Neighbor removed my property line pin

[sixdogs]

To the OP--keep following your instincts--I believe you are on the right path. Do not take the bait to escalate unless you are certain of the response (read the book) of the neighbor. My guess is he's just an "assassain" personality that will strike in the dark but run from your shadow. He is just seeing how much mischief he can create to determine how far he can push. He could one day become a half-nice or at least passive neighbor once his behavior boundaries are established for him. This needs to de-escalate rather than escalate or even stay constant.

I would not do it but you could likely "win" the post removal thing as well as blowing stuff on your side by merely calling the cops. Even if they do nothing--at the moment--they will give the guy a warning that is something to the effect of "if the pin moves again, even if the wind does it, you're getting arrested". I am familiar with these things and this is definately plan D but it is a wake-up call. Read the book. Even the cops coming out to look the situation over without confronting the neighbor can have a sobering effect on behavior. But again, the above paragraph is for illustrative purposes and I do not imply to someone that has not read the entire thread that this is a suggestion or course of action. It's just beer talk.
As well, I believe the leaf blower thing is a way to allow him to save face with family members who are watching him lose in a dispute he likely boasted he was certain he would win. All those people he told could park or drive there--and now can't-- will now have a negative image of him that he is likely trying to correct by his actions. It's a Tarzan yell, of sorts, over his domain.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other and your moderate personality will likely assure a happy ending. In the discussion, what used to be really never was and is wasted breath. Get the trees fully on your side and 2 1/2' to 3' for a northern white cedar in CT is SOP. Trimming actually helps cedars.

It's not possible at the moment but a good heart-to-heart talk with a neighbor can solve many situations like this. Months ago this might have fixed things.

Get your survey info recorded and get a new legal description to incorporate in your deed and abstract if the wording is different from what you already have. My guess is it's the same and the survey recording will take care of things. Ask the surveyor how to fix the problem and go the way she points. You already know this stuff so keep on keepin' on and report back when you get around to it. We're rootin' for you.

 

[RobertN]

She said best is to Google landscape photo imaging software

Drafix Pro Landscape(commercial)

I'll ask about consumer version...

 

[jerry shannon]

In Michigan it is against the law to tamper, move, or alter any property marker or surveyer stakes. To do so knowling is an even greater offence. I agree that fences make good neighbors. I bought a small farm property next to mine from a foreclosure when the owner left town. His neighbor was allowed to use a about an acre of property to put in a garden and a dog pen. Upon closing on the property I went over to meet him with a case of beer in hand to introduce myself and tell him that I was not going to be using the property for the next couple of years and he could keep the garden. After 2 seasons I noticed that the surveryor stakes were missing on the property line and on top of that the started to dump brush on the property. I had the property surveyed again at a cost of 500.00 ( because it had just been done 2 years earlier for the bank sale) and told the neighbor that I wanted him to move his dogs, and garden prior to the spring season. I also told him if the stakes came up missing again I was going to go legal on the issue. In Michigan is you do not notify or fence a joined property and a neighbor is using some if for a period of 7 years he can claim it as his own.

 

[jerry shannon]

I agree with you. I have no sympathy or understanding for anyone who takes it upon themselfs to move a marker for ANY reason. Kids have been known to screw around with them just to prank you, but if that was the case your neighbor would or should be just as upset as you are. Could affect him negativly as well. Also in Michigan if you can prove that a person moved a marker they have to PAY to have it surveyed again.

 

[Deere Dude]

This thread makes me glad that all my property boundaries are in the woods so no one worries or cares about the precise location.

My experience. I bought 7 acres of woods and marsh which was 1/4 mile as the crow flies to the closest neighbor. The problem is, that 200 acre farmer neighbor whose land was surrounding my property on two sides wanted to buy this land from the owner years before on kind of a land swap because he used it for hunting because my woods joined his woods, and that made sense. But he was ticked that I bought it and he made my life miserable as far as getting permits, etc right from the get go..

We finally built and my house was 50' or so from the back property line in a thick woods. My pole shed was 10 feet from the back lot line in the same woods. One of my kids had an old junker of a car and I had an old mustang for parts, but I parked them next to the pole shed, but the cars were over the boundary line about 5 feet. Mind you, this was part of a huge woods that enveloped the property line. I came home from work one day and as I drove past the pole shed I noticed the cars were moved.

What happened was, he took his tractor and gave them a good push to get the whole car on my side of the line. The cars were pretty much junk anyway and didn't hurt anything, but I went over to his house and asked him why he rammed them a good one. He told me that they were junking up the place and he wanted his property looking nice. His farm was a regular old farm with barns and sheds implements outside and was just a normal farm.

Did I mention this was in the middle of a 200 acre, if not more woods, with no houses or anything within 1/4 mile. Obviously they were hanging over his side 5-6', but those are neighbors we deal with now and then.

I never had anything to do with him, or socialized with him, and didn't know him other than to buy the land he wanted but didn't get. There were a bunch of things such as not allowing the power company cross his land to get power to me, making me spend $600 of getting a culvert engineered so water would not back up to his woods, shooting my dog, etc. After 12 years as we were in the process of moving out he wondered across the property line and struck up a gentle conversation with me.

No matter where you live, the Hatfields and the McCoys exist in some form.

