A monumental land survey is a type of land survey dealing specifically with the boundaries of the property. All monumental land surveys use physical monuments to mark the boundaries on the land itself. Commonly, the corners of the property are marked with a long iron rod driven vertically into the ground, though there are many other types of physical monuments which may be used.
These monuments are designed to be as permanent as possible, though land surveyors many decades ago used wooden posts or natural features which may be destroyed over time, making it difficult to re-trace their work today. Monuments in use today will have a cap on top of the iron rod identifying the surveyor who placed it.
This physical monument allows the easy finding of the boundaries and corners of the property when one is physically on the land, although the monumental land survey itself does have some limitations as far as the other information provided. For example, it usually is not concerned with any improvements on the property, such as fences or homes, and will not determine whether these were built to code or conform to zoning regulations. continue reading…
