Came across this by accident. Emailed him and asked if he was licensed and he replied "no, but I'm really good".
http://annapolis.craigslist.org/sks/2371208991.html
Locate or set? Do you need to have a land surveyor license to use a metal detector and shovel?
not sure if it was there before, but at the bottom of the "ad", it says he is unlicensed... did you ask what the going rate is?
You typically do if you are going to represent to someone that thing you found with your metal detector and your shovel is their lot corner.
The more I think on this, the bigger problem I have with it.
Most surveyors understand the service he is offering, but I'd bet the layman will hire him and think they got away with a cheap survey.
And what will happen on the day he gets in the middle of a fierce boundary dispute? When the finger pointing starts, the client who hired him will most likely not have a leg to stand on; AND may not even realize they can report him to the Board for practicing surveying without a license.
Here is his exact response. I did ask if he was going to provide a map.
"I am not a licensed surveyor but very good and yes I would also provide a map due to the fact i have to draw it first to locate your corners."
I would provide that to your state board.
Which would be no one's problem but cheapskate client.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and those who buy by price alone are this man's lawful prey." - John Ruskin
I agree, there are lots of rebars buried out there. Determining that the one you found marks the lot corner calls for professional judgement.
I recall a 4 or 5 years ago, one of those cheesey "property cornerz are us" websites where they touted that they were finding "surveyor's markers. They were careful to not say they were finding prop corners, but were finding irons set by land surveyors. Which they probably are legal to do. Lame as all get out. But probably legal.
Stephen
> Came across this by accident. Emailed him and asked if he was licensed and he replied "no, but I'm really good".
Hahahahah
I don't think it was there before.
This is illegal in Texas. One cannot say that any found monument is his client's "property corner", because if he does, he's practicing land surveying without a license.
He has to know that this is illegal. People don't just learn how to survey in a vacuum, they are taught by someone, and during that process you learn what the license means.
I hope they go after him hard in MD.....
DLLR will find this
I wonder the same as Joe M above. Is there something wrong with looking for the marks with a metal detector and digging them up? What did you place those monuments for anyway? What is a monument? Isn't it set there to mark and preserve the location of the property corner?
I agree that the guy who is hiring his services out without a license needs to be very careful to not call his finds property corners, but is he doing anything illegal if he doesn't represent them as the definitive corner?
What about you as a land surveyor? Would it be wrong to offer the same service and tell the client that you are finding evidence of the corner locations and that this doesn't constitute a land survey?
Just playing devil's advocate here.
Well, anyone can play the semantics game. At the end of the day, everyone knows that the public thinks that whatever he digs up is their property corner. What if he doesn't find anything, is going to set something?
If it sounds like surveying, looks like surveying, and is perceived as surveying, it probably is.
There is nothing wrong with anyone looking for survey markers. As long as it is free and he isn't claiming they are property corners or any other markers. But if he is charging for his services and searching specifically for those markers, I do believe that is defined as land surveying which in most states is illegal. And as this guy is doing, he is selling his services locating these monuments and hypothetically stating they might be your property corners is still wrong and providing a map. Sad part is what was stated before when he builds his fence and it is in the wrong place. Just finished a survey here where there two survey markers 30' apart and guess which one they used and built the fence to!
semantics game? Everything on this web site is semantics.
If you set property corners, what were they for? Were they to represent the property corners for everyone to see or not? If you set my corners, are you saying that I can't rely on them to build a fence?
I agree in principle that it isn't a good idea to have a nonprofessional locate monuments, but I question whether it's illegal (if they represent themselves properly).
the md law is clear...
§ 15-601. Practicing without license.
Except as otherwise provided in this title, a person may not practice, attempt to practice, or offer to practice land surveying or property line surveying in the State unless licensed by the Board.
[An. Code 1957, art. 56, § 343; 1989, ch. 3, § 1.]
§ 15-609. Practicing while not qualified.
(a) Land surveying.- An individual who is authorized to practice land surveying may not practice or offer to practice land surveying in those areas of land surveying in which the individual is not competent to practice.
(b) Property line surveying.- An individual who is authorized to practice property line surveying may not practice or offer to practice property line surveying in those areas of property line surveying in which the individual is not competent to practice.
[An. Code 1957, art. 56, § 343; 1989, ch. 3, § 1.]
source:
http://michie.lexisnexis.com/maryland/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=main-h.htm&cp
Maryland survey ad on Craigslist>Semantics Game??
How can you red this ad and claim "semantics game" when someone advises that this is practicing Land Surveying without a license?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you in need of locating your property corners?
Do you think that neighbor is cutting your grass or has a fence on your lot?
I can locate your corners based off of your existing title plat.
Give me a call at 443-816-3550
Great rates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you in need of locating your property corners?" !!!!!!
Where in this ad does it say "man with metal detector and shovel will uncover metal posts at or near your property corners"??? Regardless of what you say or how you want to word it, this Ad is offering Land Surveying services and the guy has admitted to not being licensed.
What part of this situation is OK with you?