Land Surveying and Boundary Line Maintenance

The Survey Office within the Land Management Bureau conducts boundary, acquisition and engineering surveys and maintains up-to-date maps on 212 State-owned properties. Properties are surveyed using a variety of methods including compass and tape, EDM/Data Collector and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

GPS Unit	GPS Observations	EDM Survey

The Survey Office is also responsible for maintenance of 800 miles of State property boundary lines spread throughout New Hampshire. Property boundary lines are routinely blazed and painted approximately every 10 years in accordance with a comprehensive set of guidelines. Properly maintained boundary lines are an important aspect of property management.

Boundary Line Blazing	Painting and Signing	Witnesses to Corner Monument

A typical property boundary map has much information including bearings and distances for property lines, reference to corner markings, identifiable features such as roads and stone walls, and abutting land information when available. All boundary maps are kept on file with the Land Management Bureau.

The property map for Meadow Pond State Forest (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) located in Gilmanton, NH is typical. The original Meadow Pond property was 42 acres when acquired in the 1930’s. Recent acquisitions on the southeasterly side of the property were surveyed by compass and tape and tied into the original survey and abutting land-ownership information. The new information was then computerized and redrawn using computer aided drafting (CAD) software and inkjet plotter. Boundary maps, or plans, of all properties under the jurisdiction of the Department of Resources and Economic Development along with the corresponding deed information are maintained by the Survey Office and Land Management Bureau and are available for public review.