Posted signs

Docsknotinn · Nov 9, 2003

Blaze lines are " line of sight ' views down a property line. For example in the woods a Surveyor can not get a true reading in many areas and must rely on GPS and must have a existing starting point. In my county those origional iron survey posts are from about 1880. With blaze lines they can shoot a straight line through that scope deal you see them lookin through. This is over simplified because as you can tell I am not a surveyor. The Trees that are in the line of sight must be cut so you wind up with a trail down the property line through the woods and brush etc. Now if you have thick woods like mine it is VERY easy to just poke around one tree and think wholly cow wheres my line ? With just a boundry survey in areas it can be virtually impossible to say the property line is the third tree on the left. Blaze lines are not the be all end all but they certainly make a real statement that your property has been surveyed and There is the line. My surveyers were very good and did work around a couple of large maples insread of cutting them. I since have boought the adjacent lot so I now have two parcels and I keep two tax ID numbers as I had already paid for the survey, blaze lines and to have the creek traveresed. To give you a idea about what I mean by finding the first way point the surveyors had to pretty much survey the unsold 80 acres next to mine to get a solid line off the County marker. My first survey with blaze lines and traversing the creek ( water surveys add big $ ) was $2800 When I bought the adjacent lot they had already done most of the work and the same survey was $600. All money well spent. In the initial survey it would have been more like 4k if my neighbor on the other side did not already have a blaze line set. In my area this is a whole lot of saw work, brush busting and creek wadeing. Dave

TimSullivan · Nov 9, 2003

When we bought our land, we posted it too. Some of our signs turned up missing on one boundary. After the leaves were off the trees, I could see that I had strayed onto my neighbors property.

I called him and asked if he could help me with the property line as I wanted to post the property correctly. We met and had a good time walking the line and putting up the posted signs together. Nice guy, he just did not like the idea that my signs were on his land. He still hunts our land and we always have venison in the freezer.

Mark_in_NH · Nov 9, 2003

( We met and had a good time walking the line and putting up the posted signs together. Nice guy )

I think this is the way I would attempt to go. You might find your neighbor very receptive to a walk through the woods.
You might even make a new friend out of it. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

MossRoad · Nov 9, 2003

I always represent my surveys as my wanting to make sure I don't encroach on their land. 

Me too. That way, it doesn't seem hostile to them.

dmccarty · Nov 10, 2003

Haz,

Its not normal or likely legal to post on someone elses land. Its
likely that your neighbor did not no the exact boundry when he
put up the posted signs. Even following a compass heading
it very east to get off the line... Just have a talk with them and
see if they will walk the land with you. I did this with my
newest neighbor when he moved in.

One of my neighbors, a big timber company, had posted signs
on part of my land. It was not on purpose they just did not
know where the line was located and they where off a few
yards.

Check you state law on how to post. In NC the signs have to be
a certain size, 12x10 inches I think, have certain verbage, AND
be located certain distances apart. If you don't meet those
standards then your land is not legally posted.

In NC, one of the VERY big reasons to post is to limit the land
owners liability. The trespasser has a harder time sueing
when they are comitting a criminal act. If the signs are not
up then they can legally wonder you land and if they fall in a
stump hole they can sue and have an easier case. At least
that is the way I remember a document that I read from the
state. This might not be applicable in your neck of the woods.

Later,
Dan McCarty

Haz · Nov 11, 2003

Thanks everyone for the advice. I will plan to go talk with him and walk the boundary lines with him so we can set our signs. He seems like a very nice guy and I'm sure it won't be a problem. I will take a copy of my survey along in case he has any questions. I may not even post anything on his boundary. The neighbor has a 4 acre parcel and my land happens to wrap around his on three sides.

Haz

Haz · Nov 11, 2003

Junkman,

Prior to purchasing the property, we had to have a certified survey done so that we could get title insurance. We actually got about 30 more acres in the deal than we had anticipated because the land was a residual tract and the seller didn't know how much his father had sold off over the years so he didn't know exactly how much land he was selling us. The purchase price was a set price for the entire parcel so he couldn't ask for more money for the extra land. Of course prior to the survey which we had to pay for, we didn't know exactly what we would get either. Anyway when we did the closing, a mylar copy of the survey was recorded in the County deeds office. We have the only known survey of the entire parcel on record so legally we are in a good position. Someone would have to pay for a rather expensive survey to challenge ours.

Haz

rozett · Nov 11, 2003

Haz, When you talk to your neighbor about walking the lines with you, don't forget to mention that he and his family are more than wlecome to enjoy the woodlands and wildlife on your property even though it is posted (assuming that you don't mind). I have done this with several neighbors and it goes a long way to show that you really do want to be a good neighbor.