FAQ's
- Field Survey Section
- Landbase Information Systems
- Subdivision Map Checking
- Geodetic Control
- Right of Way Engineering
 Does the Field Survey Section do private surveys (for the private sector)?
 No, the Field Survey Section only performs surveys on County owned land, roads, and flood control channels, also Newport Bay, Dana Point Harbor, and Sunset Beach Marina. Information about having a private survey done or how to obtain a Professional Surveyor to survey your own lot or boundary can be obtained at our Public Assistance Counter.
Who do I call if I am out on a jobsite and I realize that I will be (or have) disturbing a survey monument?
Please call Craig Wehrman, Deputy County Surveyor, Field Section, at  (714) 834-3102 or (714) 955-0152. We certainly appreciate notification when a survey monument is disturbed, or if one is about to be disturbed.
Who do we call when we want information about the survey crew or vehicle in my neighborhood?
You may contact Craig Wehrman, Deputy County Surveyor, Field Section,
at (714) 834-3102 or (714) 955-0152
How was the County of Orange Digital Landbase created?
In 1989, The Gas Company contacted Orange County to see if we would be interested in entering a partnership to create a parcel-level, digital basemap. The County of Orange then entered into such a partnership, with the County providing all the land records (paper maps, written deeds, survey horizontal control and conversion quality control) and the Gas Company was responsible for converting these records into digital form.
What information is available from the County of Orange Digital Landbase?
The County of Orange Landbase, or Land Information System (LIS), is a very accurate, parcel-level digital basemap containing over 640,000 parcels. The Landbase possesses graphic information such as street centerlines, right-of-way lines, and parcel boundaries (cadastre), linked to text information such as owner name, street address, and assessor's parcel number (attributes).
Is the Landbase registered to State Plane Coordinates?
Yes, the County of Orange Landbase is registered to the California Coordinate System, North American Datum 83. The foundation of this system is the County Geodetic Control Network consisting of over 2700 control points on an approximate half-mile grid. This strong foundation makes the County Landbase very accurate, and allows new map information to be added, without losing any accuracy.
How often is the County Landbase updated?
The County Landbase is updated on a daily basis. Final (tract) maps and parcel maps are committed to the Landbase within 4-6 weeks of recordation. Other land information such as records-of-surveys, lot line adjustments, deeds, and boundary annexations are also committed to the Landbase on a regular basis.
Can I purchase digital data from the County?
The County of Orange Digital Landbase is available for sale for $1.00 per parcel (Costs are less than $1.00 per parcel for purchases over 100,000).
Could I obtain maintenance (updates) on the Landbase data?
Periodic maintenance on Landbase data is available for $.10 per parcel. (annually would be the norm).
Is there other digital data available, such as city limit lines or other district lines?
Yes, the Landbase Maintenance Unit maintains all current district lines and registers them to the Landbase. This includes, but is not limited to, census tracts, water and school districts, and city boundaries. These themes (along with natural resource themes from the GIS/Mapping Applications Section) are available at one set price (ask for specific theme information)
What format is the County Landbase in?
The County Landbase is maintained in Oracle Spatial 10g. Any purchasers of County Landbase data must make their own arrangements to translate the data into other formats (i.e. Arc-Info, MapInfo, etc.).
Are there any restrictions on the purchase of County Landbase Digital data?
Yes. The Landbase contains an independent compilation of land records and other spatial data, and copyrighted matter proprietary to the County of Orange. Any purchaser of said data shall take all reasonable precautions to protect and maintain the confidentiality of the Landbase.
How do I initiate purchase of digital data from the County of Orange?
First contact Gordon Pardee, our contract administrator, at (714) 834-3811. He will then direct your request to the appropriate party for the area/theme/information you are interested in purchasing. Once the costs have been discussed and agreed upon, the data will be extracted and copied to the appropriate medium (usually CD). Then Mr. Pardee will process the correct license agreements, non-disclosure forms and make arrangements for delivery of the data.
What is the procedure for a map submitted for a first check?
Upon receipt of a map for review, a screen check of the map is performed to verify that the map is in compliance with Orange County Board of Supervisor’s Ordinance 3984 in that the boundary has been ties to two OCS GPS Horizontal Control points and that the Basis of Bearings have been derived from the inverse between the two points. The folder is also reviewed that all necessary reference material has been submitted, i.e. title report, traverse closures, underlying recorded maps, tie notes, deeds, official records. These maps will then be set aside by the date received until a map checker is available to review the next map in line. After the map checker has examined the map for boundary determination, drafting standards and mathematical correctness, the map checker will write a correction letter and submit it for review by a Licensed Land Surveyor prior to it being mailed.
