Paul A. Montero, Professional Land Surveyor

05/04/2026

HELP WANTED
Land Surveyor’s Assistant. Enjoy outdoor adventures. Write to P.O. Box 20 or email [email protected]. No telephone calls please.

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03/13/2026

What’s your timeframe and availability?

This question is common, but I think it is kind of ignorant. Some potential clients will call or write with this question after receiving our proposal to survey their property. I take it as an indication that they are just shopping around, and think they can get something quicker if they apply pressure.

The proposal only explains that the process will begin once the contract is signed and a retainer fee is received. Without working through the process there is no way to tell when the project is going to be completed. Evidence, investigation, measurements, and analysis will be needed to make a fair determination of the boundary.

Complicating factors include, properties that have not had a survey or had one a hundred or so years ago, marks that were indiscriminately destroyed, and public records that were lost. These are things that cannot be rushed without risking liability, damage to reputation, and rules governing professional practice.

The image depicts a Venn diagram representing the concept of project management. The diagram intends to show that a service may be good, fast, or cheap. The advice give is that only two of these qualities can be chosen. The unicorn at the center of the diagram symbolizes that it is impossible to achieve all three qualities simultaneously.

In my mind it is better to have clients that desire quality and reliability.

03/02/2026

Our office does not make subdivision plans. We focus on historic boundaries and conservation efforts. However many people call to request subdivisions. So I think I should explain what constitutes a subdivision.

First, be aware that there are two types of subdivision plans. The first, as shown in the photograph is what people typically imagine a subdivision to look like. That is, many parcels and a road created from an otherwise vacant, large tract of land that may have been a farm or a forest. The subdivision is given a name, usually synonymous with the creature that needed to evacuate once the bulldozing, and land development began.

The second type of subdivision occurs when the original perimeter of a tract of land is divided into two or more separate, individual parcels with each having frontage on an existing public or private right-of-way. The parcels must meet other requirements for the town or city that zoning bylaws require, such as pertinent dimensions and accessibility.

The second type is usually referred to as ANR, which is an initialism for “Approval Not Required” with the full meaning being approval of the town or city Planning Board is not required under the Subdivision Control Law. The shorthand notation does not convey the full effect as with many other initialisms and phrases that lose their meaning in favor of the economy of language.

For example when people say “right on red” in terms of traffic law they omit the facts that a driver must stop on red, and proceed to turn right only when it is safe, and only if the pedestrian crosswalks are clear. It is for this reason the term ANR gets confused into a meaning where the action does not constitute a subdivision.

When we explain to potential clients that we do not make subdivision plans as part of our services they often try to advise us that they are not requesting a subdivision, and an ANR is somehow not a subdivision, but they are mistaken. While an ANR may be exempt from the Subdivision Control Law, it is still subject to Zoning Regulations, and the new lines of ownership created divide (subdivide) the land from its original configuration.

02/27/2026

Research to determine boundaries often entails reading deeds written long ago. Mostly written by hand in what is now called “cursive” and what I have always known as writing. In school we called the writing lessons penmanship. There were standard forms for each letter in upper and lower case. However writing is usually more a personal choice and some letters that I write vary from the standard form. Further, in old times writing had quirks, and even words that do not exist today.

The advent of keyboards meant that interest shifted away from writing. In fact there are those who claim to not be able to read hand written documents because it has become less common today. However, a student of Land Surveying would find it a serious handicap to not be able to read and understand writing from colonial times in search of the intent for conveyance in boundary determination.

The form of handwriting in colonial times had many quirks that may have been universally understood at the time, but are sometimes puzzles to solve today. Extreme flourishes were common. Often letter s, called the long s was shaped like the letter f for some reason. Letters were often written as a superscript that may have indicated an abbreviation of correction to the word that was written. And before standardized American English, many people spelled words exactly as they sounded, sometimes using different spellings for the same word within a single document.

The example I have provided is somewhat of a mystery, even with all my experience. I know that it is the description of a mark given as a corner in a property description. The words appear to be “Hemlock and stones” with the superscript c that may indicate the word “Hemlock” had been originally spelled incorrectly. Also, the ampersand was used in place of the word ‘and” in the document.

What do you think?

02/27/2026

02/17/2026

The Earth is flat. Well, not really, but it would surely make survey measurements easier. Surveying instruments like steel measuring tapes, electronic distance meters, and telescopic instruments are all based on line of sight, meaning a straight line. So, how do we compensate for the fact that the Earth is a curved surface?

