Tag Archives: boundary

Boundary by Acquiescence

Legal Boundaries This time around we have a question from a Georgia reader about the doctrine of acquiescence and applying it to an existing fence that does not match the deeded measurements.           Question: In the case of a line of acquiescence with an existing fence that has a history, would I...

Legal Boundaries: Deed Interpretation

Last time around we discussed the Rules of Construction, court-made rules for the interpretation of written documents when they are confusing, uncertain, ambiguous, or in conflict. Piggybacking that discussion, this time around we will talk about some basic deed interpretation, which often requires application of the rules of construction.   The three primary forms of deeds...

Let’s Get Something Straight

In my last Dis-Located column I wrote about the historic, economic, and unusual impact of the Potomac River dividing Maryland and Virginia, saying no other state border impacted either side quite like it. While that is true, several readers pointed out that there are other oddities among state borders created by surveyors or surveying mistakes....

Social Distancing – It’s What We Do

As I contemplated the topic for this article, my thoughts could never completely detach from the world we now find ourselves. Despite my desire to write something unrelated, hopefully with some humor, I couldn’t seem to get there. I would venture to say that there is nobody who reads Field Notes who has not been...

Survey Law

Seniority of Title and Forward Search I am often a part of litigation involving surveying services and research mistakes.  (I must admit that, in excess of forty years of practice, I have made my share of mistakes performing record research.)  I’ve observed five common research mistakes often made by surveyors. This article explains the common...

art of retracement

The Beaten Path

Art of Retracement With a set of eyes that had focused on survey lines through several eras, the Old Man (Glenny Dale, also known as Glutton), took one look at the cluster of three monuments along a right-of-way fence line. The site of three pins at a point where there could be only one legal...