Ohio survey manual

Clearing the Selection will show results for All Locations. Or simply enter a new location below to search a specific area. ODOT environmental personnel and prequalified environmental consulting firms are often tasked to provide planning and project managers with ecological information for inclusion in the Project Initiation Package.

The Project Initiation Package is an early project planning document that identifies locations and issues of concern. The ecological information provided is usually available through literature sources. Download the Manual. Three levels of ecological surveys and associated reports, which include Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Ecological Survey Reports ESRs , have been developed to document the ecological resources within proposed project areas.

The level of ecological survey and reporting is determined by the ecological resources present in the project area, the relative quality of these resources, and the expected severity of the impacts based on the type of work associated with the proposed project See Section 2. Detailed instructions for determining the level of ecological report necessary and how to prepare each level of report, can be found in the ODOT Ecological Manual.

Ohio Department of Transportation. This is just a separator between the navigation and the help and search icons. County :. Also see Section The Ohio Revised Code O. The Department distinguishes two distinct areas of responsibility when preparing complex right of way plans and descriptions. The reviewer shall perform a comprehensive review of the boundary resolution, right of way plans and legal descriptions.

The reviewer shall provide the following:. The initials of the right of way plan designer and reviewer shall be placed in the title block of each right of way plan sheet.

In accordance with the O. In order to assure the earliest possible commencement of right of way acquisition, the right of way needs must be developed concurrently with the roadway design. In order to allow the acquiring agency sufficient lead time to purchase or acquire the additional right of way needed, the design agency preparing the right of way plans shall initially concentrate on those design items that will most adversely affect individual properties.

Those adverse effects might include, but are not limited to, highway design that:. To facilitate the earliest acquisition of the remaining properties, the design agency shall continue the right of way plan development process concurrently with the roadway design as outlined in the PDP.

The need for a separate Utility Plan Sheet will depend largely on the nature, complexity, number of utilities affected and their involvement with the project. When a project requires a separate Utility Plan Sheet as part of the right of way plan, a copy of the Utility Plan Sheet shall be submitted to the District Utility Relocation Coordinator for review.

The utility ownership information shall be shown on both the general notes of the construction plan and the Right of Way Legend Sheet of the right of way plans.

Refer to the Real Estate Policies and Procedures Manual, Section for further details pertaining to utility relocation coordination. Right of Way plans are used to transfer property rights, making them part of a boundary survey. Therefore the O. Further specific criteria to be followed in preparing the right of way plan may be found in the Project Scope of Services document and Right of Way Attachment. If necessary, contact the District Survey Operation Manager to determine the governing control and available control that should be used for the given project.

Once this research has been completed, the Professional Surveyor supervising the survey field work should review the Project Scope of Services document, analyze the data and instruct the field crew on which control points to search for and what data to gather. ODOT survey crews and private consultant survey crews are granted access to private land per O. Property owner notification is required. Both ODOT and consultant surveyors are responsible for any damage to crops or personal property of others incurred during the process of their work.

Should any damages occur, the survey crew chief shall document the damage and file a report with the District Planning and Engineering Office immediately. Upon completion of the survey field work refer to the Survey and Mapping Specification as well as the Scope of Service Document the Professional Surveyor will:.

Guidelines governing establishment of a proposed centerline of right of way differ depending on whether or not the proposed roadway follows an existing alignment or is to be relocated onto a completely independent alignment. The intent of this guideline is to use a centerline of right of way that maintains the originally created and controlling centerline of right of way unless the existing centerline of right of way is unlikely to be needed in the future e.

Existing Alignments: The centerline of construction should match the centerline of right of way except when a separate centerline of construction is needed due to engineering, geometric e. The centerline of right of way should never be shifted to match the centerline of construction without prior approval from the District Survey Section. New Alignments: The centerline of construction on new alignment projects will be established in accordance with geometric design criteria.

For projects located on a new alignment, a new proposed centerline of right of way matching the centerline of construction shall be established. For New Alignments ONLY, the centerline of construction may contain spirals in addition to simple curves, deflection points and tangent lines. Though spiral curves should generally be avoided in right of way centerlines, spiral curves in the centerline of proposed right of way are acceptable when fee takings along the proposed alignment are being acquired.

