1. A United States public land survey corner certificate shall be prepared as part of any land surveying which includes the use of a United States public land survey system corner, having the status of a corner of a quarter-quarter section or larger aliquot part of a section, if one or more of the following conditions exist:

 a. There is no certificate for the corner on file with the recorder of the county in which the corner is located.
 b. The surveyor in responsible charge of the land surveying accepts a corner position which differs from that shown in the public records of the county in which the corner is located.
 c. The corner monument is replaced or modified in any way.
 d. The reference ties referred to in an existing public record are not correct.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 355.11

  • Corner: means a point at which two or more lines meet. See Iowa Code 355.1
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Land surveying: means surveying of land pursuant to chapter 542B. See Iowa Code 355.1
  • Monument: means a physical structure which marks the location of a corner or other survey point. See Iowa Code 355.1
  • seal: shall include an impression upon the paper alone, or upon wax, a wafer affixed to the paper, or an official stamp of a notarial officer as provided in chapter 9B. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Surveyor: means a licensed professional land surveyor who engages in the practice of land surveying pursuant to chapter 542B. See Iowa Code 355.1
  • United States: includes all the states. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. The surveyor shall record the required certificate with the recorder and forward a copy to the county engineer of the county in which the corner is located within thirty days after completion of the surveying. The certificate shall comply with the following requirements:

 a. The size of the sheet or sheets making up the certificate shall not be less than eight and one-half inches by eleven inches.
 b. The identity of the corner, with reference to the United States public land survey system, shall be clearly indicated.
 c. The certificate shall contain a narrative explaining the reason for preparing the certificate, the evidence and detailed procedures used in establishing the corner position, and the monumentation found or placed perpetuating the corner position including reference monumentation.
 d. The certificate shall contain a plan-view site drawing depicting the relevant monuments, physical surroundings, and reference ties in sufficient detail to enable recovery of the corner.
 e. The certificate shall contain at least three reference ties, measured to the nearest one-hundredth of a foot from the corner to durable physical objects near the corner, which are located so that the intersection of any two of the ties will yield a strong corner position recovery.
 f. The certificate shall contain a statement by the surveyor that the work was done and the certificate was prepared by the surveyor or under the surveyor’s direct personal supervision and shall be signed and dated by the surveyor and bear the surveyor’s Iowa license number and seal.
 3. A public land survey corner certificate may contain more than one corner that is being certified as part of the land surveying project. The recorder shall accept for recording a certificate containing multiple corners certified pursuant to this section.