Survey question in need of answer

@sage
It depends on how the property is described and what any previous surveys show. Can you give us a fuller description of the property?

It may be necessary for the surveyor to find additional section corners to define the quarter-quarter section, since most sections are only close to the nominal size at best and many are distinctly different from nominal.

It is good that you are trying to find out what you are buying BEFORE buying it, thus heading off possible disappointments.

You would need a minimum of all four Quarter Section Corners (the mid-points of each side line of the one-mile square box) and the Northeast Section Corner. OR The North and East Quarter Section Corners, the Northeast Section Corner and the Center of Section.?ÿ And that would depend on how your state handles the Center of Section and the breakdown of the Section into Quarters.

Thanks so much for all help.?ÿ I do believe there is a pin in the SW corner of that section.?ÿ I'm hoping with three corners he would be able to measure that piece out.?ÿ?ÿ

?ÿ

Here is a drawing of a section and I have the NE & SE pins.?ÿ I pretty sure the SW pin is there will just need to find it.?ÿ The blacked out pie shape is the piece of land I need surveyed.?ÿ With just two pins NE & SE section pins would it be possible to survey that pie shape piece of land??ÿ

If you want a real answer, post the information about the land, everything you have, and include a picture showing what corners you found.

After everyone tells you to get a surveyor (which you should), you will be inundated with more information and analysis than you can imagine.

Or, you can vaguely talk about a property and get useless comments. People always seem hesitant to share the details as if public records and property have anything to do with privacy. One caution: if you share any details at all, then the chances are high that us surveyors will know almost everything about the property, because that is what we do, we find details from tiny scraps of evidence.?ÿ

But, if you ask a surveyor in your area of the county, they will probably tell you what it will take. If you have already asked one, then their opinion holds more weight than anything you might read here.

No. The two pins might be a good place to start piecing together the rest of the puzzle, or possibly one or both could be goat stakes. Itƒ??s impossible to say without all the available information, ie legal description of the parcel and surrounding parcels and a complete and thorough evaluation of all the physical evidence in the field by someone experienced and qualified in the nuances of boundary surveying in your state and particular area.?ÿ

Make the purchase contingent on the seller providing a current boundary survey prior to closing.

Help us out and we can help you out.?ÿ We hate to constantly throw out the answer, "It depends."?ÿ Nevertheless, the answer to a simple question can be made rather complicated if that happens to be a non-standard section.

Too many unknowns to be able to offer a positive yes or no answer to the question. It is possible, IMO, that the 2 pins would be sufficient but it is very probable that more monuments would need to be found.

It is also possible that the two items that you have found are not what you think they are.?ÿ

@fairbanksls
If you can get it, that is the best way.

I just noticed that I am doing this part of the forum incorrectly. I should have made a comment using "add a comment" rather than an answer (which this is not).

The pins that I found are legit.?ÿ The pie piece of land is described in legal description.?ÿ The west side boundary of land has an irrigation ditch that has an easement and has been there since the 40's.?ÿ The land south boarder (qtr/qtr NE/SE ) of that section and is owned by someone else.?ÿ?ÿ

I asked to buy this piece so it is my nickel.?ÿ?ÿ

If I can find the SW corner section pin would that be enough to get this thing staked out?

@dmyhill
I, too, get confused by this category.

You will need the NE corner, the E1/4 corner, the W1/4 corner (an original monument or evidence of the original position). The E1/4 and W1/4 will be close but probably not quite mid-point along the east and west lines of the section. Seldom were they placed exactly online and exactly midpoint between the two section corners.?ÿ

• So the quick answer is no, you aren't there at all. The SE and SW corners are meaningless except to help find the E1/4 and the W1/4.

Thank you very much for all your help.?ÿ I appreciate that very much for all responses.?ÿ

Most of the section to the west is in the river.?ÿ The west half of this section has part of each quarter inland but rest of section is in the river.

Thanks and I'm hoping that this process can be staked some how so I can move on with the purchase.?ÿ?ÿ

The South line of the property is the East-West center line of the section. There are at least three potential corners along that line that might be in the ground. Grabbing the ends of the line without a diligent search is asking for trouble. The same is true on the east line.?ÿ

Two points to this. First, there is more work here than grabbing three controlling corners and calcing it up. Second, if someone prices it to survey that way don't hire them. They are more likely to obscure your boundary than find it.

?ÿ

@sage
The figure looks deceptively simple. A section is actually an 8-sided figure when originally laid out by the GLO with the quarter-section corners monumented. So the SE corner monument of your parcel may exist or may have been lost. The center of section was defined in several different ways in different time periods and areas (midpoints vs straight line intersection, etc.) and may or may not have been monumented in your section. So there is a lot of on-the-ground searching to be done.

Depending on where you live the cost of the survey may exceed the value of your land.?ÿ This does happen from time to time.

@sage
If that is all you have, then the answer is, "No, you cannot determine the boundary from that."

You would need to know the relationship of the quarter corners to those three corners as well.
Again, that might be in the record...and see my answer above.