The following standards govern the monumentation of land surveys.
(A) The terms MONUMENT and PERMANENT MONUMENT, as used in these regulations, mean any structure of masonry, metal or other permanent, durable material placed in the ground, which is exclusively identifiable as a monument to a survey point, expressly placed for surveying reference.
(B) All metal monuments must be at least one-half inch in diameter and 18 inches in length with a cap not less than one inch in diameter marked in a permanent manner with the license number of the surveyor in charge of the survey, and either the name of the surveyor or the company employing the surveyor. Metal monuments marking a public land survey corner, as described in MCA § 70-22-101, must be at least 24 inches long and five-eighths inch in diameter, with an appropriately stamped metal cap at least two inches in diameter. A monument marking a public land survey corner may also consist of a cap, as described in this division, set firmly in concrete.
(C) Before a subdivision plat or certificate of survey may be filed for record the surveyor shall confirm the location of as many monuments as, in the surveyor’s professional judgment, are necessary to reasonably assure the perpetuation of any corner or boundary established by the survey, and to enable other surveyors to reestablish those corners and boundaries, and retrace the survey. The surveyor shall clearly identify on the face of the plat or certificate of survey all monuments pertinent to the survey, and the descriptions of these monuments must be sufficient to identify the monuments.
(D) The surveyor shall set all monuments prior to the filing of a plat or certificate of survey except those monuments that will be disturbed by the installation of improvements or that, because of severe weather conditions, may, in the surveyor’s judgment, be more appropriately and accurately set after the weather has improved. In these two circumstances, the surveyor may set monuments after the survey document is filed if the surveyor certifies on the survey document that the monuments will be set by a specified date. The surveyor shall set monuments, the placement of which has been deferred because of severe weather conditions, within 240 days of the date on which the survey document was filed.
(1) If, during the later monumentation of the corners of a plat or certificate of survey that were not monumented before the plat or certificate was filed, the surveyor finds that it is necessary to set a reference monument to a corner, the surveyor shall prepare and file an amended certificate of survey or subdivision plat.
(2) The failure of the surveyor to set the monuments by the date certified on the record of survey will be deemed a violation of this section.
(E) The surveyor shall set monuments at the following locations:
(1) At each corner and angle point of all lots, blocks and parcels of land created by the survey;
(2) At every point of intersection of the outer boundary of a subdivision with an existing road right-of-way line of record, or a road right-of-way line created by the survey;
(3) At every point of curve, point of tangency, point of reversed curve, point of compounded curve, and point of intersection on each road right-of-way line created by the survey; and
(4) At the intersection of a boundary line and a meander line. Meander line angle points need not otherwise be monumented.
(F) If the placement of a required monument at its proper location is physically impractical, the surveyor may set a reference or witness monument. This monument has the same status as other monuments of record if its location is properly shown. If the surveyor relies upon any existing monument in conducting a survey, he or she shall confirm the location of the monument and show and describe it on the resulting certificate of survey or subdivision plat.
(Prior Code, Title XI, Chapter 4, Appendix A, § 24.183.1101) Penalty, see § 154.99