DIGGING INTO PROPERTY EASEMENTS—ANYONE ELSE FIND ONLINE TOOLS CONFUSING?
That’s a good point about the GIS maps. I’ve noticed the same thing—sometimes they’re just plain wrong, or at least out of date. I get why people use them for a quick look, but when you’re dealing with something as critical as an easement, “close enough” doesn’t cut it.
One thing I’ve wondered: has anyone tried overlaying the county GIS data with their own survey scans? I did that once using QGIS (free software, not super user-friendly but powerful), and it was wild how much stuff didn’t line up. The GIS showed a utility easement running right through my garden beds, but my survey from closing had it about 15 feet over. Turns out the county’s digital layer hadn’t been updated since the early 2000s.
I’m also curious if anyone’s run into issues with solar installs or green upgrades because of these mapping errors. I had to double-check everything before putting in a rain garden near what looked like a “public right-of-way” on the online map. The official docs cleared it up, but if I’d just gone by the web map, I’d have been digging in the wrong spot.
It does make me wonder why these online tools don’t come with more disclaimers or at least a big “NOT FOR LEGAL PURPOSES” banner. Maybe they do and people just ignore them? Either way, for anything that might affect property value or legal boundaries, I’d never trust just the online stuff.
Has anyone found an online tool that actually matches up well with their official survey? Or is this just one of those things where you always have to go back to paper?
The GIS showed a utility easement running right through my garden beds, but my survey from closing had it about 15 feet over.
That’s exactly the kind of thing that makes me nervous about relying on these maps for anything serious. I ran into something similar with a planned solar install—online map said “clear,” but the actual survey flagged a buried gas line right where we wanted to trench. It’s wild how out of sync digital and paper records can be. Why is it so hard for counties to keep these updated?
Honestly, I’ve wondered the same thing. You’d think with all the tech out there, these records would be synced up by now. Is it just budget issues, or is there some legal red tape that slows updates? I’ve seen projects stall for weeks over this kind of mix-up… super frustrating.
You’d think with all the tech out there, these records would be synced up by now.
I hear you. In my experience, it’s a mix of both—budget constraints and legal hurdles. Some counties still rely on paper archives, believe it or not. Even when they digitize, the systems don’t always talk to each other. I’ve had to chase down physical documents for properties that looked “complete” online. It’s not just frustrating—it can throw off timelines for weeks.
Honestly, I’ve run into the same mess. You’d think after all these years, someone would’ve cracked the code on a universal system. But yeah, I’ve had to drive out to county offices just to get a single missing doc. It’s wild how much still depends on old-school paperwork. Hang in there—sometimes persistence is the only way through.