Geodetic models of the Earth, called geoids or ellipsoids can estimate the curved distances along the surface of the Earth, but the calculations are rigorous. Surveyors have developed low distortion projections that assume, with little error that the surface of the Earth is flat. This systematic approach allows the use of simpler survey measurement that can be converted to the actual curved surface through computer calculations.

We have probably all seen projections in school, where a map of the world hangs on the wall. The map is a mathematical transformation that converts the Earth’s surface into a two dimensional plane. Common types of transformations include conical, cylindrical, and planar. While a two dimensional map of such a large surface may be convenient for illustration, it introduces large distortions of the distances and sizes. However, if we limit our measurements to a much smaller portion the distortion is less severe.

Here is an example. Suppose we were to lay out and measure a straight line of one mile in length. On the ground the measurement would be 5,280.00 feet or exactly one mile. On the geodetic surface that follows the Earth’s curvature the distance becomes 5,280.07 feet or a little less that one inch more than a mile. Finally in the low distortion projection, that is, assuming the measurement is on a flat surface, the distance becomes 5,280.01 feet and makes a very small error.

So, a low distortion projection can simplify survey measurements while retaining the ability to calculate the relative position on the Earth or the geographic location. And although the numerical methods are sophisticated it eventually makes mapping of property more congruent in the overall map relationship.

01/03/2026

In May of 2021, a Belgian farmer moved a large stone marking the France-Belgium border in his field. Doing so inadvertently shifted the Belgian border about 8 feet into France and making Belgium slightly larger. The incident was discovered by local historians, and the farmer was required to return the stone, or risk a diplomatic incident and potentially criminal charges. The border stone had been set in 1819.

12/19/2025

There is a lot of truth in the old saying that the shovel is the most important tool in surveying. There should also be respect for evidence that is found during a survey, and for the surveyors who came before us.

Surveyors that show survey marks that they found to be inaccurate by some insignificant amount are merely showing that they can measure more precisely. This fact can be taken for granted, however, calling those who came before us as being in error shows a great deal of disrespect.

The two found stones shown in the photograph mark the boundary of an old county highway. They represent a one-half foot jog in the layout edge line of the highway. The jog was planned to be where the highway width changes from 49.5 feet (three rods) to 50 feet.
After recovering the first stone we had to dig a little deeper to find the second one. Subsequently, we made observations of their positions with the survey instrument, and took notes on their condition and the depth at which they were found.

In analysis, these two stones were not in the precise calculated positions based on other found stones that were an exact fit. Noting that the stones are in error is a mistake that some surveyors will make. Original markers (stones in this case) are not set in error. Recovering original markers should always be presented as located on a survey map. Also we are not in a position to know if the stone has moved slightly in geologic time.

Surveying is not a mathematical exercise. The research and effort that goes into finding evidence of a boundary should always consider the intent and reliance by the public. It should also respect the skill and effort that was made long ago when the marker was set and the technology that was available at that time.

10/18/2025

What makes a land survey take so long and why is it so expensive? You may wonder if you have ever thought about getting a boundary survey. Many have expressed that opinion, thinking it may only take a few hours or a day, and cost a few hundred dollars.

One reason for the difficulty is the lack of evidence to show the location of the boundary that may have existed in the past, but is now gone due to negligence or malicious intent. Many calls I receive explain that their neighbors have intentionally disturbed or removed their common boundary marks.

While this action of removing survey marks is a crime, it is also difficult to prove and most of local law enforcement may not even be aware that these actions are crimes. Most will dismiss the lack of the old survey marks called for on maps and deeds as being old and no longer important. While, in the search for evidence of a surveyed boundary quite the opposite is true.

Evidence of an original survey marker is the best definitive location of a boundary. No judge will dispute the location of an original survey mark because it is documented in the public record and because it is long standing and relied upon.

A found and undisturbed original survey maker is said to be without error. That is because its position is more important that the mathematical means to determine its location. The original survey marker was set without the benefit of the technology we now possess. In the past they may have used a compass and a tape to set a boundary. They may have simply set the marker at an agreed upon location and estimated the measurement. No matter what method was used to determine the marker location a survey should not deny what was the intent of the person or persons setting out that boundary.

09/04/2025