How do I know if a map has been approved for submittal of the originals for recordation?
When the boundary of a map has determined to be established correctly, and there are few corrections left to be made, the last sentence in a check letter will notify the Surveyor/Engineer that if there are no further changes to the boundary or lots configured, it will not be necessary to submit a check print, and to submit the original mylars for recordation.
After the City Council and City Engineer has signed a map, what is the next step?
Once the City Council and City Engineer’s Statement’s have been completed, and all record owner’s have signed and been Notarized, it is now the responsibility of your Title Company to process the map from the City Engineer’s Office to the County Treasurer- Tax Collector’s Office for verification of tax payment or bond. Once the County Treasurer- Tax Collector has signed the certificate, the Title Company will again be responsible for processing the map to the County Surveyor’s Office for final review prior to recordation.
Once the County Surveyor’s Office has received the originals, what is the process and how long until the map records?
This process can vary depending on whether the map located in a City or in the Unincorporated Territory of the County of Orange. If the map is a City map, the map will be reviewed to verify that all corrections requested in the last correction letter have been completed. If they have not, we will notify the Surveyor/Engineer of the deficiency and wait for their response. When all corrections have been completed, the map will be forwarded for signature by the County Surveyor. It will then be sent to a bonded blue print company to make duplicate mylars of the originals, and then sent to the County Recorder’s Office for recordation. Under ideal conditions, this process can be completed within 5 working days. If this map lies within the Unincorporated Territory of the County of Orange, all steps mentioned above will be followed, except that after the County Surveyor has signed the map, it will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisor’s for approval. It will then be sent to a blue print company and then sent to the County Recorder’s Office for recordation.
Note: The Recorder’s Office normally records a map within a couple of days, but they do have 10 working days to post the recordation by law.
What are the most common errors/omissions made on the original mylars and reasons for delays?
The following is a listing of those common items: Title report discrepancies; Outdated title report (older than 30 days); Digital file not submitted; City Engineer seal missing on Parcel Maps (66450 SMA); Unsigned Certificates Corrections not completed by Surveyor/Engineer; Incorrect tax certificate. (Nov 1 to Dec 31 taxes are payable, not bonded); All bonds, agreements and non-interference letters not completed on County Maps.
Why are additional fees necessary?
The deposit required when a map is submitted for first check is based upon a deposit needed for a first and final review of a map. If the map is resubmitted for re-examination, there may not be sufficient funds to cover the expense for the reviews and an additional deposit may be needed. Any money not used will be refunded.
Who do I contact for map status?
Call Carol Murray (714) 834-6261 to help you with the status of your map.
Must all maps be tied to the OCS GPS Horizontal Control Network?
Yes, all maps submitted after January 1994 must be tied to the GPS Control points. The bearing shown in the Basis of Bearings Statement, and what the map bearings are relative to, must be the bearing as calculated between the two GPS Control points. All subdivision mapping must be tied into the California Coordinate system.
Who do I notify if I find that a horizontal or vertical control monument has been destroyed?
You can call the Geodetic Unit @ (714) 834-3499 or send an email to:
 Charles Beal . It is very important that you notify us. This information is used to update the database, which we would like to keep as current and accurate as we can.
Where can I find the local ties, if any, to the horizontal control monuments?
When the original 2050 GPS horizontal control network was done in 1990, Monument Records were prepared on all of the stations. These records can be found at the Survey front counter located at 300 North Flower Street, Santa Ana. These records contain a simple sketch with the local curb ties and their measured distances. Monuments can be reset from these ties as long as the tie distances agree within an acceptable tolerance. Additionally, Record of Surveys were recorded for all GPS points. UPDATED: Local ties are now filed as Corner Records and may also be found at: http://www.ocgeomatics.com/landrecords/
Can you give me the Horizontal and Vertical control in my area?
All control point information can be accessed on the Geomatics website via the “Orange County Public Records Retrieval System” located @ http://www.ocgeomatics.com/landrecords/Select “Geodetic Control” on the pull down menu located on the left side.
What is the elevation of my property?
We do not have the elevation to your property but we can give you a benchmark in your area that can be used by a surveyor to establish an elevation on your property.
Why are there two different elevations on a benchmark data sheet? Which one is related to Mean Sea Level?
Very simply stated, NGVD29 is very close and can be considered Mean Sea Level. NAVD88 has no relationship to Mean Sea Level in this area. NAVD88 differs from NGVD29 by about 2.34’ in Orange County.
What is the 1991.35 epoch on the Horizontal Data Sheet all about?
