EEA_SURVEY_SPECIFICATIONS_January2015~2.pdf

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EEA LAND ACQUISITION POLICY –

SPECIFICATIONS FOR SURVEYS

January 6, 2015

The following specifications apply to surveys of land or interests in land to be acquired for Article 97 purposes pursuant to the policy of the Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) established under 301 CMR 51.05 (4).

1. All property survey plans shall be prepared for the EEA Agency by a registered, professional land surveyor performing in compliance with 250 CMR 5.00 (Professional

Practice).

2. The Contractor shall perform services in accordance with the procedural and technical standards for the practice of land surveying, 250 CMR 6.00 (Land Surveying Procedures and Standards).

3. The Contractor shall notify the EEA Agency's agent prior to the commencement of field data collection or as required by the Project-Specific Scope of Work.

4. The Contractor shall provide as a separate item the cost of a survey in which the coordinates and meridian are based on the Massachusetts State Plane Coordinate System, NAD 1983. (Methods shall be used to achieve at least Third Order Class One accuracy as currently defined by the Federal Geodetic Control Committee. At least two points shall have their coordinates labeled on the plan or as required by the Project-Specific

Scope of Work.)

5. If the EEA Agency does not specify that the Massachusetts State Plane Coordinate

System is to be used, the meridian of the survey will be based on True North accurate to

+/- 10 arc seconds.

6. The Contractor shall furnish the EEA Agency with all plan data electronically on the media described in the most current version of the EEA Digital Submissions Guide.

7. Unless specifically waived in the Project-Specific Scope of Work, the survey plan shall show the following:

a) lines of current ownership, including names of all abutters together with book and page references to the deeds of such abutters;

b) physical evidence of boundary lines on all sides of the premises;

c) rights of way and easements of record, including ways on the ground and all utility lines and easements;

d) appurtenant easements;

e) book and page references for all recorded easements;

f) old highways, abandoned roads, and other ways, including ways on the ground;

g) buildings and other significant structures;

h) all springs, streams, rivers, ponds or lakes;

i) cemeteries or family burying grounds;

j) stone walls adjoining or crossing any parcel boundary;

k) disputed boundaries or encroachments;

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l) each lot of the subject property shall be uniquely labeled, and if more than one plan is prepared for the same owner, the text in each title block must be unique;

m) all non-tangent curves shall be labeled on the plan with the curve length, curve radius, chord bearing, and chord length;

n) for curvilinear features, tie lines shall be shown on the plan;

o) when parcels are separated by a road or other narrow feature, a tie line between them shall be included;

p) standard map elements, including but not limited to north arrow, scale, and plan legend; and

q) other requirements as defined in the Project-Specific Scope of Work.

8. The Contractor shall submit a preliminary plan of the property surveyed in such format as required in the Project-Specific Scope of Work. All drafts and final plans shall have the date of the most recent change. Drafts shall be dated and be labeled as a draft. Upon

EEA Agency review and approval, Contractor shall submit two final recordable Mylar plans, which shall comply with current Rules and Regulations of the Registers of Deeds, and six paper copies of the stamped original, or as required in the Project-Specific Scope of Work.

9. Unless otherwise instructed in the Project Specific Scope of Work, the Contractor shall be responsible for submitting the plan to the local planning board for required endorsements. This responsibility includes preparing applications, paying associated fees, and attendance at the meeting to explain and support the requested endorsements.

10. The Contractor shall furnish the EEA Agency, in writing and electronically, a narrative description of the land in a metes and bounds format, based on the plan and making reference to the plan in the description. In addition to the written description, the

Contractor shall furnish the Department with a digital version on the media described in the most current version of the EEA Digital Submissions Guide.

11. The Contractor shall prepare and sign a Report of Survey (“Report”). The Report shall include a narrative discussing how the boundaries shown on the plan were derived; any uncertain, disputed, or problematic boundaries along with suggested remedies; visible encroachments or other indications of adverse use; and a copy of all pertinent field notes.

12. At least two parcel corners or angle points shall be monumented. All other parcel corners and angle points shall be marked in the field, or marked or monumented as specified in the Project-Specific Scope of Work.

13. Boundary markers may be set at regular intervals on long lines as indicated in the Project

Specific Scope of Work.

14. If, during the course of his or her work, the Contractor discovers significant discrepancies between acreage, monumentation, or courses called out in the deeds to the subject property and what exists on the ground or discovers any disputed boundaries or encroachments, the Contractor shall notify the EEA Agency consistent with the requirements of 250 CMR 4.00 (Professional Practice) and 250 CMR 6.00 (Land

Surveying Procedures and Standards).