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.

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.

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.

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 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.

The survey and the transference are the distinctive and operative acts in the transmission of real property and, where they differ from each other, one must of necessity control the other. This book addresses the aforementioned concepts by external explanations in order to understand the discrepancies between them. It also helps to avoid expensive and wasteful litigation over boundaries that were previously not in conflict. The text offers an extensive review of the law for boundary retracement and cites numerous case examples.

The definitive guide to land development—fully updated to cover the latest industry advances.This thoroughly revised resource lays out step-by-step approaches from feasibility, through design and into permitting stages of land development projects. The book offers a holistic view of the land development process for public and private project types – including residential, commercial, mixed-use and institutional. Land Development Handbook, Fourth Edition contains the latest information on green technologies and environmentally conscious design methods. Detailed technical appendices, revised graphics, and case studies round out the content included.This edition covers:•Due diligence, planning, and zoning•Review procedures, building codes, and development costs•Environmental and historical considerations•Site analysis and preliminary engineering•Feasibility studies and site inspections•Conceptual and schematic design•Site selection, yield, and impact studies•Final design processes and sample plans•Components of a site plan and the approval process•Site grading, road design, and utility design •Stormwater management and hydrology•Erosion and sediment control•Permits, bonds, and construction documents•Soils, floodplain studies and stream restoration