Cee Gee, post: 365519, member: 451 wrote: I've seem the term "tape survey" used around here (central Maine, very rural) to indicate what was generally known in the '70's & '80's as a "compass and tape survey," in which the research and reconnaissance etc. were supposed to be thorough and a hand compass and a 200' tape was used for the final measurements (tolerance being nearest foot). Quite adequate, in my opinion for large rural tracts where the boundaries are amply established by stone walls, wire fences, blazed lines, etc., and no one cares about the odd 2 feet or fraction of an acre -- not always the case though, and real estate people and lawyers and cheapskate private landowners back then would routinely assume that the process could be used on any parcel anywhere. The cost estimates they got from c & t surveyors and from more conventional firms were often big selling points. You're a landowner and you call a respectable firm and ask "How much to survey 100 acres?" and they say "Maybe about $6000" then you call c & t guy and he says "around $600," explaining nothing about the limits of the product. What are you going to do? Also I think some of the responses above have compass & tape surveys confused with Mortgage Loan Inspections and the like, which are still around and which most surveyors around here, and our licensing board, do not consider to be a survey at all.
Same here in upstate NY, haven't seen one of those in a long time now
I've seen the term in various places I've worked. Seems like more of an Eastern term commonly associated with a Mortgage Report type job for a small lot where the (apparent) corners and lines can be easily identified.
There's situations where I believe a carefully performed set of taped measurements to define certain conditions in a limited area is just fine, but not as the basis of a product provided to a client or landowner that might get mistaken for a carefully and properly performed boundary survey.
When used by a lawyer, the reference is undoubtedly for a map to be used in connection with a land conveyance. In that context, I'd tell him (or her) that such a survey would not meet the standard of care and then pick it up from there with what Duane Frymire said.