Monuments, per Statute

Oklahoma keeps it pretty simple. No required material other than ferrous or magnetic, no minimum length or size. No where in our standards does it require anything other than the type and size of monuments, found or set, to be placed upon the drawing. While we are required to place a durable marker or cap upon whatever in the world it is we set; stating what type of marker or cap was set is not a standard requirement.

245:15-13-2.C(8)
12. The land surveyor shall establish or confirm a monument or confirm the prior placement of monuments at each and every property corner on the boundary line or boundary lines of the parcel or tract of land being surveyed. In such cases where the placement of a required monument at its proper location is impractical, a witness or reference monument shall be placed with the data given to show its location upon the ground in relation to the boundary lines or corner. In any case the type and size of all monuments, either found or set, and the relationship of the monuments to the surveyed lines and corners will be shown on the drawing. Where practical, monuments shall be constructed of material capable of being detected with the conventional instruments for finding ferrous or magnetic objects. All set monuments shall have affixed thereto a durable marker or cap bearing, at a minimum, the license number of the land surveyor in responsible charge, or the Certificate of Authorization number of the firm performing the survey.

So, in Oklahoma the monument is the object set. Caps are to be put on the monument.

Holy Cow, post: 345016, member: 50 wrote: So, in Oklahoma the monument is the object set. Caps are to be put on the monument.

I suppose. I can't foresee a situation where the distinction between the two would need to be defined within the current parameters of our standards. Monuments are required to be set. Both a set monument without a durable marker or cap and not setting a monument at all fail the standards.

A few years ago it was argued that a "cut x" in something like concrete fails our minimum standards. Although such a mark relates no info whatsoever about its creator, I believe it to be an important tool in a surveyor's baggy of tricks. I also believe it to be superior in longevity to a drilled ,fixed and capped monument. Long story short, cutting an x in concrete for a boundary monument fails our standards. But "finding" the x and stating so on your survey is perfectly acceptable.... 😉

Another unique attribute of our standards is the foolish requirement for monuments of "material capable of being detected with the conventional instruments for finding ferrous or magnetic objects." I wanted the standards to accept monuments relying on their prominent size, weight or mass alone. This would allow the use of other materials such as stone. As it is now, if I want to set a stone monument, I have to affix to the stone at least a mag nail and detail washer.

paden cash, post: 345023, member: 20 wrote: A few years ago it was argued that a "cut x" in something like concrete fails our minimum standards. Although such a mark relates no info whatsoever about its creator, I believe it to be an important tool in a surveyor's baggy of tricks. I also believe it to be superior in longevity to a drilled ,fixed and capped monument. Long story short, cutting an x in concrete for a boundary monument fails our standards. But "finding" the x and stating so on your survey is perfectly acceptable.... 😉

Here's what our California Code has to say about marking monuments:
"Any monument set by a licensed land surveyor or registered civil engineer to mark or reference a point on a property or land line shall be permanently and visibly marked or tagged with the certificate number of the surveyor or civil engineer setting it, each number to be preceded by the letters ‰ÛÏL.S.‰Û or ‰ÛÏR.C.E.,‰Û respectively, as the case may be or, if the monument is set by a public agency, it shall be marked with the name of the agency and the political subdivision it serves.
"Nothing in this section shall prevent the inclusion of other information on the tag which will assist in the tracing or location of the survey records which relate to the tagged monument."

Several years ago, some of the cities around here had a requirement that a "plus" be cut/scribed into the sidewalk on the extension of the lot lines to serve as a witness corner. This mark did not require a tag per the ordinance of these cities. And boy have they been handy! There have been several surveys I've done where these have been helpful in establishing the location of one or more lines. Of course, by the California Code, they are not marked correctly. And so, these cities have removed their requirements for the scribed witness corner.

skwyd, post: 345113, member: 6874 wrote: ...Several years ago, some of the cities around here had a requirement that a "plus" be cut/scribed into the sidewalk on the extension of the lot lines to serve as a witness corner.

That's not a bad idea. I've had several developers in the past ask for similar marks and such on curbs and sidewalks. And it does help.

However, I could argue whether they actually should require the statutory "marking or tagging". If a property owner wants a nail line & lath every 100' for fence construction does the surveyor have to tag each and every one? Seems silly to me to be that picky about codes.