In all cases, the relationship s between the various centerlines must be clearly identified within the right of way plans. Existing right of way lines shall be located based on requirements specified in the O. It is the responsibility of the surveyor and Right of Way Plan Designer to research the existing right of way lines for all roadways within the project limits.

All existing right of way research shall be to the extent necessary to provide accurate foundation for the existing right of way lines. Keep in mind when performing this research that many State Highways were County Roads prior to becoming state highways and therefore may require a more in depth search. On the Legend Sheet include a Basis of Existing Right of Way Note identifying the type of right of way and the year for which it was acquired "when and where possible" i.

It is the responsibility of the surveyor and Right of Way Plan Designer to insure that all existing easements are shown on the plans including the type, size, owner s , and recording data of the easement s. This is important for the purpose of allocating real estate costs, utility reimbursement costs, and construction cost.

It is further important and necessary to know whether utilities that must be moved are occupying their own easement. Keep in mind that not all easements are recorded in the courthouse. The records research shall include research of deeds and other documents as well as a field investigation of the parcel s. See Section Record Research shall also document any recorded interests in the property. Recorded interests include, but are not limited to, easements, ingress and egress rights, and all mineral rights.

The record deed shall show the transfer of the title to the current property owner. Where partial title interest has been conveyed, copies of any supplemental documents required to delineate property lines and property rights shall also be submitted.

When scoped to perform Title Reports, the design agency will be responsible for a full title search back to root title a Warranty Deed or Judicial Decree with a minimum of 42 year search for each parcel series. All title reports shall include easements, liens, encumbrances, taxes, mortgages, etc. Property lines shall be located based on the requirements specified in O. As required in O. The surveyor shall make a thorough search for ALL physical monuments, and analyze evidence of monumentation and occupation.

In addition, the surveyor shall, when necessary, confer with the owner s of the property being surveyed and the adjoining property. All monuments, evidence of monuments and occupation lines shall be shown in the Right of Way Plans.

When a non-controlling or uncalled for monument is located, a witness tie from the computed corner to the non-controlling or uncalled for monument shall be placed in the right of way plans. When the title report or other means has identified mineral rights belonging to someone other than the current land owner, it is imperative that all recording information be included on the Summary of Additional Right of Way Sheet.

All topography within the project limits will be documented and displayed as outlined in the Surveying and Mapping Specifications Appendix A — Planimetric Collection.

However, depending on the Project Scope of Services document, the complexity of the project, and the properties involved, additional topography may be needed to show the impacts of the roadway construction to the property owners. For example: the project involves a property which has access located along ODOT right of way, and the structures are located ' from the existing right of way. These structures must be shown accurately on the plans Property Map Sheet.

All visible or known items within the potential take area beyond the existing right of way must be mapped. These items include but are not limited to:. Existing pavement, bridges, streams, railroads, right of way lines, driveways show centerline station intercept, type and size , parking on commercial property and related surfaces, sidewalks, structures, foundations, underground lines, underground storage tanks, easements, wells, cisterns, septic systems, sewers, sprinkler systems, signs, billboards provide permit number , trees, shrubs, field tiles, drain pipes, drainage structures and fences.

In short, show any item or feature that might be affected by the proposed work or in any way may have an impact on the appraisal of the proposed taking. Furthermore, provide the length of any linear feature that is located within the potential take area. Also identify the length for which is encroaching the existing right of way if this should exist.

When a parcel of land is impacted by the project, all structures within that parcel must be shown on the right of way plans. When the structure is within feet of the proposed right of way line the type, size and a distance from the closest point on the structure to the proposed right of way line must be shown. In addition all porches, overhangs, awnings, and overhead signs that are attached to the structure must be shown accurately.

A sign advertising something which is not located on the property that the sign is located on is considered an off premise sign. The sign may be located on the property of the sign owner, but if it advertises something which is not happening on that property, it is considered an off-premise sign.

