This chapter shall be known as the "Saratoga County Geodetic
Survey Monumentation Law."
The provisions herein contained are for the purpose of establishing
standards for the use of the Saratoga County Geodetic Survey Monumentation
Network and for the purpose of maintaining monuments in such network
in order to insure their continued use as accurate survey markers.
When used herein unless otherwise expressly stated, the following
terms shall mean:
AZIMUTH
The horizontal direction of a line.
AZIMUTH MARK
A point, usually a monument used primarily to establish reference
azimuth from a triangulation station.
CONTROL OR GEODETIC MONUMENT
Any monument, the location of which has been established
to a high degree of accuracy, and used as a control point to which
surveys of lesser accuracy may be tied.
COORDINATES
Values designating the location of a point relative to the
location of all other points in a given frame of reference. In this
chapter, only the New York State (East Zone) Plane Coordinate System
is intended as the frame of reference.
DESTRUCTION OF A MONUMENT
Since any movement of a monument destroys its usefulness,
disturbance of a monument shall be equated with destruction.
DEVELOPER
Any person, company, corporation, or governmental agency
or authority who themselves undertake or who let contracts for a building
project, or provide public services in the areas of gas, electric,
telephone, water, transportation, or sewers, whether by distribution
or transmission.
DIRECTOR
The Saratoga County Director of Real Property Tax Services,
or his duly authorized representative.
GEODETIC CONTROL NETWORK or NETWORK
The system of monumented, coordinated points established
by the office of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, formerly known as the "United States Coast and Geodetic
Survey," and by other governmental or private agencies and extended
or maintained by Saratoga County.
HORIZONTAL CONTROL
The basic framework of points whose horizontal position and
interrelationship have been accurately determined so that the location
of subsidiary work may be precisely related to the network.
INTERSECTION STATION
A visible distant object such as water tanks, church spires,
smoke stacks, etc., whose Azimuth from a given monument has been previously
established.
REFERENCE MARKERS
Those monuments in the vicinity of a triangulation station
which are placed and tied to the Triangulation Station for the purpose
of protection and easy recovery of the triangulation station.
TRAVERSE STATION OR MONUMENT
A monumented point easily accessible to engineers and land
surveyors, and which is a part of the geodetic control network. The
location of Traverse Stations can be expected to be determined to
an accuracy of not less than one part in 50,000.
TRIANGULATION STATION OR MONUMENT
A point of permanent reference, usually a buried portland
cement concrete mass atop of which is fixed an indexed brass marker,
usually located in a relatively isolated, well-protected area, the
location relative to the geodetic control network having been established
by first order methods to an accuracy of not less than one part in
100,000 by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
formerly known as the "United States Coast and Geodetic Survey."
VERTICAL CONTROL
Same as horizontal control, except that its purpose is to
establish elevation above a common datum (mean sea level) so that
such information on all projects will be related.
The Director is empowered to and shall review, evaluate and
approve all plans of proposed development, utility installations and
construction within public rights-of-way within the County of Saratoga
where a geodetic monument may be involved, or in any area within the
County where a triangulation monument may be involved, for conformance
with the stated purpose and intent of this chapter.
The following requirements are based on the presumption that
geodetic control monument networks have been completed in the project
area. In cases where such networks are underway or incomplete, the
following requirements or applicable portions thereof may be waived
by the Director at his discretion.
A. It shall be the responsibility of the developer to determine if at
least one of two or more intervisible monuments, or one monument with
azimuths of record to intersection stations, is within 2,500 feet
of his project, except that where the entire project involves not
more than five residential lots, the distance shall be 1,200 feet.
If such survey control exists, he shall tie his boundaries into the
horizontal control as established by said monuments. The acceptable
error in the accuracy of the field work necessary to establish the
boundaries and the ties shall be not greater than 1:10,000. A certification
statement to that effect shall appear on the plat of the survey. All
angle points of the boundaries of the project shall show the coordinates
of said points as reduced to sea level. The coordinates shall be in
the New York State Plane Coordinate System, East Zone, as established
by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey and expanded by the
Saratoga County Geodetic Survey. Datum used for vertical control shall
be identified on the plat.
B. Where a project involves easements and/or the installation of underground
facilities, the easement boundaries shall be coordinated in the same
manner as property boundaries. As-built maps shall include coordinates
of the beginning, the end and all points where a change of direction
occurs in the underground facility, and shall be of sufficient accuracy
to assure maximum safety to those facilities when additional facilities
are installed nearby. Where a project includes the building of internal
roads, all monumented corners of the rights-of-way shall be coordinated
and shown on the plat.
The Director shall prescribe orders of procedure, rules, regulations
and criteria which shall be filed with the Clerk of the County Board
of Supervisors and shall be available for inspection to the public.
Wherever it appears, in accordance with the provisions of this
chapter, that geodetic survey monuments installed or employed by the
County of Saratoga are in danger of being damaged, destroyed or removed
by a developer, the Director may require a bond in the amount of $1,000
per monument to be posted with and approved by the Director, said
bond to be subject to forfeiture if in the opinion of the Director
there is adequate proof that the provisions of this chapter have been
violated. The Director may issue notices and stop-work orders with
respect to acts of violation during the progress of any project, or
where nonconformance with the stated purpose and intent of this chapter
is apparent or likely. No plat shall be filed in the office of the
Saratoga County Clerk unless the provisions of this chapter have been
complied with and such compliance is noted in writing by the Director.
Failure of the Director to act within 30 days of the filing with him
shall automatically operate as an approval, which may be established
by affidavit.