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Crazy County Clerk?

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(@rich)
Posts: 779
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Topic starter
 

My office tried to file a survey today at the county clerks office. It is a map with a proposed relocation of a property line which does not create a new lot, just swaps land.

They wouldn't accept the map unless the proposed line wasn't a solid line, it had to be dashed (the line was solid but thin compared to the bold current lines. And the proposed was labeled as such)

And also wouldn't accept the map unless there were NO OTHER SOLID LINES ON THE SURVEY bc "they could be confused with property lines" and they won't accept the survey with offsets from the house bc they are lines..........

I don't mind dashing the proposed line, but isn't that my choice?

But the taking off the offsets bc they don't want any 'lines' on the map is just ridiculous to me.

Is this clerks office worker stepping outside his bounds or am I nuts?

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 7:40 pm
holy-cow
(@holy-cow)
Posts: 25373
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Depends on your State, for one thing. Is there something that can be referenced that dictates how it is to be done? There must be some reason for what you were told.

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 7:49 pm
brad-ott
(@brad-ott)
Posts: 6184
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Yes

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 7:56 pm
(@james-fleming)
Posts: 5702
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Brad Ott, post: 351096, member: 197 wrote: Yes

I see what you did there.

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 8:04 pm
Norman_Oklahoma
(@norman-oklahoma)
Posts: 7776
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Rich., post: 351093, member: 10450 wrote: ..Is this clerks office worker stepping outside his bounds or am I nuts?

Thing is, you probably wouldn't mind so much if you had known this in advance, and if you didn't have the feeling that the next time you go there some other clerk, or the same clerk on a different day, will have a different idea. It all makes sense to them. If only they had written down their expectations.

See what I did there?

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 8:51 pm

(@rich)
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Topic starter
 

Well that's just the thing. I can pull up plenty of filed maps with solid but not bolded proposed lines. And I can pull up almost any map filed that will have offset lines from house corners with dimensions to the property lines. No written requirements as to these regulations and I feel this is how this particular lad has decided in his mind that the plats should look like.

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 9:24 pm
(@rich)
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Topic starter
 

Here are the official requirements :

Maps

All maps filed in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk must meet the following requirements:

1.The map must be clear, uncrowded and able to be clearly reproduced;

2.all signatures appearing on the map must be in black ink;

3.all signatures and seals appearing on the map must be original;

4.nothing on the map may be written in pencil and no paste ups are allowed;

5.the title and location of the property appearing on the map must be clearly indicated;

6.the map must contain the date it was drafted;

7.each sheet submitted must be no larger than 36" x 48" and no smaller than 8 1/2" x 11" and must contain space for the office‰Ûªs certification;

8.the map must contain a tax designation reference (section, block and lot);

9.the map must contain a Westchester County Index System (Blue Book) sheet number and block number;

10.the location map must appear on the Mylar; and

11.the map submitted must be on linen paper or Mylar transparency.

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 9:37 pm
holy-cow
(@holy-cow)
Posts: 25373
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Sure doesn't seem to list any of the issues he was giving you.

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 10:35 pm
Andy Nold
(@andy-nold)
Posts: 2016
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Any laws about the clerk's duty to file?

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 10:36 pm
paden-cash
(@paden-cash)
Posts: 11088
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Seems to me somebody needs to either STFU and do their recording job....or come up with a comprehensive set of standards and make everybody play by the same rules.

But county governments are all different. I can file a menu from a local restaurant as a "miscellaneous" document in some counties, some counties won't file some of my stuff because it is on legal size paper. They use to charge $20 to reduce it to 8.5" x 11", but they stopped that.

My latest "rejection" was my location map. I've now been notified that N-S sections lines should be designated as "streets" and E-W designated as "roads". When I attempted to point out that Palmer Road has been Palmer Road for 100 years and runs N-S....I was asked to leave. I guess I'll change the name to Palmer Road Street...

BTW - Most municipalities around the state have streets running E-W and avenues running N-S. I will probably be subject to arrest when I try to explain that to the old crusty biddies....

 
Posted : December 29, 2015 11:04 pm

(@bushwhacker)
Posts: 169
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Thank goodness we don't have to record all plats in Texas. When I lived in Arkansas every county had a different set of requirements that were usually made up by the current Circuit Clerk. They since changed that law, but before they did we surveyors had a lot of the same problems you described and found out that there was really very little we could do about it. so we finally got the recording law changed to where all plats are recorded in the State Surveyors Office

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 4:22 am
FL/GA PLS
(@flga-pls)
Posts: 7403
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Rich., post: 351093, member: 10450 wrote: My office tried to file a survey today at the county clerks office. It is a map with a proposed relocation of a property line which does not create a new lot, just swaps land.

They wouldn't accept the map unless the proposed line wasn't a solid line, it had to be dashed (the line was solid but thin compared to the bold current lines. And the proposed was labeled as such).....