They will provide the following information:. The designer will then briefly summarize this information within the remarks column of the Summary of Additional Right of Way Sheet. ADC permit no. Encroachments consist of those objects which are located within public right of way and are NOT permitted to be there. All encroachments shall be shown and described on both the construction and right of way plans. These objects may consist of, but are not limited to, permanent structures, portable structures, porches, awnings, ground mounted signs, signs that overhang from a structure, portable signs, parking spaces, vehicles, equipment, fence, post, landscaping, sprinkler heads, etc.

Identifying these objects is dependent entirely on the accurate location of highway rights of way. Identify these objects as early as possible in the project development process.

Refer to the Real Estate Policies and Procedures Manual, Section , for additional information regarding encroachments. As outlined in O. All recorded utility easements shall be shown on the plans as well as all associated recording data. Utilities located outside ODOT right of way and without the benefit of a recorded easement should be contacted for any rights obtained from property owners that were not recorded.

For the purpose of allocating project costs, it is necessary to know whether utilities that must be moved are occupying their own right of way or ODOT's. The plan preparer shall provide a list, including name, address and phone number of all utilities affected by the project showing the particular office to serve as contact for the project.

The design agency should also obtain a confirmation number or letter from either the utility company, the surveyor that performed the work or the roadway engineer assuring that all utilities are shown on the right of way plans.

Keep in mind that some utility companies are OUPS limited basis members. Limited basis members must be contacted directly by the design agency due to the limited information available with OUPS and the level of service provided for this type of membership. The accuracy that more detailed levels of SUE can provide is necessary on many projects for determining construction conflicts, easement and property rights which ultimately establishing utility relocation and real estate costs.

The base map s are the foundation for the entire set of roadway plans. The base map s should be used throughout the design of both the construction and right of way plan process and should contain all necessary features existing and proposed to successfully complete the acquisition and design of the entire project. The first is to maintain the physical location of the centerline of right of way as required by law in O. Monumentation physically defines the centerline of right of way, may provide a reference point for legal descriptions, and facilitates right of way management activities.

This should be accomplished by using one of the following two types of monuments:. Is a monument located on the right of way centerline and is normally set at the P. Centerline Monuments are located on the right of way centerline. The Centerline Reference Monuments define the right of way centerline based on a specific offset from that centerline. The Centerline Reference Monuments are usually constructed in pairs on either side of the right of way centerline.

Both the Centerline Monument and Centerline Reference Monument are normally set at ground level and typically located to reference the P. In addition, the Centerline Reference Monuments are located in such a way to support the re-establishment of the right of way centerline, yet not in the path of routine maintenance activities and noise walls. The second is to maintain the physical location of the corners and other points on the boundaries of each parcel of permanent right of way being acquired, satisfying the requirements set forth in O.

All such monuments are to be recited in the legal descriptions for acquisition of these right of way parcels. This is to be accomplished by the use of the following type of monument:. Right of Way Monuments usually consist of a capped iron pin without concrete encasement. Specific details and descriptions of each of the above types of monuments can be found in Standard Construction Drawing RM Right of way monuments should be set with consideration to the O. In addition to the MOU, ODOT has developed a detailed procedure for properly setting, resetting and protecting all monuments in accordance with state laws on boundary surveys and the MOU.

Refer to the Construction and Materials Specifications, NOTE: Frequent reference is made to "right of way staking" and though sometimes perceived otherwise, it is intended to refer to the delineation of proposed right of way lines and usually consists of flagged-laths placed on angle points, corners and property line intersections on said lines to accommodate the appraisal and negotiation process. This is NOT intended to be the final pinning of right of way.

Construction limits will encompass all anticipated work and will assist in defining the minimum right of way required, including temporary easement rights of way. Construction limits are typically placed 4 feet outside the required area for construction activities but can be reduced or expanded in special circumstances. Special attention should be given where any limited access fencing is being installed.

Construction limits will include the removal of any items inside the proposed right of way parking areas, trees, signs, structures, etc. When determining the type of right of way to acquire, one must understand there are two major types of title ODOT acquires, fee simple and easement. The Project Scope of Services document should outline the type of title to be acquired on a project. In the event it does not, the District Real Estate Administrator shall be contacted for direction on the type of title to acquire.

There are political, financial, maintenance, and inventory benefits to acquiring both Fee Simple and Easement. As a Right of Way Plan Designer you must identify which of these types of taking is most beneficial to both the department and the public on any given project.

