All maps, plats and similar documents which depict and describe real property boundaries shall comply with all requirements of O.C.G.A. §
15-6-67 and conform to the following minimum standards and specifications: The sealing of documents, reports, preliminary subdivision plats, topographic surveys, and other drawings that do not depict and describe real property boundaries shall be subject to Rule 180-12 (Sealing of documents). Preliminary subdivision plats shall state the source of the boundary information shown thereon and also bear a note to the effect that it is a preliminary subdivision plat that has been prepared for the purpose of review and approval, is not to be recorded, and is not to be used to convey property. Topographic surveys shall state the source of the boundary information shown thereon and also bear a note to the effect that the surveyor's certification extends only to the topographic and/or geospatial aspects shown thereon, and that the topographic survey does not constitute a boundary survey and is not to be recorded or used to convey title or interest in the property.
(a) Material.
1. Any such surveys, maps, or plats shall be clearly legible;
2. The minimum line widths and letters or character heights delineated on such maps or plats shall be sufficient to be legible when copied or scanned at a resolution of 300 d.p.i.
(b) Required Data. The maps or plats shall have a title or name, and shall also provide the following information:
1. The name of the entity who authorized the survey, the entity for whom the survey is prepared, or the subject of the survey such as a subdivision name or site name;
2. The county, municipality; land district and land lot (if within an area of Georgia that is divided into land lots and districts); Georgia Militia District, Reserve, or other qualifying notation (if within an area of Georgia that is not divided into land lots and districts); and subdivision, if the property lies within a particular subdivision;
3. The date(s) of field work, plat preparation and all subsequent revisions including a brief explanation of each revision;
4. A square box three inches by three inches shall be placed in the upper left-hand corner of the map or plat, which shall be left blank and reserved for recording information by the Clerk of court;
5. The scale, stated and shown graphically;
6. The name, address, telephone number, and registration number of the registered land surveyor who prepared and sealed the survey and, if working for a firm, the name and Certificate of Authorization Number of the firm that prepared the survey (the address and telephone number of the firm are acceptable in lieu of the individual surveyor's address and telephone number) or the statement that he is the county surveyor and is not required by law to be a registered surveyor; and
7. All maps or plats are to contain the applicable Surveyor Certification from O.C.G.A. §
15-6-67(b)(2) and signature in accordance with Board Rule 180-12-.02, in order to be a valid and recordable map or plat. The original maps or plats shall be retained by the land surveyor or land surveying firm in either hard copy or electronic file, along with all applicable work material which includes, but is not limited to, field notes, field data, computations, coordinate data, electronic drawing files and property research for a period of six years from the more recent date on the map or plat.
(d) Required Content. All maps and plats shall be made in a professional manner and in accordance with the standards of good drafting procedures and shall show the following information, as specified:
1. The direction and distance from a point of reference to a point on the boundary of the individual survey, and such additional data as may be required to relocate the boundary point from the point of reference with the same degree of accuracy required of the parcel surveyed. The point of reference shall be an established, monumented position which can be identified or relocated from maps, plats or other documents on public record, including state plane coordinates when applicable. The point of reference may lie on or within the boundary of the survey;
2. Bearings of all lines of the boundary or lot lines, and distances of all boundary or lot lines, and area of the parcels expressed in acres or square feet. All bearings, distances, and areas shown on the survey shall be based upon the measurements of the surveyor, except that both the measured and the record measurements may be shown if the surveyor feels that such comparison is necessary or otherwise required, in which case a clear distinction shall be made as to which are measured and which are record. Distances that are shown for proximity purposes only and have not been measured shall be clearly labeled as "approximate";
3. The closure precision of the field survey as the ratio of one foot to the traversed distance in which an error of one foot would occur, angular error, and a statement as to the method of adjustment. The field closure stated shall be the actual linear error of closure calculated from the surveyor's actual field measurements, whether a closed traverse or otherwise, and shall not be a generalization.
