, the attempt is made to render
it valid rather than void thus, if a dimension is incorrect
by a full tape length, or if the length or bearing of one
side of a field has been omitted.
 If two interpretations are possible, the one that favours
the purchaser will be taken.
 Some difficulties encountered in retracing old boundary
lines are due to.

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 ….cont’d
 If two interpretations are possible, the one that
favours the purchaser will be taken.
 Some difficulties encountered in retracing old
boundary lines are due to.
a) Faulty original measurements.
b) Indefinite point of beginning.
c) Indefinite meridian.
d) Obliterated corner.

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 ….cont’d
e) Inadequate description
f) Enmity between adjacent property owners.
g) In ability to traverse along boundaries.
h) Error in transcribing data from filed book.

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 THANK YOU

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 Quiz 2
1. Define land survey?
2. What is the difference between original
survey and resurvey?
3. Mention and define types resurvey

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