Professional surveyors and many civil engineers must understand the laws of boundaries and the evidence necessary for efficient and accurate boundary determination. This new edition of the preeminent text/reference on the subject is brought completely up to date, with new material on the use of technology in surveying and its legal ramifications, the use of forensic investigative techniques in the discovery of obscured evidence, new case law examples throughout, and new exhibits help illustrate the concepts presented.
The up-to-date, new edition of the classic reference For over two decades, Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location has been the cornerstone volume for surveying practitioners. In its Fourth Edition, this book upholds its superior presentation of boundary laws and evidence, and now introduces significantly revised content covering current laws, legal procedures and practices, courtroom responsibilities, use of GPS and GIS data, and waterway boundaries. This current edition prepares surveyors for the new legal, technical, and administrative aspects of surveying. The first section of this book covers resurveys or retracements of former surveys based on land records. It deals with the methods used for locating corners, lines, and parcels of these surveys, while detailing all types of evidence, including maps and documents; measurements; monuments and trees; and digital data. The increasing importance of an area's history to surveyors is also a featured topic. The later chapters examine the creation of new parcels of land from a legal standpoint. This edition also includes an in-depth examination of: * Professional liability * How to report evidence and use it in court * Court conduct, both as a defendant and as an expert witness * The origins of boundary evidence Whether used in conjunction with Brown's Boundary Control and Legal Principles, Fourth Edition, or on its own, Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Fourth Edition, continues to stand as the fundamental reference for licensed practicing surveyors, lawyers, property owners, civil engineers, and students in surveying courses in two- and four-year programs. Its practical applications have also made it a widely used study guide for land surveyor examinations.
The classic reference, expanded and updated to include the latest technologies and laws This new edition of Brown's Boundary Control and Legal Principles — the classic reference to boundary law for property surveying—has been updated and expanded to reflect ongoing changes in surveying technology and surveying law. Professional surveying practices continue to evolve, and this Seventh Edition includes all the necessary information to navigate the complex, evolving area of boundary law. Improving upon its usefulness for both professionals and students alike, this Seventh Edition features: Updated case law and examples throughout Recent changes in boundary law New chapter on riparian and littoral boundaries by water boundary expert George Cole A new appendix listing surveying books referenced in court cases and legal decisions The latest innovations in surveying technology This must-have reference to surveying and geodesy features a wealth of case studies on federal and state nonsectionalized land surveys demonstrating real-world examples of covered material. Brown's Boundary Control and Legal Principles, Seventh Edition is an essential reference tool for professional surveyors studying for state surveying licensing, students, and attorneys in real estate and land law.
Learn to be a good investigator and a successful retracement surveyor In the era of CSI, forensic science has taken on an unaccustomed glamor. The fact is, forensic science plays as crucial a role in the field of land surveying and title investigation as it does in flesh-and-blood criminology. Land location, the stability of property lines, and the sanctity of title documents are of utmost interest to the legal system in general, and the court system in particular. Forensic Procedures for Boundary and Title Investigation is the first book to present the application of investigative forensic techniques to the field of land boundary retracement. Covering basic logic, document research, and the interpretation of physical evidence on site, Forensic Procedures for Boundary and Title Investigation is an indispensable guide for?surveyors faced with a difficult retracement having little or faulty evidence. Demonstrating the techniques that can be applied to boundary location, this fascinating and useful introduction to forensic science: * Covers basic logic with tips for avoiding assumptions during the investigation that might result in error and bad conclusions * Explains the standard operating procedures, common to all forensics fields, for the protection of scenes, evidence collection, and photography * Provides detailed information on records research, reconstructing historical documentation, dealing with damaged documentation, and interpreting historic records containing antiquated measurements and wording * Includes a unique presentation of physical evidence investigation techniques including interpreting stone, wood, and metal evidence found on site * Takes an international approach, presenting universal investigative techniques and methods beyond the specifics of any single country * Includes advice on using the Internet for research and how to draw upon surprising sources of historic information such as postcards, advertisements, and family histories This extensive treatment is sure to become a standard reference work for professionals in many fields related to land investigation as well as a practical text for the training of investigators in the evidence recovery and interpretative processes leading to successful property location and ownership.
