Cadastral Survey
Cadastral surveying is a specialized field within surveying and cadastre that focuses on establishing and re-establishing real property boundaries. It involves physically delineating property boundaries, determining dimensions, areas, and certain rights associated with properties, regardless of whether they are on land or water, and whether they are defined by natural or artificial features. Cadastral surveying is an essential component of the legal creation of properties, and it requires the application of both spatial-measurement principles of general surveying and legal principles such as respect for neighboring titles.
Cadastral surveying is used to track and show the boundary lines of both privately owned real estate and public land. It involves the creation of cadastral maps, which include information such as linework, parcel numbers, land ownership, tax and value assessments, acreage, dimensions, and topographic mapping. Cadastral surveyors cross-reference deeds, maps of adjoining properties, county and utility maps, survey records, and other legal documents to establish property boundaries. The products obtained after a cadastral survey can be in the form of plans, certificates, or digital data, and they relate to the laws of land ownership and the definition of property.
The word "cadastral" is derived from "cadastre," which refers to a public record, survey, or map of the value, extent, and ownership of land as a basis of taxation. Cadastral surveying is an operational program within the Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior, and its mission and focus include determining and defining land ownership and boundaries.
In summary, cadastral surveying plays a crucial role in establishing property boundaries, determining land ownership, and creating legal documentation concerning the quantity, dimensions, location, value, tenure, and ownership of land. It is an essential process for the legal creation of properties and involves a combination of spatial-measurement and legal principles.
