property lines


bbarcheryhunter

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go to the court house and find the maps there to copy. be sure to get the gps co-ordinates and you'll be home free. lots of fence lines are off the actual property lines, but fences are overall a pretty good guide.

each landowner pays taxes on his land, and his property is recorded. all that info is free at the county court house.

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go to the court house and find the maps there to copy. be sure to get the gps co-ordinates and you'll be home free. lots of fence lines are off the actual property lines, but fences are overall a pretty good guide.

each landowner pays taxes on his land, and his property is recorded. all that info is free at the county court house.

Yep, and right on the fence lines too. Our fence is close in most places and a bit off in others. Last I checked here our property maps were not available online yet, but that has not been in the past year or so. Still have to look up by map and parcel number and get copies from the court house, our courthouse charges to get copies.

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I have a biased opinion being that I am a Licensed Land Surveyor.

A property survey is not a one shot deal. It (a property survey) is a piece of history and thus when put on public record (required by law here in Wisconsin) at your county seat or what ever department deemed that task, it follows for decades to come. People have no problem paying attorneys $250-$300 per hour for their opinions but complain about a property survey costing $500-$1000 but is perpetual. Surveyors are actual boots on the ground with liability and big equipment overhead. Attorneys have to pay down their liberal education.

Steve is correct that you start at your county seat generally. GIS is good but is considered pretend surveying and not a substitute by any means. Tax maps are good too but again are not legally binding other than for high grade toilet paper. Your county may have a county surveyor that can show the records and point you in the right direction for aerial photography with a property line overlay.

Word of warning though......what ever mapping you get ahold of is purely generalizations and unofficial unless it is signed and stamped by a licensed land surveyor or documented in a court order.

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I have a biased opinion being that I am a Licensed Land Surveyor.

A property survey is not a one shot deal. It (a property survey) is a piece of history and thus when put on public record (required by law here in Wisconsin) at your county seat or what ever department deemed that task, it follows for decades to come. People have no problem paying attorneys $250-$300 per hour for their opinions but complain about a property survey costing $500-$1000 but is perpetual. Surveyors are actual boots on the ground with liability and big equipment overhead. Attorneys have to pay down their liberal education.

Steve is correct that you start at your county seat generally. GIS is good but is considered pretend surveying and not a substitute by any means. Tax maps are good too but again are not legally binding other than for high grade toilet paper. Your county may have a county surveyor that can show the records and point you in the right direction for aerial photography with a property line overlay.

Word of warning though......what ever mapping you get ahold of is purely generalizations and unofficial unless it is signed and stamped by a licensed land surveyor or documented in a court order.

What he said!

We're surveying my place right now. It's a lot of work, but the pins will be set, referenced, and there for perpetuity when we're all done. Definitely worth the time and money if you want to know where your property corners are, and not just guess.

Ben

Edited by bfletch7441
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Potash,

Maybe you can answer this question for me.

We're all familiar with platt books - generally you can buy them for your county.

In years past the platt map showed I had a parcel that was 16.7 acres.

The new platt map shows I have 21.3 acres. Any idea why?

Our county has updated the maps, and many lines were off. The equipment used years ago were not all that accurate..unlike the GPS we have today. We had people here gain land and also "lose" land they thought they owned. We had a large parcel 500 acres or so..we were logging surveyed, and we got to help..it had a few "dog legs" and such....the guy would tell me how far to walk and right or left..then he would say...LOOK DOWN..we were tying it in around the back side coming back to where there were pins..... there was the pin..unbelievable!!

GPS is SPOT ON!

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I would head to your county seat and talk with the Real Property Lister or whom ever is in charge of land records for tax purposes. They should be able to help you trace your property back through deed records and see if there was a change.

A difference of 4.6 acres is a lot but again a plat book is also a generalization and can be wrong. Look up all your old tax bills and see what is says for a brief legal description and acreage. Start looking for descrepancies and flag them. Then call your county Real Property Lister and ask questions.

Follow up if you find anything or need more help.

Potash,

Maybe you can answer this question for me.

We're all familiar with platt books - generally you can buy them for your county.

In years past the platt map showed I had a parcel that was 16.7 acres.

The new platt map shows I have 21.3 acres. Any idea why?

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