Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A.
The following guidelines shall be considered and adhered to as closely as
possible during the preliminary ownership map compilation phase of parcel map
development:
1. tax district or taxing unit
boundaries shall split contiguous ownership into separate parcels. A dashed
land hook shall be used across the district or unit boundary line to indicate
contiguous ownership, but separate parcels. Exceptions to this rule are
subdivided lots that are already described in their smallest legal division.
When a taxing district or unit line cuts through a subdivision lot, it shall be
parceled in the district where the largest volume of land occurs or where the
improvement is located, wherever practical;
2. on 1" = 400' scale and 1" = 200' scale
maps, all large rural tracts of land described under the U.S. Government Land
Office Sectionalized Survey System that are split by a right-of-way (road,
railroad, utility) and physical features (rivers, bayous, creeks) shall be
considered one parcel;
3. on 1" =
100' scale and 1" = 50' scale maps, rights-of-way shall split contiguous
ownership into separate parcels;
4.
if a tract of property crosses a section line, a new parcel shall be created
and tied to the other parcel with the use of a dashed land hook. The exception
to this shall be where a small part of a tract (2 acres or less, not subject to
further division) extends into an adjoining section. In this case, the section
line shall be shown in a dashed form where it goes through the
parcel;
5. smaller subdivided lots
shall not normally be split by a section line;
6. several subdivision lots covered by a
single improvement and under one common ownership shall be considered one
parcel;
7. an entire subdivision
block of lots, used as a unit and under one common ownership, shall be
considered one parcel;
8. an area
covered by an industrial plant, hospital, or parish or city entity, even though
the tract encompasses different subdivisions as well as sectionalized land,
would be considered one parcel;
9.
any vacant undeveloped subdivision with all lots in one block in the name of
one common owner shall be considered one parcel. Where the parish has
determined that several blocks of a subdivision are under one common ownership,
all blocks may be combined into one parcel for appraisal purposes;
10. quarter-section lines or other divisions
of the section do not constitute a separate parcel, even though the properties
were acquired at different times under separate deeds. All tracts contiguous
and under one ownership within a section shall be considered one parcel, where
practical;
11. on maps where the
map boundary is a quarter-section line or match line and the parcel cannot be
depicted in its entirety on a single map sheet, the parcel shall be controlled
on one sheet (usually where the largest area of land exists or where the
improvements are located). The area of the parcel on the adjoining map shall be
included with the area on the map where the parcel is controlled and "see
notes" shall be shown on both maps indicating the controlling map number and
the map number for balance of area of the parcel;
12. improvements on leased land that require
a separate appraisal and assessment for which proper documentation is provided
should be assigned a separate parcel number, subject to the discretion of the
responsible contracting authority;
13. for mineral interests or mineral rights
that are severed from ownership of the surface rights and require a separate
appraisal and assessment and where proper documentation for those severed
rights or interests are provided, a separate parcel number should be assigned,
subject to the discretion of the responsible contracting authority;
14. condominiums should be treated the same
as any other tract of real property. Each condominium unit should be assigned a
separate parcel number, where applicable, subject to the discretion of the
responsible contracting authority;
15. although other variations of parcel
configurations exist, such as (a) contracts for deeds, (b) parts of properties
or tracts that are mortgaged to a lending institution, (c) portions of a tract
of land that are put into trusts, and (d) life estates that are reserved to the
grantor or where life estates are granted, it is the intent of these standards
that parcel configurations be limited to the definition and requirements stated
above as much as possible.
B. The location and the plotting of parcels
shall be accomplished through the use of existing source maps and the
description as contained in the vesting instrument or assessment records in
conjunction with the delineation of the parcels' boundaries and limits, as
distinguished from the physical and cultural features shown on the aerial
photography and geographic base map. All parcels shall be plotted from the
vesting instrument description. A copy of this instrument shall be attached or
otherwise referenced to the parcel index record. The exception to this shall be
parcels with whole lot and block descriptions in subdivisions where deed books
and page references exist. Those parcels with parts of lot descriptions shall
have a deed attached to the index record. In the event a parcel ownership
boundary cannot be delineated or determined through the use of existing source
maps, assessment record descriptions, recorded survey plats, or vesting
instrument descriptions, the following priorities of calls shall be used:
1. possession;
2. natural boundaries;
3. man-made boundaries;
4. contiguous owners;
5. distance;
6. course (bearing or direction);
7. area;
8. coordinates.
