Footsteps: Boundary Surveying Column in The American Surveyor Magazine
In March of 2011 the first article for the “Footsteps” column appeared in The American Surveyor Magazine. The “Footsteps” column focuses on boundary surveying, a branch of the wider land surveying profession that deals with the creation and location of land parcel boundaries. The articles in the Footsteps column are written by Landon Blake, the owner of Redefined Horizons.
The boundary surveyor is encouraged to “follow in the footsteps” of previous boundary surveyors when he is establishing parcel boundaries. This is one side of the boundary surveying coin. On the other side is the requirement that today’s boundary surveyor make it as easy as practical for future surveyors to follow in his footsteps. This principle is in harmony with the motto of the American Surveyor magazine: “A foot in the past…An eye to the future.”
The goal of the “Footsteps” column is to offer practical advice to individuals practicing (and learning to practice) the art and science of boundary surveying. The column covers topics that include evaluation of boundary evidence, the content of boundary survey maps, protocols for conducting and processing boundary field surveys, collecting oral testimony, and the writing and interpretation of land descriptions.
Articles in the column also discuss legal principles that should guide the boundary surveyor in his work. This includes review of actual court cases, analysis of boundary surveying principles to hypothetical examples drawn from real life practice, and a discussion of state and federal laws that impact the practice of boundary surveying. In the discussion of legal principles, my goal is not just to inform my readers about boundary surveying law, but about real property law in general. In many ways our modern society and economy is founded on the system of land ownership, and land surveyors should have an active role in our society’s conversations and decisions about our land ownership system and our land management policy, as well as the legal framework used to implement them. There are few professionals more qualified than land surveyors to add reasonable and intelligent voices to these conversations. Our input should be influenced by a thorough understanding of our current legal framework as it relates to real property. In the column’s review of the law as it applies to boundary surveying and real property, the focus is on explaining the why, and not just the what.
All boundary surveyors should be aware of the law even if they aren’t allowed to practice it in the traditional sense. “I am not a lawyer” is not a valid excuse for legal ignorance. The court cases and laws discussed in the column will be thoroughly research so it is as reliable and correct as practical.
Article List
Immediately below you will find a list of articles published in the "Footsteps" column. Each item in the list is a link to a web page dedicated to the article. The article web page will contain any article corrections, selected reader feedback, lists of references, links to law or court cases cited in the article.