Per Colorado’s Constitution and Revised Statutes, the County Surveyor is an elected official who is currently licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor in the State of Colorado, and the individual must meet rigorous qualifications as defined in CRS 12-25-214. Successful completion of a series of licensing examinations is also required. Licensure of Professional Land Surveyors is overseen by the State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers, and Professional Land Surveyors.
The County Surveyor’s primary function is the review and indexing of Land Survey Plats. State law requires the County Surveyor to create and maintain a plat records file and indexing system for all survey plats. Land Survey Plats are reviewed to ensure that all required Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS) and have been met.
The County Surveyor represents the county in all boundary disputes originating in the Public Land Survey System. When authorized by the Board of County Commissioners, the County Surveyor conducts surveys of county property including rights-of-way and may also provide professional land surveying services to other County departments. The County Surveyor can also establish disputed boundaries when applied for or at the appointment by the courts. Another function of the County Surveyor is to protect, maintain, and perpetuate land survey monuments. The County Surveyor can appoint Deputies as assistants to discharge their duties faithfully and impartially.
Another function of the County Surveyor is to protect, maintain, and perpetuate land survey monuments. The County Surveyor can appoint Deputies as assistants to discharge their duties faithfully and impartially.
The Surveyor is considered to be a temporary employee of the County with no benefits other than the salary set by state statutes. The amount of salary is determined by county classification. Douglas County is a Category I county. Therefore, the Surveyor is paid a salary of $5,500 annually and is financed by the Board of County Commissioners.
Professional Land Surveyor roles and responsibilities
Review your deed along with other evidence and render a professional opinion as to the locations and any conflicts of the boundaries of your land.
Set monuments at your property corners and mark them so they can be easily found and identified.
Keep an accurate record of all services performed and measurements obtained.
Identify and advise you of any apparent defect in your land description or evidence of conflict of ownership and/or use.
Prepare a plat or map of your property indicating boundary measurements, the monuments found and placed, and the calculated area.
Provide the client with a copy of the plat or map which bears the Professional Land Surveyor’s signature and seal.
Deposit a cop of said plat or map in the respective County Records where the land is located. This will ensure that the plat or map is available for public inspection by other Professional Land Surveyors and property owners.
Professional Land Surveyor qualifications
Create a property description for all new parcels or any existing parcels that may have a defect.
Appear in court as an expert witness concerning real property ownership, location or use.
Assist you in the planning and layout of the Lots, Blocks, Streets, Easements, etc. in a new subdivision.