The only modern guide to interpreting and writing real property descriptions for surveyors Technical land information is no longer the exclusive domain of professional surveyors. The Internet now houses a multitude of resources that nontechnical professionals—such as attorneys and realtors—access and implement on a daily basis. However, these professionals are trained in aspects of law and commerce that do not provide the proper education and experience to interpret and evaluate their land boundary information discoveries correctly. As a result, their analysis is often erroneous and the data misapplied—ultimately leading to confusion and costly litigation. Professional Surveyors and Real Property Descriptions attempts to bridge the ever-widening gap between the users of land boundary information and the land surveyors who produce it. An expert team of authors integrates the historic and legal background of real property interests with fundamental concepts of the surveying profession in a manner accessible for average readers. These provide the basics for both properly comprehending older descriptions and competently constructing complete and modern real property descriptions that foster better communication. Highlights in this book include: An in-depth exploration of historic descriptions and how to read them Coverage of the widely accepted ALTA/ACSM Land Boundary Survey standards and associated property descriptions A diverse collection of examples and practice scenarios An overview of the latest issues related to the use of GPS and GIS Written in easy-to-understand language, this practical resource assists nontechnical professionals in understanding exactly what a surveyor does and does not do, and serves as a valuable tool for obtaining the most satisfactory, accurate, and complete real property descriptions.
Georgia Land Surveying History and Law is the first definitive history and analysis of Georgia’s land system and the laws that govern it. The book’s opening section tells the story of the surveyor’s role in transforming Georgia from a frontier to a bounded, populated, and productive colony and state. Paced by anecdotes of surveyors’ wilderness experiences, the narrative traces the evolution of Georgia’s land subdivision system, beginning with the original, and ultimately impractical, scheme of land granting and rectangular land subdivision under the Trustees of the Georgia Colony. The volume then covers the more flexible but easily abused headright procedure, and the subsequent lottery and succession of systematic, rectangular surveys under which most of the state was laid out and granted in the early nineteenth century. Finally, in lay terms supported by meticulous citation of authority, the volume discusses the legal aspects of land surveying, including the interests that make up land ownership, the transfer of real property, the interpretation of property descriptions, the location of boundaries, riparian and littoral rights, and other topics. The book examines every point concerning boundaries found in any Georgia case or statute. Based solidly on primary sources and the author’s fifteen years of experience in land surveying and title abstracting, Georgia Land Surveying History and Law is an exhaustively researched and scholarly reference that will be useful to surveyors, title attorneys, title abstractors, real estate professionals, geographers, cartographers, historians, and genealogists.
The classic reference, expanded and updated with current case law ¿ This new edition of Brown's Boundary Control and Legal Principles—the classic reference to boundary law for property surveying—has been updated and expanded to reflect ongoing changes in surveying technology and surveying law. The scope of professional surveying services is changing, and this Sixth Edition has all the necessary information to navigate the complex, evolving area of boundary law. Improving upon its usefulness for both professionals and students alike, this new edition features: The latest changes in case law, with examples Improved organization and presentation Expanded coverage of metes and bounds New material on applying the priority of calls to retracements Consideration of the ethics and moral responsibilities of boundary creation and retracements The latest information on the technologies advancing boundary law is covered, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and their impact on surveying measurements. A wealth of case studies on federal and state nonsectionalized land surveys demonstrates real-world examples of covered material. Brown's Boundary Control and Legal Principles, Sixth Edition is an essential reference tool for professional surveyors studying for state surveying licensing, students, and attorneys in real estate and land law.
This book, originally written by William C. Wattles, is the classic reference for the practitioner. Revised by late Gurdon H. Wattles, this book belongs on every surveyors bookshelf. A partial list of the topics covered include: General and essential features of descriptions; Forms and Types of Descriptions; Sectional Property; Easements and Vacations; Tide Lands and Water Boundaries; Mining Location; Interpretation of Descriptions; Words and Phrases; Description Variance; and Values of the Vara.