1991.35 is the year decimal equivalent of May 8th, 1991. This date represents when the horizontal stations were surveyed and the published coordinates represent where the stations were relative to each other on that date.
How do I establish the Mean High Water line?
By following the proper procedures which are outlined in the document “Procedures for Establishing the Mean High Water Line Boundaries” prepared by the Geodetic Unit. This document can be used as a guideline and is in no way the only correct way to establish the Mean High Water line.
NAVD 88 or NGVD 29, what is the difference between them?
"The National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929” (NGVD29) which is the name, after May 10, 1973, of (the) Sea Level Datum of 1929."
"Sea Level Datum of 1929: A vertical control datum established for vertical control in the United States by the general adjustment of 1929."
"Mean sea level was held fixed at the sites of 26 tide gauges, 21 in the U.S.A. and 5 in Canada. The datum is defined by the observed heights of mean sea level at the 26 tide gauges and by the set of elevations of all bench marks resulting from the adjustment. A total of 106,724 km of leveling was involved, constituting 246 closed circuits and 25 circuits at sea level."
"The datum (was) not mean sea level, the geoid, or any other equipotential surface. Therefore it was renamed, in 1973, the National Geodetic Vertical Datum on 1929."
The North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) is the vertical control datum established in 1991 by the minimum-constraint adjustment of the Canadian-Mexican-U.S. leveling observations. It held fixed the height of the primary tidal bench mark, referenced to the new International Great Lakes Datum of 1985 local mean sea level height value, at Father Point/Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. Additional tidal bench mark elevations were not used due to the demonstrated variations in sea surface topography, i.e., the fact that mean sea level is not the same equipotential surface at all tidal bench marks.
For further information, please click here to view the NOAA website
Which Datum do I use?
The NGVD 29 and NAVD 88, OCS 1995 adjustments are both referenced to the geoid (mean sea level). Because of the errors in the leveling and distortion from the sea surface topography, NGVD 29 is not an accurate sea level datum. Since the adjustment was warped to fit the local tidal stations, NGVD 29 does most closely fit "local mean sea level". NAVD 88 is a more accurate orthometric height because the errors that NGVD 29 contain are not present. The two datum’s relative differences between each benchmark should be equal. Certain areas will differ due to the constrained benchmarks in each adjustment. Benchmarks held fixed in the NAVD 88 adjustment are not the same as the benchmarks held fixed in the NGVD 29 adjustment. Of course, the absolute difference between each datum will differ greatly, average 71 cm (2.3 ft.). County of Orange, Caltrans, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are using NAVD 88. The American Congress on Surveying and Mapping and Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee recommends using NAVD 88. Switching from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88 vertical datum is similar to switching from NAD27 to NAD83 horizontal datum. As to what vertical datum should be used, it is up to the Surveyor and the requirements of each project. NGS will only be maintaining the NAVD 88 network in the future. The OCS 1995 adjustment will be the last NGVD 29 adjustment that the County of Orange will maintain.
Can you give me information about all of the easements that cross my property?
The County only tracks its own public easements. You need to refer to your Title Policy for a list of easements that burden your property. If one is a County easement we can give you specific information on it. We can show you how to get specific information on other easements over your property.
Can I get a copy of my Tract Map?
Copies of Tract Maps are available at the Public Counter, Room 252, on the second floor in Central Files. Contact Charles Beal at (714) 834-3499
Can I get a copy of the right of way map for a park, road or flood control facility?
Yes, copies are available for most of these items. Contact John Pavlik, Right of Way Engineering Manager at (714) 834-2362
Does ROWE maintain easement information pertaining to freeways or streets within cities?
No. That information is available through Caltrans or the city in question.
Does ROWE provide copies of easement documents?
ROWE will provide recording information for easements acquired and processed through OC Public Works, but copies must be obtained from the County Recorder?s Office located at 12 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA. Phone (714) 834-2500
Where do you find street improvement plans?
Public Counter, Room 252, 2nd Floor Central Files.
Where do I find out where a sewer pipe is located?
Street improvement plans on the 2nd floor.
How do I purchase "surplus property" from the County?
Contact Carolee Condon, Real Estate Services Manager at (714) 834-3463
Where can I find out where there is "surplus property" in the County?
Contact Carolee Condon, Real Estate Services Manager at (714) 834-3463
How can I purchase an abandoned road right-of-way?
Contact Carolee Condon, Real Estate Services Manager at (714) 834-3463
How can I request the County to abandon property/easement?
Contact John Pavlik, Right of Way Engineering Manager at (714) 834-2362
|