Although you may not agree with the clerks ‰ÛÏsuggestions‰Û consider how often you may have to work with this individual. Be careful not to ‰ÛÏwin the battle‰Û only to lose the war. Which will likely happen if you dislike one another. B-)

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 6:16 am
 NYLS
(@nyls)
Posts: 189
Member
 

Rich., post: 351093, member: 10450 wrote: My office tried to file a survey today at the county clerks office. It is a map with a proposed relocation of a property line which does not create a new lot, just swaps land.

They wouldn't accept the map unless the proposed line wasn't a solid line, it had to be dashed (the line was solid but thin compared to the bold current lines. And the proposed was labeled as such)

And also wouldn't accept the map unless there were NO OTHER SOLID LINES ON THE SURVEY bc "they could be confused with property lines" and they won't accept the survey with offsets from the house bc they are lines..........

I don't mind dashing the proposed line, but isn't that my choice?

But the taking off the offsets bc they don't want any 'lines' on the map is just ridiculous to me.

Is this clerks office worker stepping outside his bounds or am I nuts?

I do not think that Westchester County can dictate how you draw your maps as long as the basic information that they require is shown there. Perhaps contacting NYSAPLS would lead to a way to resolve this.

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 6:46 am
(@james-fleming)
Posts: 5702
Member Debater
 

FL/GA PLS., post: 351133, member: 379 wrote: Although you may not agree with the clerks ‰ÛÏsuggestions‰Û consider how often you may have to work with this individual. Be careful not to ‰ÛÏwin the battle‰Û only to lose the war. Which will likely happen if you dislike one another. B-)

Why that's just silly....we all know that the preferred tool of the surveyor who wants to turn up the heat a degree or two is the flamethrower.

Next you'll be suggesting that being nice to engineers and architects is good for business. 😀

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 6:47 am
(@rich)
Posts: 779
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Topic starter
 

Bushwhacker, post: 351131, member: 10727 wrote: Thank goodness we don't have to record all plats in Texas. When I lived in Arkansas every county had a different set of requirements that were usually made up by the current Circuit Clerk. They since changed that law, but before they did we surveyors had a lot of the same problems you described and found out that there was really very little we could do about it. so we finally got the recording law changed to where all plats are recorded in the State Surveyors Office

We dont file all plats either. In fact our clerks website says surveys cannot be recorded, only subdivisions and apportionment maps....

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 8:22 am

(@rich)
Posts: 779
Member
Topic starter
 

FL/GA PLS., post: 351133, member: 379 wrote: Although you may not agree with the clerks ‰ÛÏsuggestions‰Û consider how often you may have to work with this individual. Be careful not to ‰ÛÏwin the battle‰Û only to lose the war. Which will likely happen if you dislike one another. B-)

I already made the changes....... +o(

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 8:32 am
(@rich)
Posts: 779
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Topic starter
 

paden cash, post: 351117, member: 20 wrote: Seems to me somebody needs to either STFU and do their recording job

+1

I meen not allowing offsets is ridiculous. A retracing surveyors life would be made much easier if the offsets were on the map to help

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 8:33 am
rberry5886
(@rberry5886)
Posts: 565
Member
 

As a rule of thumb, around here if a County Clerk or Planning & Zoning dude wants something done, and it has to be done to get recorded, I make all necessary changes, whether I like it or not (and I usually don't like it).....

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 8:41 am
(@duane-frymire)
Posts: 1924
Member
 

Rich., post: 351104, member: 10450 wrote: Here are the official requirements :

Maps

All maps filed in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk must meet the following requirements:

1.The map must be clear, uncrowded and able to be clearly reproduced;

2.all signatures appearing on the map must be in black ink;

3.all signatures and seals appearing on the map must be original;

4.nothing on the map may be written in pencil and no paste ups are allowed;

5.the title and location of the property appearing on the map must be clearly indicated;

6.the map must contain the date it was drafted;

7.each sheet submitted must be no larger than 36" x 48" and no smaller than 8 1/2" x 11" and must contain space for the office‰Ûªs certification;

8.the map must contain a tax designation reference (section, block and lot);

9.the map must contain a Westchester County Index System (Blue Book) sheet number and block number;

10.the location map must appear on the Mylar; and

11.the map submitted must be on linen paper or Mylar transparency.

#1 covers a lot of territory, and is very subjective. I wouldn't argue about it unless their requirements are forcing you to remove something that is required to be there by your contract or minimum standards. But, if you really want the offsets on the map you might ask if a larger scale on a larger sheet would work to make it clearer and less crowded instead of removing the offsets. Assuming you are not already using the largest sheet allowed.

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 10:03 am
Norman_Oklahoma
(@norman-oklahoma)
Posts: 7776
Member Debater
 

Rich., post: 351104, member: 10450 wrote: 4.nothing on the map may be written in pencil ...

Crayon OK.

 
Posted : December 30, 2015 10:09 am

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