When determining whether to use Fee Simple or Easement consider the following:. Continuous communication with the District Real Estate Section and Roadway Designer, as well as common sense and experience, will best assist you when determining whether to use Easement or Fee Simple.

From the beginning of the project development process until the plans are completed the Right of Way Plan Designer should continually examine the cost effectiveness of real estate acquisition vs.

This requires open and consistent communication between the roadway designer and Right of Way Plan Designer. This will facilitate preparation of the environmental document and should allow ODOT to include sufficient time in the project schedule for acquisition of these properties.

In some cases i. In these instances, the right of way plan designer shall prepare plan sheets and legal descriptions that describe the parcel s to be acquired. For partial takes, the construction and right of way plan sheets must be sufficiently developed in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code When determining the type and amount of proposed right of way takes at intersection or in the vicinity of a horizontal curve, the designer must take into consideration the required sight distance.

Then acquire the appropriate amount of right of way as well as the correct type Limited Access Right of Way if necessary can assure that the sight distance will not be impeded during and after the project is completed.

It is a goal of ODOT to preserve and manage the state highway system effectively, improve public safety in the development, design and operation of the state highway system as well as maintain and protect the function and ability to move people and goods efficiently and conveniently. ODOT is committed to implementing access control, access management policies and sound engineering standards that reduce highway congestion, minimize traffic delays, improve traffic flow, preserve highway capacity, and reduce accidents.

The right of way design agency must identify all existing driveway access points for all properties along the project corridor. The type and existing material used in each driveway i.

In addition, the designer must review, evaluate and identify all proposed and relocated drive locations as well as any driveway access points that are to be eliminated. The type of material used for the proposed driveway, the size of the proposed driveway and the location along the centerline station must be identified.

An industrial driveway is identified as serving a substantial number of truck movements 10 or more per day to and from loading docks of an industrial facility, warehouse, or truck terminal. A commercial driveway is identified as providing access to an office, business, retail or institutional building, or residential facility having five or more units.

These driveways are customarily serviced by trucks as an incidental drive rather than a principal driveway. Industrial plant driveways, whose primary function is to serve administrative or employee parking are considered commercial driveways and not industrial driveways. A residential driveway is identified as providing access to a single family residence or duplex. A field driveway is identified as access to an agricultural or undeveloped tract of land. When determining the amount and type of proposed right of way, the designer must review the proposed drainage design and its impact to the affected property.

Some major drainage items of concern are: open water courses ditches , channels, storm sewers, catch basins, manholes, culverts, headwalls, agricultural drainage tiles, erosion control, and post construction storm water management controls sediment basins , swirl separators. The Right of Way Plan Designer should contact the drainage designer during the project development. However continual attention must be given to utility conflicts and relocation during development of the right of way plan and Stage 1 Detailed Design.

Many utility conflicts and relocation issues are not clear until detailed roadway design is complete. These conflicts may have a major impact on the type of right of way acquired as well as the amount of land acquired. The construction agreement and acquisition of railroad property are two independent steps. It is the responsibility of the right of way design agency to prepare the railroad plat when the acquisition of the railroad property is necessary. Before preparing the plans or acquiring either operating or non- operating railroad right of way, an extensive title search is necessary.

The title search is to determine what title the railroad company holds to the real estate. The search involves a report of liens and obtaining a copy of the conveyance that first transferred the real estate to a railroad. The conveyance must be reviewed to determine whether the railroad has fee title or if they only have an easement right to the real estate. If, after reviewing the conveyance, it is not clear what interest or rights the railroad holds, it should be brought to the attention of the District Real Estate Administrator and Railroad Acquisition Unit in the Office of Real Estate.

In order for the Environmental Document to be approved, a fairly accurate location of all proposed permanent and temporary right of way must be identified.

Resources within the proposed permanent and temporary right of way will be studied to determine impact levels. On those projects that use federal funds for right of way acquisition, the environment document must be approved prior to federal authorization for reimbursement. The Right of Way Plan Designer must maintain coordination and communication with the project manager and the Office of Environmental Services during the right of way plan development process for possible changes to the location of proposed permanent and temporary right of way relative to sensitive environmental resources.