Illinois Administrative Code › Title 68 - PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS › Part 1270 - ILLINOIS PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR ACT OF 1989 › Appendix A - Rules for the Perpetuation of Monuments Under the Land Survey Monuments Act

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a) The Land Survey Monuments Act [765 ILCS 220 ] requires a
				licensed land surveyor to record a monument record when he/she conducts a
				survey that uses as a control corner any public land survey monument, or when
				he/she establishes, re-establishes, restores or rehabilitates any public land
				survey monument, except when there exists a monument record and the monument is
				found as described in the record. All licensed land surveyors who conduct
				surveys pursuant to the Land Survey Monuments Act shall comply with standards
				set forth in this Section. Violation of the Land Survey Monuments Act shall be
				considered a Class A misdemeanor pursuant to Section 11 of the Act.
b) Every section corner and quarter section corner is a public
				land survey monument. The monumentation of other points resulting from the
				subdivision of a section is not a requirement of the Act. Only when a public
				land survey monument is used for making a survey is recording of a monument
				record a requirement of the Act. The licensed land surveyor may utilize
				information from previous surveys providing it is sufficient to locate,
				establish or re-establish the public land survey monument and is adequate for
				preparing the monument record.
c) A monument record means a written and illustrated document
				describing the physical appearance of a survey monument and its accessories.
				The monument record shall be presented and recorded in accordance with the
				following specifications:
1) It shall have an overall width of 81/2 inches and
				an overall length of 11 inches.
2) It shall have a clear one-half inch border on the
				top, bottom and both sides.
3) A 3" x 5" block in the upper right corner shall
				be reserved for the use of the County Recorder of Deeds.
4) Paper on which the form is printed shall have a
				minimum rag content of 25 percent and shall be 20 pound weight.
5) The height of lettering or typing shall be one
				tenth of an inch and shall have a clarity suitable for microfilming and
				reproducing. A maximum of 4 sheets may be used as one document.
6) There shall be no more than 4 monuments shown on
				each record and all monuments must be for a common section.
7) The surveyor may show geodetic position or other
				information at his/her option, providing it does not detract from the clarity
				of the requirements of the monument record.
8) The drawing shall be orientated with North at the
				top of the form.
9) The monument record shall be recorded at the time
				of recording the survey if the survey is placed on record, but in no case more
				than 40 days after the survey is completed.
10) Each monument record shall describe at least 3
				accessories or reference points.
11) All monument records shall be signed by a
				licensed land surveyor or by the chief of a survey party in an agency of the
				United States government.
d) It is recommended that, in addition to the monument record
				requirements set forth above, additional data to add to the monument record to
				aid in future recovery may include the following:
1) the company's job number of the survey
				project;
2) the date the survey plat was completed;
3) the name of the firm, surveyor's name and field
				book with page number;
4) distances and bearings to the nearest quarter or
				section corner monument;
5) general location of ties (i.e., in ditch line, 5'
				east of edge of pavement, etc.);
6) the amount of cover, if any, over the
				monument;
7) the proper or government township name;
8) that distances are slope or horizontal;
9) any known history of the monument (e.g., the
				monument was shown on a plat of survey by Super Surveyors, Inc., dated August
				16, 1937, and recorded in Surveyors Book 2, page 29, in the County Recorder's
				Office).
e) The Land Survey Monuments Act states that a monument shall
				be in such a physical condition that it remains as permanent a monument as is
				reasonably possible and, if practical, the Illinois license number of the land
				surveyor who records the monument record shall be affixed securely to the top
				of the monument at the public land survey corner. When it is not practical to
				affix the land surveyor's Illinois license number on the monument, the number
				may be affixed to one of the reference points.
f) As a minimum the monument must be a standard weight steel
				pipe, one-half inch diameter, 30 inches long or a solid steel rod one-half inch
				diameter, 30 inches long.
g) Should the monument fall on a concrete surface, a survey
				marker permanently anchored into the concrete is acceptable. Should a stone be
				found and the size is such to make it reasonably permanent, it should remain
				and ferrous material be placed over or adjacent to the monument to facilitate
				its recovery.
h) Pursuant to Section 3.04 of the Land Survey Monuments Act,
				"accessory" is defined as
any physical evidence in the vicinity of a
				survey monument or position thereof, the relative position of which is of
				public record and which is used to perpetuate the location of the
				monument
.... Ties are considered accessories.
1) If monument record ties are found to have a
				questionable future, make an effort to establish permanent ties and file a new
				monument record.
2) In an area void of nearby physical tie points,
				resort to angular ties such as building corners, the centers or faces of
				chimneys, steeples, water towers or other structures.
3) A description of a tie point shall be as specific
				as possible and may include such things as:
A) The exact location on a right of way marker or
				other square shaped tie, such as apex, northeast corner or center of east face
				at ground level;
B) Chiseled cross on northwest cap bolt of
				hydrant;
C) Back of concrete curb at joint of radius
				return;
D) Chiseled cross on south side of rim on sanitary
				sewer manhole;
E) Southwest corner of concrete foundation;
				or
F) Punch mark on top of west end of 15 inch
				corrugated metal pipe culvert.
i) Other considerations when conducting a survey to establish a
				monument record:
1) Lower the monument if it appears to be in danger
				of being destroyed due to grading, road improvement, cultivation, etc.
2) Make an attempt to contact adjoining property
				owners to ascertain if the monument is generally recognized and accepted to be
				the corner in question.
3) Make an attempt to show the adjoining property
				owners, road commissioner or highway official the location of the monument and
				supply them with a copy of the monument record for future use.
4) Maintain respect for private property. Do not
				paint or put nails in or survey ribbon on private property without
				permission.
j) The Division is cognizant of the long range public benefit
				derived by the perpetuation of the public land survey monuments. The Act has no
				provision that would exempt a particular type of survey from complying with the
				Act if a public land survey monument is used. Therefore, strict adherence is a
				legal requirement.