A monumental land survey is really a type of land survey dealing specifically with the boundaries of the house. All monumental land surveys use physical monuments to mark the boundaries on the land itself. Commonly, the corners of the property are marked with a long iron rod driven vertically in to the ground, though there are many other types of physical monuments which might be used.
These monuments are made to be as permanent as possible, though land surveyors many decades ago used wooden posts or natural features which might be destroyed over time, making it difficult to re-trace their work today. Monuments in use today will have a cap on top of the iron rod identifying the surveyor who placed it.
This physical monument allows the simple finding of the boundaries and corners of the property when one is physically on the land, although the monumental land survey itself has some limitations so far as the other information provided. For instance, it usually is not concerned with any improvements on the property, such as fences or homes, and can not determine whether they were built to code or conform to zoning regulations.
Often, a monumental survey is undertaken in combination with other styles of land surveys to show additional information concerning the property. For example, a monumental survey may be combined with a title survey, that may examine a lot more than the boundaries in determining anything affecting ownership of the land involved.
Oftentimes, website could be undertaken when there is a dispute on the exact land boundaries. For instance, if a fence has been built or is approximately to be built on the land, a monumental land survey can mark the exact corners and the boundary between the two properties so that the fence's position with regards to the legal property boundary can be evaluated. The monumental land survey is also useful when in the planning stages of a construction project.
Before a land surveyor may place the monuments, there are many other steps to take, many of which are actually done away from the house in question. In fact, placing the monuments is close to the end of the monumental land surveying process. First, the surveyor must clarify wherever the boundary should be located by considering the title and legal description of the house, among other information. Then, these boundaries must be measured on the land itself before they are often marked, and the surveyor will search for any preexisting corner monuments from previous surveys, evaluating their accuracy to determine whether the boundary was correctly placed by the previous surveyor. Finally, the brand new monuments are set into place.
Boundary monuments are placed at every corner of the house, including any angle or change of direction of the boundary line. The survey data is then recorded in a land survey plat. The official recording of this survey will provide a basis for just about any future land surveys of the property. If such information is never recorded properly, you won't be available for future land surveyors if the land is re-surveyed at any point in time. This information includes a scale drawing of the land and its boundaries, all necessary dimensions to permit a surveyor to determine the property boundaries while in the field and an in depth description of all monuments found or applied to the property.