Must be a lot of Texans out there...;-)

Holy Cow, post: 345005, member: 50 wrote: The thread that has worn thin on opinions about monuments in Texas encouraged me to seek out how some other States define monuments in their statutes. The following excerpts are taken directly from unnamed States.
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.
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Monuments. The type and position of monuments
to be set on any survey shall be determined by the nature of
the survey, the permanency required, the nature of the terrain, the
cadastral features involved, and the availability of material
.
.
.
A Boundary Monument is an object found or set on a boundary line which preserves and
identifies the location of the boundary line on the ground.
.
.
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Every boundary monument set shall:
a. Be composed of a durable material;
b. Have a minimal length of 18 inches;
c. Have a minimum cross-section area of material of 0.2 square inches;
d. Be identified with a durable marker or cap bearing either the license number of the surveyor in responsible charge, the certificate of authorization number of the business entity; or name of the business entity;
e. Be detectable with conventional instruments for finding ferrous or magnetic objects.
f. When a corner falls in a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, alternate monumentation may be used that is durable and identifiable.
.
.
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The corners of lots, tracts, other parcels of land, aliquot corners not described in
subsection (?) of this section, and any line points or reference points which are set to perpetuate
the location of any land boundary or easement shall, when established on the ground by a land
survey, be marked by reasonably permanent markers solidly embedded in the ground.
.
.
.
A monument or reference monument set by a professional land surveyor shall
conform to the following categories and shall meet the following criteria:
(a) "Typical and Preferred" an iron rod, iron pipe, or iron pin that is:
1. Not less than one-half (1/2) inch in diameter and eighteen (18) inches in
length;
2. Equivalent to, or greater than, schedule-forty (40) weight if pipe is
utilized; and
3. Identified with a cap bearing the license number of the professional land
surveyor under whose direct supervision the survey was performed, and
which cap does not display any other license number.
(b) "Non-typical" to be used only when it is not practical to set the monuments
described in subsection (a) of this subsection, and that:
1. Preferably contains a ferrous material or is otherwise capable of being
located with a magnetic locator, and may include P. K. or mag nails at
least one 1 1/2 and one-half inches in length; and
2. Is identified with the license number of the professional land surveyor
under whose direct supervision the survey was performed, and does not
display any other license number.
(c) "Alternate" to be used only when it is not practical to set the monuments
described in subsections (a) and (b) of this subsection and may include railroad
spikes, mine spikes, cross-cuts, chisel cuts, drill holes and curb notches, and
shall be referenced to a durable, physical feature.
.
.
.
1. Steel rebar: å? inch diameter or larger, a minimum of 18‰Û long with properly
stamped survey cap.
2. Steel pipe: å? inch inside diameter or larger, a minimum of 18‰Û long with properly
stamped survey cap.
3. Concrete markers: minimum of 4 inch diameter or 4 inch square, a minimum of
18‰Û long and buried in the ground, with a rebar or metal pipe cast within and
properly stamped cap encased in the concrete.
4. A drill hole, or a clearly scribed or chiseled mark, in existing concrete or stone.
This shall only be used if it is impractical to set a prescribed ferrous-based
monument. If it is necessary to use this type of mark, it must be clearly and
descriptively identified as to location and character in an accompanying report,
map or on the face of a plat document.
5. A hardened, and preferably magnetized, steel spike driven through a washer
properly stamped with the Land Surveyor's license/registration number and
recessed into a paved surface or similar location where a prescribed monument
is impractical
.
.
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Natural objects chosen for monuments shall be durable, unique and easily identifiable.
Set monuments shall be durable, reasonably stable and firmly placed, able to maintain its
position when subjected to extreme temperature changes and other severe weather conditions, able to be located
with current or future technology and have the following dimensions:
Iron or steel pipes shall have a minimum inside diameter of one (1‰Û) inch and a
minimum length of thirty (30‰Û) inches, when feasible;
Reinforcing rods (rebars) shall have a minimum outside diameter of five-eighths
(5/8‰Û) inch and a minimum length of thirty (30‰Û) inches, when feasible;
Other artificial markers shall have a minimum cross-sectional area of one-half (1/2)
square inch and shall be made of durable material

Here are the statutes from Wyoming regarding monuments. I haven't checked lately to see if these have been changed though.

paden cash, post: 345118, member: 20 wrote: That's not a bad idea. I've had several developers in the past ask for similar marks and such on curbs and sidewalks. And it does help.

However, I could argue whether they actually should require the statutory "marking or tagging". If a property owner wants a nail line & lath every 100' for fence construction does the surveyor have to tag each and every one? Seems silly to me to be that picky about codes.

