“Land is one of California’s most precious assets, the ownership of land, and consequently the ability to define boundaries is dependent of monuments and their perpetuation.”
Dec. 2, 1985 letter from Board to all County Surveyors and City Engineers
Survey Monuments are Protected by the Law
The law protects monuments which are critical to the protection of private property rights and public infrastructure of California. Below are relevant sections of law pertaining to survey monuments. Click the links below to review the laws or visit: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes
Business & Professions Code §8771
Streets & Highways §732 & §732.5, §1492.5, §1810.5
Penal Code §605
1985 BPELSG Opinion
2011 BPELSG Opinion
Responsibilities for Land Surveyors (Private)
Below is an outline of your professional responsibilities as a private surveyor:
- Be certain to include monument perpetuation in all contracts you are involved in.
- Be certain all monuments are included and referenced in your pre-design topographic surveys.
- Report/request help with local entity.
- Prepare thorough maps, CRs & ROSs. Include all monuments within your survey, it helps all future surveys and if a monument is destroyed it can be traced back to when it was possibly destroyed.
- Communicate & resolve issues with fellow surveyors and entities.
- Talk to contractors, educate them (use the resources available on this website).
- Include monuments on improvement and grading plans.
What to do if Monuments are Being Destroyed
Education is key to ensuring preservation of monuments. If you are aware of monuments being destroyed, contact your county/city surveyor. Should you have further difficulty, contact The Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists (BPELSG). BPELSG has designated Enforcement Analyst Larry Kereszt as the contact person for any Monument Conservation issues. Larry can be contacted at (916) 263-2240 or Larry.Kereszt@dca.ca.gov
Additional Resources
Monument Conservation Brochure
BPELSG Webinar - Stop Monument Destruction Before it is too Late!
For More Information
For more information regarding monument conservation, please contact CLSA Monument Conservation Chair, Kevin Nehring
The Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists (BPELSG) has designated staff for any Monument Conservation issues.
Please contact BPELSG at: BPELSG.Enforcement.Information@dca.ca.gov