If the surveyor determines that a closure precision statement is not appropriate for the survey because a substantial portion of the field measurements were obtained using Global Positioning Systems, then a note of precision or positional accuracy may be placed in compliance with Rule 180-7-.09; or if the surveyor feels that a closure precision statement is not appropriate for the survey because redundant linear measurements were used to verify accuracy, the calculated positional tolerance shall be stated and shall comply with Rule 180-7-.03;
4. The closure precision of the data shown on the map or plat. The closure may be stated as follows: "This map or plat has been calculated for closure and is found to be accurate within one foot in _____ feet". The closure precision placed on the survey shall be based on an actual map closure that has been independently calculated by the surveyor by using the bearings and distances from the face of the plat, and shall not be a generalization. All lots or parcels shown on the plat shall be map checked for closure and area. In the case of a subdivision plat or a survey that depicts more than one tract, the closure precision stated may be that of the exterior or an average of the tracts;
5. The width and the former widths, if pertinent, of easements or rights-of-way adjacent to or crossing the property;
6. Apparent encroachments and observed evidence of human burials or cemeteries;
7. In the case of curved lines, the curve shall be defined by curve data to include the radius, arc length, chord bearing, and distance of regular curves. Chord distances and directions shall be given for irregular curves;
8. All land lot lines, land district lines, land section lines, and city, county, and state boundaries intersecting or adjacent to the surveyed property indicated by lines drawn upon the map or plat with appropriate words and figures, it shall be acceptable for the surveyor to label such lines as "apparent", "accepted", or "approximate", or other such qualifying language as the surveyor considers necessary or appropriate;
9. All corner markers and markers of pertinent reference points shall be fully described and indicated as to the material or types, size or dimensions, and whether set, found, or replaced. In the case of badly disturbed or deteriorated monuments that are replace for the purpose of position preservation, the survey shall indicate the size, type, and material of both the found monument and the monument with which it was replaced;
10. An arrow to indicate the principal meridian and a notation as to the reference of bearings to magnetic north, astronomic north, record or grid north. A grid north reference shall indicate the zone. Record north shall reference the document or survey to which the meridian is oriented and the line of the survey to which the "record bearing" was applied;
11. All linear distances shown on maps or plats shall be expressed as follows:
a. Distances shall be horizontal distances.
b. Distances shall be stated as "ground" distances (which shall also be the basis for any corresponding area calculations). Should it be necessary to state "grid" distances, both "ground" and "grid" distances shall be stated, along with the grid scale factor used, the elevation scale factor used, and the combined factor used.
c. When expressed in feet, the definition of the foot shall be based on the conversion of the meter equals 3.280839895 feet or 1 foot equals 30.48 centimeters. Nothing in this rule shall prohibit the stating of distances in meters or units other than feet, provided that a conversion factor to the foot must be stated;
12. All angular directions shall be represented in degrees, minutes, and seconds. All angular directions shall be referenced to the meridian of the survey and be denoted starting with the letter N or S (for North or South), and the degrees, minutes, and seconds, followed by the letter E or W (for East or West). All bearings and distances around the perimeter of the property shall progress consistently in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction so as to form a closed shape. Azimuths, or interior (or exterior) angles may also be shown for reference but not in lieu of bearings and shall also be stated in degrees, minutes, and seconds;
13. A statement to indicate the type of equipment used to obtain the linear and angular measurements used in the preparation of the map or plat, or the proper notations required by Rule 180-7-.09 when GPS equipment is used in performing the survey;
14. The names of adjacent property owners on all lines, along with a notation as to what documents were reviewed for each adjacent property as required by Rule 180-7-.02(1)(a). Such notation may be the deed book and page of the record title description, recorded plats, and other documents or surveys that were obtained through the course of the survey. In cases where the adjacent property is a recorded subdivision, it is sufficient to state the name, phase if applicable, and recording information of the subdivision plat, along with lot lines and lot numbers. (A title search is not required for this.);
15. All water boundaries or similar irregular boundaries shown in sufficient detail to clearly identify the surveyed tract and the adjoining tract;
16. The character of any and all evidence of possession along or related to boundary lines clearly depicted and stated, and overlaps and gores in property lines along or within the surveyed property in compliance with Rule 180-7-.02;
17. Any features within or along the boundary located as requested by the client, or in conformity with the rules or requirements of any mortgagor or insurer, provided the technical standards of such rules or requirements are not less than those provided for by this chapter;
18. The surveyor shall state the type of survey depicted, whether it is a retracement survey of an existing tract (or combination of tracts), a subdivision plat, a division from a parent tract, a depiction of a disputed area or other special purpose limited survey, a utility or easement survey, or other classification of land survey as may be deemed necessary. The source of title description of the property depicted shall be stated, along with the name of the current owner(s) as indicated by the tax records or deeds.
