Enrichment · Passion Projects

Where the line is
depends on which paper.

Before a fence, an addition or a talk with a neighbor, it helps to know which documents describe the line and which only seem to. Add each one: the deed, the plat, any survey, the title policy, easements and the county map. The organizer notes what each can and cannot show and flags where they disagree.

Add a documentWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Passion projects kit, $39 for 34 items.

Your documents

The worked example is made up: a house lot with a deed, the 1988 subdivision plat, a 1994 survey showing a neighbor’s driveway over the line, a title policy and the county parcel map. Saved on this device only.

Loading the document form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Passion Projects$5

What you finish with
A record per document: kind, date, recording reference, source, the line in question, what it says, whether it agrees, changes since and five checks. Works out each document’s age and counts documents by kind; flags county maps used as surveys, old surveys, disagreements, title policies that except survey matters and easements.
Who it is for
Homeowners, buyers, families planning a fence or addition, and students learning how land records work.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per document. Prints one document, every document in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Passion projects kit ($39) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Get the deed and plat from the county recorder.
  2. Find any survey in your closing papers.
  3. Add each document with what it says about the line.
  4. Mark whether it agrees with the others.
  5. Where they disagree, talk to a licensed land surveyor.

Add a document

What each one shows

Which documents show the boundaryDocumentWhat it isShows the line?DeedTransfers ownership; legal descriptionDescribes itRecorded platThe subdivision map lots refer toShows it as designedBoundary surveyA licensed surveyor’s measurementsYes, as of its dateTitle policyInsurance on ownership, with exceptionsNoTax or GIS mapA drawing for tax assessmentNo, approximate onlyWhich documents show the boundaryDeedWhat it is: Transfers ownership; legal descriptionShows the line?: Describes itRecorded platWhat it is: The subdivision map lots refer toShows the line?: Shows it as designedBoundary surveyWhat it is: A licensed surveyor’s measurementsShows the line?: Yes, as of its dateTitle policyWhat it is: Insurance on ownership, with exceptionsShows the line?: NoTax or GIS mapWhat it is: A drawing for tax assessmentShows the line?: No, approximate only
Only a licensed professional land surveyor can locate a boundary on the ground.

Corner markers

Surveyors set iron pins or other monuments at corners. They are the physical evidence a later surveyor starts from, and in many places disturbing one is against the law. If you find one, leave it, and photograph it with a tape measure for scale.

Neighbors

Most boundary questions are settled by a fresh survey and a conversation. Sharing the survey with a neighbor before building usually avoids the dispute. Rules on fences, adverse possession and survey standards differ by state.

Sources

  1. Bureau of Land Management. Manual of Surveying Instructions (2009) and the Public Land Survey System overview (blm.gov).
  2. National Society of Professional Surveyors. What a land surveyor does and consumer guidance (nsps.us.com).
  3. American Land Title Association. Owner’s policy of title insurance and standard survey exceptions (alta.org).
  4. Brown, C. M., Robillard, W. G., and Wilson, D. A. Brown’s Boundary Control and Legal Principles. Wiley.

The worked example is made up. This organizer keeps records; it does not locate a boundary or give legal advice. State law governs surveys, fences and boundary disputes. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.