 

[Mark Petrowicz]

Drive a few new pins , Smile while our doing it if that makes u feel better .... just make sure you have a plot on your deed with a surveyors stamp and name recorded in case you die or sell the place it will be all thats needed to recover the survey which has to be done if the property changes hands . Illegal to move a pin "yes", most states that's the case but surveyors do make mistakes and pins do dissapear and after all ill Eagle is also a sick bird .
Some neighbors are great some are not .Pig and chicken farmers all have great neighbors go figure?

 

[jerry shannon]

Wise words.

 

[TCBoomer]

Not much of an update as things are at a standstill temporarily. Just about over a severe case of the flu...second round btw...and this one knocked the wind out of my sails for sure. But I'm up and running now for the most part and ready to return to work tomorrow. Missed all of last week because of it.

The standstill was also due to mother nature dumping about 12" of snow on us. Here's a shot looking down my driveway after one pass. My surveyor had me on her schedule this past week but I really didn't expect her to show up and have to deal with this mess. This week it's supposed to warm up with 50* temps by weeks end so hopefully it'll melt enough.

I'm anxious if anything to get things moving. Once I have that corner pin back in place, I'll know better what I'm going to do. It doesn't mean I've reconsidered moving them, just that I've given serious thought to what my priorities are. I would much rather be working on my house which is a complete exterior renovation. If the tree line is in fact 3' off the line at the neighbors end I may leave them for now. Only downside to delaying moving them now is they continue to grow...and continue tolerating the neighbors shenanigans. Speaking of which...about 5 am today he was out plowing a dusting-to maybe 1/2" off his 1K' driveway. Woke me and the dog up and the racket from a plow blade on bare blacktop was enough to rile up my territorial GSD. What possess people to be so...???

Sigh...just another day in paradise...could be worse I guess lol

 

[TCBoomer]

To the OP--keep following your instincts--I believe you are on the right path. Do not take the bait to escalate unless you are certain of the response (read the book) of the neighbor. My guess is he's just an "assassain" personality that will strike in the dark but run from your shadow. He is just seeing how much mischief he can create to determine how far he can push. He could one day become a half-nice or at least passive neighbor once his behavior boundaries are established for him. This needs to de-escalate rather than escalate or even stay constant.

I would not do it but you could likely "win" the post removal thing as well as blowing stuff on your side by merely calling the cops. Even if they do nothing--at the moment--they will give the guy a warning that is something to the effect of "if the pin moves again, even if the wind does it, you're getting arrested". I am familiar with these things and this is definately plan D but it is a wake-up call. Read the book. Even the cops coming out to look the situation over without confronting the neighbor can have a sobering effect on behavior. But again, the above paragraph is for illustrative purposes and I do not imply to someone that has not read the entire thread that this is a suggestion or course of action. It's just beer talk.
As well, I believe the leaf blower thing is a way to allow him to save face with family members who are watching him lose in a dispute he likely boasted he was certain he would win. All those people he told could park or drive there--and now can't-- will now have a negative image of him that he is likely trying to correct by his actions. It's a Tarzan yell, of sorts, over his domain.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other and your moderate personality will likely assure a happy ending. In the discussion, what used to be really never was and is wasted breath. Get the trees fully on your side and 2 1/2' to 3' for a northern white cedar in CT is SOP. Trimming actually helps cedars.

It's not possible at the moment but a good heart-to-heart talk with a neighbor can solve many situations like this. Months ago this might have fixed things.

Get your survey info recorded and get a new legal description to incorporate in your deed and abstract if the wording is different from what you already have. My guess is it's the same and the survey recording will take care of things. Ask the surveyor how to fix the problem and go the way she points. You already know this stuff so keep on keepin' on and report back when you get around to it. We're rootin' for you.

Thanks for the vote of confidence

I believe you've nailed it with several statements. There's nothing more that I would like than for this whole mess to go away. But I don't think it's in this guy to let it go peacefully. His continuance with annoying is obvious. Even the state police paying him a visit 2 winters ago didn't seem to phase him any. If anything I think it was just more fuel in the fire. I have that book you mentioned and am about 1/3 of the way through it. Maybe it'll shed more light on the subject and allow me to find a better way to deal with him. So far ignoring him isn't the answer. Talking didn't work either as I proved that by our discussion last spring. I chuckled to myself about your comments of his Tarzan yell and saving face...no doubt in my mind there!

My inner spite wants me to present him the bill from the surveyor for the pin reset and DEMAND payment, but the practical side of me says to just chalk it up as tuition. My surveyor does have a heads up about why she has to reset the pin, and I'll see what else she has to offer for suggestions. I do know I will do something additional in the vicinity of where she resets the pin so I won't have to deal with that again...maybe a flagpole? LOL kidding of course but I do have a few ideas

 

[ultrarunner]

Here is an article about reference points (different than property line pins like yours): AmeriSurv.com - $250 Fine or Imprisonment for Disturbing This Mark

Aaron Z

Family owns some acreage and it is mostly a ridge with a fire trail right at the top.

Each year I blade it with the dozer.

Last year I noticed several Survey pins in the middle of the road with orange caps with the surveyor license number on them.

Why would a surveyor place pins on the middle of our property in the middle of a fire trail?

Come to find out it was because of the elevation on the ridge was useful to establish some distant points not on our land or even the neighbors land.

I called him to let him know as careful as I was... the blade caught one of the pins... he said not to worry about it...

I understand boundary pins... what about the markers smack in the middle of someone else's property?