Witness Corner Monument

What can I say? In a general sense, they should be placed on the property lines. And, the distance to the corner stamped on the top of the W/C. If they cannot be placed on the property line, then brg and dist to the corner should be stamped on them, with W/C. I'd recommend a Bernsten type alum, or brass monument. With the Philippines being pretty close to salt water, perhaps brass, in concrete would be good. In the areas I work, witness corners should be:
Stable
Large enough top to stamp them with WC and brg and dist to corner.
Made of material that will not corrode, in any significant manner.
A plat of the job, and the W/C placed on record, so that others can retrace you, and PLACE the actual monument at the corner, should the need arise. In some places, in Louisiana, where there is brackish water, wood monuments outlast rebar, due to corrosive properties of salt, and other acids.

So, I turn it around, and ask what do you think would serve the best?

Nate

Concrete monument with top inscription is I guess the best one. Other materials like aluminum, brass, or rebars wont last as people will retrieve and sell them for a living.

Any standard size in US practice? Standard inscription format?

Thank you so much for your prompt reply Nate.

Regards.

> What can I say? In a general sense, they should be placed on the property lines. And, the distance to the corner stamped on the top of the W/C. If they cannot be placed on the property line, then brg and dist to the corner should be stamped on them, with W/C. I'd recommend a Bernsten type alum, or brass monument. With the Philippines being pretty close to salt water, perhaps brass, in concrete would be good. In the areas I work, witness corners should be:
> Stable
> Large enough top to stamp them with WC and brg and dist to corner.
> Made of material that will not corrode, in any significant manner.
> A plat of the job, and the W/C placed on record, so that others can retrace you, and PLACE the actual monument at the corner, should the need arise. In some places, in Louisiana, where there is brackish water, wood monuments outlast rebar, due to corrosive properties of salt, and other acids.
>
> So, I turn it around, and ask what do you think would serve the best?
>
> Nate

I know of no standard. In mosts respects, a witness corner is very similar to a regular corner. Therefore, whatever you would normally establish should be suitable for a witness corner. Ideally, there would be a physical way for the finder of the witness corner in the future to know that it is not "THE" corner and know how to get from there to "THE" corner. Most commonly, one needs the survey plat in hand to know for sure.

Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂

Regards.

> I know of no standard. In mosts respects, a witness corner is very similar to a regular corner. Therefore, whatever you would normally establish should be suitable for a witness corner. Ideally, there would be a physical way for the finder of the witness corner in the future to know that it is not "THE" corner and know how to get from there to "THE" corner. Most commonly, one needs the survey plat in hand to know for sure.

Is there such a requirement in US surveying to install more than one w/c for each inaccessible corner?

Thank you.

Regards.

No, there is not a "Standard" witness corner. However.... the idea I follow is to "Meet the need of the client".

So, if you are in need of ideas, (Which as I take it, is why you posted) There are MANY things I have done.

For a road PI, PC or PT X in concrete, made by sliding a hatchet, on a plumb bob, and cutting the x in the already hard concrete, and getting usually 2 - 4 X's in the conc. so that the actual PI or whatever can be re-located fast and quick. Paint a little paint in the x. Then a black permanent marker over the x and then a light mist of spray paint over the black perm marker.

Witness trees, with aluminum nails in the side, are common.

I simply ask myself what I'd want, if I were in the client's shoes.

What meets the needs.

I have set 1/2" rebar, at 20' offsets. I have done alot of things. Just document it, meet the need, and move along. Surveyors get to be surveyors, because they are creative, and flexible.

🙂

Nate

The term witness corner usually refers to a monument set on the line that is being surveyed. I try to find a point along the line that has a duel purpose if possible. If the point is in the center a street and it's not a good idea to set there I might put it on the easement line at 30'. If it's on an unstable slope I will try to put it somewhere on the line that is stable at an even number-30'-50', something like that.

This is one example:

this shows that the monument is 30.3' south of the corner and that the monument is on the section line that is being surveyed.

If a corner needs to be set off line then it's called a RM or reference monument. Usually a bearing and distance will be stamped on the cap and more than one cap set. If it is a witness corner then only one monument is set as it controls line and distance. Of course you can set as many as you want, but be sure to make it clear with public records (if that's possible where you are) and stamping what is going on. One thing about monuments not set at the point is that they can get used as the corner.

I've set control points that were stamped CONTROL POINT-NOT A PROPERTY CORNER and one of them got used as a property corner.

You can't fix stupid. Wish we could.

Ditto everyone else for the most part . As to constructing the corner, it should be the same as how you would set the actual corner-position . Even the stamping is the same with the addition of WC and dist info. The BLM also sometimes utilizes "off-line" witness corners.

If you go with reference monuments, I think you need at least two. Witness corners require only one. I am not an expert, however. I recommend purchasing a BLM manual and read more about them for some general guidelines.

Thank you soooo much guys! I am definitely learning here... 🙂

What is this inscription means - T XX S / R XX W?

Thank you so much.

This is a reference to our public land survey system in which one mile by one mile sections were organized in six by six blocks known generally as townships. The location of the townships are then referenced from a base line and prinicipal meridian such that the specific township is identified in a systematic layout known as ranges counted to the east or west of the prinicpal meridian and townships counted to the north or south of the base line. So a specific section, say 34 will fall in a specific township to the north or south of the base line and in a specific range to the east or west of the principal meridian, thus creating a unique numbering system for thousands of sections.

Thank you so much.

Regards.

> This is a reference to our public land survey system in which one mile by one mile sections were organized in six by six blocks known generally as townships. The location of the townships are then referenced from a base line and prinicipal meridian such that the specific township is identified in a systematic layout known as ranges counted to the east or west of the prinicpal meridian and townships counted to the north or south of the base line. So a specific section, say 34 will fall in a specific township to the north or south of the base line and in a specific range to the east or west of the principal meridian, thus creating a unique numbering system for thousands of sections.