Must be a lot of Texans out there...;-)

Paden, the cut crosses were set "in lieu" of a monument marking the actual corner like a witness. And in MANY cases, the rear corner was not monumented. A tag can be added to the cross which would suffice.

Charles, I just went to that PDF and I can't stop laughing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

some sort of search and replace changed corner/corners to something else.........and well.......................B-)

Maybe it's just my computer

The cut crosses thing required in some CA communities has been updated in many of those communities because a cut cross does not comply with å¤8772 of the PLS Act (the part skywd quoted about marking the monument). For example, the company I was working for in the late 90s/early 00s did a series of phases in Rocklin. In the early phases, they required a slash cut at and perpendicular to the back of walk. In the later 1/3 or so of the phases, they required a small spike or nail and washer with license number of the LS in responsible charge. We used the BP copper plugs from Berntsen, installed with a portable drill and epoxy.

I know of recent cases where an LS was cited for setting a cut cross and not also or instead placing a concrete nail and tag. I have run across instances where a nail & tag would not be possible or practical to set because the type of natural rock or shape of the face of a rock or hardened man-made structure won't readily allow it. I would think in those instances, as long as some sort of properly marked witness monument is set as near the corner as practical, and it's all properly noted on the map, that a surface mark like a cut cross without further marks would not incur a violation.

MightyMoe, post: 345164, member: 700 wrote: Charles, I just went to that PDF and I can't stop laughing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

some sort of search and replace changed corner/corners to something else.........and well.......................B-)

Maybe it's just my computer

Mighty:
I see what you are saying. I never thought about doing any editing, but it's possible that the r & n are meshed together.

I hate to say it, I zoomed in to see, and I don't think so,,,,,,,,,,
but I'm glad you gave me a chuckle

maybe an OCR program run amuck somewhere

MightyMoe, post: 345174, member: 700 wrote: I hate to say it, I zoomed in to see, and I don't think so,,,,,,,,,,
but I'm glad you gave me a chuckle

maybe an OCR program run amuck somewhere

I went back in and checked the original document and it appears to be in the download or OCR. The other, an rtf document has it correct, but when I posted the pdf, the rtf document wasn't in the mix, so I used the pdf file. The Word file was the same as the pdf so I went back in and replaced the messed up word.
That's one of the reasons I use pdf files when doing scans and not a Word format because of character recognition problems.

The following monument material or equal shall be employed in the survey:
A. Primary Monuments.
1. Alloyed iron pipe, zinc-coated, or aluminum pipe:
a. Outside diameter, two inches or larger;
b. Cut in 30-inch lengths;
c. One end of the pipe shall be split for several inches and the two halves spread to form flanges or commercially manufactured foot attached.
2. A brass or aluminum cap two and one-half inches or larger in diameter shall be securely attached to the other end by mechanical means.
3. If aluminum pipe is used, the monument must contain a magnetic insert as an integral part of its compositions.
4. Driven iron or aluminum rod five-eighths-inch minimum diameter and driven to a minimum nine-foot depth or point of refusal.
a. If sectional rods are used, segments shall be secured to one another so that joints tighten up on further driving.
b. A two-and-one-half-inch aluminum monument shall be secured to the surface end by friction or mechanical means.
c. If an aluminum rod is used, the monument must contain a magnetic insert as an integral part of its composition.
5. In areas where primary monuments are located on rock outcrops or concrete surfaces, a brass or aluminum tablet two-and-one-half-inch diameter with a one-half-inch diameter stem shall be cemented into a drilled hole.
B. Secondary Monuments.
1. Cap one and one-half inches or larger secured by friction fit or mechanical means to five-eighths-inch steel rebar or other ferrous metal rod.
2. The rods shall penetrate a minimum of 30 inches below the surface.
3. Plastic stakes specifically designed for survey purposes are allowable if they meet penetration requirements and are detectable by commonly used metal detectors.
4. In areas where secondary monuments are located on rock outcrops or concrete surfaces, the procedure for primary monuments shall be followed.
C. Reference Monuments.
1. Minimum requirements are the same as those for secondary monuments.
2. All reference caps will be marked with the following information:
a. Distance to monument referenced;
b. Surveyor‰Ûªs license number;
c. Designation of and an arrow pointing to the referenced corner.

HC-

Ontario's Monumentation Regulations may be found here:

http://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/910525

Cheers,

Derek