Oregon Revised Statutes

672.025 Practice of land surveying without registration prohibited; seal required. (1) No person shall practice land surveying in this state unless the person is registered and has a valid certificate to practice land surveying issued under ORS 672.002 to 672.325

ORS 672.005(2)

“Practice of land surveying” means doing any of the following:

(a) Providing or offering to provide professional services that apply mathematics, geodesy and other sciences and involve:

(A) The making of geometric measurements and gathering of related information pertaining to:

(i) The physical or legal features of the earth;

(ii) Improvements on the earth; or

(iii) The space above or below the earth; or

(B) The development of measurements and information described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph into graphics, data, maps, plans, reports, descriptions, projects or other survey products.

(b) Performing geodetic surveys.

(c) Establishing, reestablishing or replacing boundaries or geodetic control monuments or reference points.

(d) Locating, relocating, establishing, reestablishing or retracing any property lines or boundaries for any tract of land, road right-of-way or easement.

(e) Making any survey for the division or subdivision of a tract of land or for the consolidation of tracts of land.

(f) Locating and laying out alignments, positions or elevations for the construction of fixed works.

(g) Performing or offering to perform any investigation, interpretation or evaluation of , or any consultation or testimony about, any of the services described in paragraphs (a) to (f) of this subsection.

(h) Collecting, preparing, manipulating or modifying data related to activities described in paragraphs (a) to (f) of this subsection, other than acting as a scrivener.

(i) Performing photogrammetric mapping.

(j) Making surveys that involve horizontal or vertical mapping control or geodetic control.

Gunter’s chain was a measuring device used for land surveying.

It was designed in 1620 by English clergyman and mathematician Edmund Gunter.

Gunter’s chain is divided into 100 links, each link being 7.92 inches long.

A chain is 66 feet in length.

One quarter of a chain (16.5 feet) is called a rod or a pole.

An acre is 10 square chains.

U.S. Public Land Survey plats are still published showing chained units.

ORS 209.005(6)

“Public land survey corner” means a section corner, one-quarter section corner, Donation Land Claim corner, meander corner, witness corner or any other corner established by the General Land Office or its successor.

A planner with AICP credentials has a minimum level of experience, expertise and is required to get continuing education called certification maintenance.

At W.B. Wells, our planner has passed the AICP test. Next time you are looking for a company to help you with your project for engineering, planning or surveying, ask if their planners are AICP certified.

ORS 209.005(5)

“Monument” means any permanent material object or collection of objects, either natural or man-made, that indicates the position on the ground of a survey station, public land survey corner or accessories, or a land boundary corner established by a qualified surveyor.

Surveying has been an essential element in the development of the human environment since the beginning or recorded history, about 5,000 years ago.

Surveying is required in the planning and execution of nearly every form of construction.

Under the Romans, land surveyors were established as a profession.

In the U.S., Land surveying was one of the first professions to require professional licensure.

Surveyors use units of feet wherein a survey foot is broken down in 10ths and 100ths.

Requirements of a property description /legal description

Sufficiency of description

Title identity

Non- interference with senior deeds

Locatable by a competent surveyor

Not capable of alternate interpretation

Sufficient mathematical data to close

The Domesday Book is the earliest land information system. The Domesday Book was created by William the Conqueror in 1086 in an attempt to create a list of all land parcels in England.

The Domesday Book also listed the the land owner, acreage, tenants and livestock for each parcel.

One of the main purposes of this land information system was to determine what taxes were due. Nothing ever changes does it?

It was written in Latin, except for native terms with no Latin equivalent. The text was highly abbreviated.

The book was known by the English as “Domesday” as in the Day of Judgement. Whatever the book said about who held the material wealth or what is was worth, was the law. There was no appeal.

Although the Domesday Book contains a vast amount of information, it does not contain any land surveys.

Bugs Bunny – born in Brooklyn, New York in a warren under Ebbets Field

Survey Ninja – born in Portland, Oregon

Bugs Bunny – “Of course you realize, this means war!”

Survey Ninja – “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Bugs Bunny – drives his pursuer insane

Survey Ninja – drives his boss insane

Bugs Bunny – rarely defeated in his own games of trickery

Survey Ninja – almost always defeated in his games of trickery

Bugs Bunny – has a certain preference for female disguise

Survey Ninja – has a preference for female Halloween costumes

Bugs Bunny – travels cross-country via tunnel-digging

Survey Ninja – licensed to perform land surveys in Oregon

Winner – Bugs Bunny. Nobody beats Bugs.