CAD Sheet Sizes

In Oregon and Washington 18"x24" is required for recordable surveys and subdivision plats. I believe that is so in other recording states as well. That size is too small in many cases, requiring that the survey be done on multiple sheets.

Exhibit maps on letter or legal size sheet often require that a great deal of detail be jettisoned.

I generally put my topographic maps on 22"x34", which are exactly half scale when printed on 11"x17". 

For small boundary surveys, is an 11x17 in sheet big enough?

I use 11X17 frequently for lot surveys.  I find the biggest obstacle to using an 11X17 is the amount of annotation/notes needed.  If the property outline fits on 11X17, but you need many calls or notes, positioning text in a neat manner gets difficult quickly.  If it is a developed site and you want to add offsets from building corners labels for improvements it gets more difficult.  How far out from your subject tract you need to show also plays a role.

Vacant land with few sides, few notes, and a few calls to adjacent corners shown as well, can be done pretty easily for even a larger property.

It is less about the size of the property as the number of calls, improvements you want to show, and any notes or details you want to add.

I use 11x17 exclusively for one client. They want field plan set sizes. Normally for them the number of sheets for each job is at least three. I'm printing out mylars this weekend for a 20 sheet filing. 

But there are many standards I work with from Letter, Legal to 36x42". It all depends. 

As long as you can fit enough information to make the plan understandable to the client or to an ordinary person. Don't resort to non-standard abbreviations in order to accomplish a sheet size reduction. I'm tired of seeing 'IP', 'SM', and 'DH' on survey maps, and prefer more descriptive explanations, as does the licensing board. By the way, why is it that abbreviation is such a long word?

I can usually fit what information is necessary on an 11"x17" paper if the project is a site plan for an addition. Those are submitted to the town or city and don't require minimum text sizes. They also do not get recorded at the registry.

Otherwise, to fit all the notes, a vicinity map, certifications, and a seal, I'm going to need a bigger paper size. Further, the space reserved for the registry is a 3.5 inch square that must be left blank, font sizes are required to be a minimum of 0.1 inches, and the border must be maintained at least 0.75 inches for each edge.

Most of my client survey drawings are 24x36, some 36x48, and a few 36x36. Whatever works.

My record of surveys are half 18x24 and half 24x36.

Here each county kinda sets the tone. I have personally been to 5 different counties in person and spoke with the planning commission.  I found it very valuable for me. For instance one county the lady brought each person out who would do the reviews in each type. Family subdivision boundary line adjustments. Another site plans etc etc. i asked for it about 30 minutes talking with each. They were very nice helpful and even said look here is what we don’t want to see period. She has been around for years and she said i was the first person in years that came by. Every thing is online but i like meeting people. I took note’s brought them back and my LS said good grief that 30 minutes at one county probably saved hours and hours of making corrections in the future because it just happens that way. I am all about streamlining things but I think we still need to be face to face more than we are now days. Her pet peeve was 24x36 she said don’t do it. Lol 11x17 18x24 is all they can handle and even 8 1/2 x11 i am sure not everyone or every place is the same but amazing what a little smile and courtesy can do. Especially when you are working in a new county. Of course these were mostly the rural counties. The bigger developed ones my boss has worked in so he already knows the nuances and such. Also research we can do online but new rural county i try and show up and meet the gate keepers. They can save your bacon. Take donuts or bagels and you make a friend for life. 

Here each county kinda sets the tone. I have personally been to 5 different counties in person and spoke with the planning commission.  I found it very valuable for me. For instance one county the lady brought each person out who would do the reviews in each type. Family subdivision boundary line adjustments. Another site plans etc etc. i asked for it about 30 minutes talking with each. They were very nice helpful and even said look here is what we don’t want to see period. She has been around for years and she said i was the first person in years that came by. Every thing is online but i like meeting people. I took note’s brought them back and my LS said good grief that 30 minutes at one county probably saved hours and hours of making corrections in the future because it just happens that way. I am all about streamlining things but I think we still need to be face to face more than we are now days. Her pet peeve was 24x36 she said don’t do it. Lol 11x17 18x24 is all they can handle and even 8 1/2 x11 i am sure not everyone or every place is the same but amazing what a little smile and courtesy can do. Especially when you are working in a new county. Of course these were mostly the rural counties. The bigger developed ones my boss has worked in so he already knows the nuances and such. Also research we can do online but new rural county i try and show up and meet the gate keepers. They can save your bacon. Take donuts or bagels and you make a friend for life. 

This needs to be an answer to an exam question!  Until familiar with an area, the various records, and history, try to connect with people with that knowledge. 

Most of my work is for design projects so with the exception of maps that need to be recorded, usually 18" x 24", I use ANSI D (22"x34") to match the engineers sheet size.  It is far and few between when I see a set of civil plans on anything else.  And since I rarely plot anything anymore, the sheet count really doesn't matter

@protracted I agree. I was retracing a deed and was trying everything once and kept running in circles. I knew something had to be missing in my chain and it was early 1900’s was all I could come up with. Finally I went and asked for some help. One lady was following the same circle i had been caught up in. We both went through it 3 times ended back at same thing we already had then she said lets get the expert. And as i was talking to this lady she started to smile and telling stories of the history and said let’s try this. Not mentioned in any of my work but she had common knowledge and family. She nailed what we needed which made everything work was a will book and page never mentioned we’ll never mentioned that was legible anyway. That pointed us to a plat that was 1888 ish and solved the overlap and gaps issue i had been running into. To me that is one of the most important things i have learned about surveying.  We can all learn to measure all learn the math and basic principles of boundary law and such. Most we can learn from academics or books seminars etc.  only one way to learn why type of boots and stride that surveyor before us worked and thats in that area he worked in. Simple things help tremendously sometimes. Maybe the color he used for flagging this is the fun stuff right here. For sure. Good or bad but following those footsteps. Gaining that local common knowledge.

I guess I would follow whatever the board of whichever state and the minimum practice rules defined first(not sure about this even being a thing but there's 50 states so there you have it...) and then the project developer and architecture and engineering firm that's running the show, and or the ancillary companies that are subbed for etc, but never would I just think that some county or government desk worker that isnt licensed gets dictate how what or where u less that practice was established by the dept of public works(engineering) or something similar.  Planning has gotten way to involved with practice and process of survey for what it's worth...

probably just my sore body from building the Byzantine replica of my pile wall over the weekend talking... maybe...

Size of the sheet is defined only by what we believe best suits the needs.  Simple one or two lot boundary surveys may only require 8-1/2 x 11.  Using 8-1/2 x 14 is common.  Some jobs will require one or more sheets of 11 x 17.  Have not used 18 x 24 in years.  Do not own a printer to handle that size anymore.  Has been a long time since I've done a plat of a significant subdivision with all the signaures, etc.  Fine with me.

In Oregon and Washington 18"x24" is required for recordable surveys

On further review, this statement is technically imprecise. Washington State law does require the 18" x 24" size. But Oregon Law specifies "The map and narrative must be made on a suitable drafting material in the size required by the county surveyor". And the county surveyors universally require, or at least accept, 18" x 24".

@norman-oklahoma yes, that’s what 209.250 says for surveys (and is the practice in Oregon).  For subdivisions and partition plats, 92.080 additionally specifies, “the subdivision or partition plats offered for record in a county in this state must be made on material that is 18 inches by 24 inches in size with an additional three-inch binding edge on the left side when required by the county clerk or the county surveyor, that is suitable for binding and copying purposes, and that has the characteristics of strength and permanency required by the county clerk and county surveyor.”