C. If in the process of locating and plotting
the parcels it becomes evident to the compiler that the property description as
contained on the assessment records, tax rolls, land roll, or parcel index
record does not adequately locate and describe the parcel, the compiler shall
write a new property description in the space provided on the parcel index
record. That portion of the legal description contained in the vesting
instrument used in the plotting of the parcel shall be highlighted, bracketed,
or underlined during this process for future verification and editing. Property
descriptions shall be written in brief, specific terms, but should be adequate
to locate and describe each parcel exactly as it is depicted on the map. A
disclaimer should be included on the parcel index record indicating that it is
specifically understood that the property description included thereon is used
to locate, identify, and inventory each parcel of land within the taxing
jurisdiction for appraisal and taxing purposes only, and is not to be construed
as a legal description.
D. All
parcel ownership mapping shall be limited to the absolute "fee simple" state.
All public utility, pipeline and other cross-country easements determined to
affect the value of any "fee simple" parcel shall be mapped showing dimensions
and limits of the easements.
E. In
the event property ownership or parcel boundaries cannot be determined from the
procedures described in the preceding Subsections, a field interview shall be
required. Every effort shall be made to contact the owner or someone
knowledgeable about the ownership and boundaries of the parcel or parcels in
question. Field interview notes shall be added to the parcel index record for
the parcel or parcels in question. The notes shall describe and explain the
efforts made by the compiler in order to resolve the problem or discrepancy.
This information shall be delivered to the parish periodically so that they may
try to resolve the problems. In the event the parish cannot resolve the
discrepancy, the compiler's notes shall be kept for future reference.
F. All information to appear on the property
ownership maps shall be in a standard format and shall include, but not be
limited to the following:
1. all property
lines (limits of ownership) shall be delineated by solid lines. Where a water's
edge is the property boundary, the symbology or line configuration for the
water's edge shall be shown along the apparent water boundary;
2. all original U.S. Survey lot divisions and
subdivision lot lines shall be shown, together with block numbers, the original
lot numbers, and the government survey, section, township and range, and U.S.
Survey lot identification, when appropriate;
3. all dimensions of all platted parcels
shall be indicated to the nearest 1/10 of a foot, regardless of area;
4. all state, parish, city, town, village,
township, and section lines shall be shown and labeled at their approximate
locations on the map based upon the best information available;
5. taxing unit boundaries shall be shown and
labeled at their approximate location only when they divide properties into
separate parcels;
6. all
cemeteries, churches, hospitals, public buildings, public lands, and parks
(federal, state, parish, city, town, and village) shall be shown and indicated
by their names, when known;
7. all
state, parish, city, town and village lines shall be shown and labeled on the
ownership maps by their appropriate names. The labels shall appear on the
inside of the line that they encompass;
8. all railroads, roads, streets, and
rights-of-way shall be shown and labeled by their correct names or numbers,
when known. All U.S., state, and parish highways shall be shown and labeled by
their correct symbols, route numbers, or names, when known. All railroads,
roads, streets, and utility rights-of-way shall show dimensions, when
known;
9. all drainage features
shall be shown and labeled by their correct names when known. Drainage features
shall be such items as lakes, rivers, reservoirs, ponds, dams, streams, bayous
and swamps;
10. each ownership map
sheet shall have a title block containing the map number, the map scale, the
mapping date, a north arrow, the adjoining map block, a mapping legend, and
revision block to indicate future maintenance;
11. the permanent parcel identification
numbering system shall be shown with the correct number assigned to each
parcel.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
50:171.
