Contour Survey

Monument Preservation for Construction

§8771 compliance for contractors and agencies: monuments referenced before construction, reset after, Corner Records filed both times — keeping your permits moving and your project off the hook for retracement costs.

Protect Monuments Before the Excavator Arrives

Pre-construction monument preservation surveys required by California Business & Professions Code §8771. When grading, paving, utility trenching, or demolition will disturb survey monuments — street monuments, property corners, benchmarks — the law requires that a licensed land surveyor reference them before construction and reset them afterward, with Corner Records filed with the county surveyor both times. Contractors and public agencies are increasingly required to show monument preservation compliance before permits are issued on capital projects, and destroying a monument without preservation exposes the responsible party to the cost of a full retracement survey — far more than preservation would have cost. We locate the monuments in the work zone, set reference ties outside the disturbance area, file the pre-construction Corner Records, and return after construction to reset the monuments and file the post-construction records.

  • Business & Professions Code §8771 compliance
  • Corner Records filed before and after construction
  • Reference ties set outside the disturbance zone
  • Protects contractors and agencies from retracement liability
  • Fast mobilization to keep construction schedules moving
  • Serving contractors, cities, and utility districts
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Reality Capture

Point clouds that become usable project files.

High-density scan data supports CAD, BIM-ready modeling, field verification, and existing-condition coordination.

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Projects That Trigger §8771

Street paving, reconstruction, and grinding

Utility trenching, sewer and water main replacement

Grading and demolition near property corners

Public capital projects with monument clauses in the specs

1

Monument Search

We research record maps and locate every monument within the construction disturbance zone — street centerline monuments, property corners, and benchmarks.

2

Reference Ties & Corner Records

Each monument is tied to durable reference points outside the work area, and pre-construction Corner Records are filed with the county surveyor.

3

Construction Proceeds

Your project grades, paves, or trenches without monument liability. We remain available if unexpected monuments are uncovered during the work.

4

Reset & Final Filing

After construction we reset the monuments from the reference ties and file post-construction Corner Records, completing the statutory record.

Monument Preservation FAQ

Section 8771 requires that before survey monuments are disturbed or destroyed by construction, they be referenced by a licensed land surveyor so they can be reset afterward, with Corner Records (or a Record of Survey) filed with the county surveyor documenting both the references and the reset. It applies to street monuments, property corners, and other survey markers.
The party performing the work bears responsibility. If a monument is destroyed without preservation, re-establishing it requires a retracement survey from surrounding evidence — dramatically more expensive than referencing it beforehand. Agencies and cities commonly require proof of preservation before issuing encroachment or grading permits.
Street paving and reconstruction, utility trenching, sewer and water main replacement, grading, demolition, and any construction disturbing streets or property corners. Public capital projects routinely include §8771 compliance in their specifications.
A Corner Record is a filing with the county surveyor documenting a monument's position and character — a lighter-weight instrument than a Record of Survey. Monument preservation uses paired filings: one documenting the references before construction, one documenting the reset monument after.
Monument preservation is usually a short-duration field task, and we prioritize it because it sits on the critical path for permits. Contact us with your work limits and we will identify affected monuments from record data before the site visit.

Boundary Determination

Establish clear, legally defensible property boundaries with a licensed Bay Area boundary surveyor — including difficult boundaries on hillside lots, irregular parcels, post-1906 SF blocks, fire-rebuild areas, and properties with conflicting record evidence.

Deformation Monitoring

Track structural deformation, settlement, and site movement using a combination of high-density 3D laser scanning and precise survey control.

Construction Staking

Translate design plans into precise field locations for construction.

Monument Preservation Across the East Bay

Local conditions, permitting, and county recording differ city to city — see how we handle monument preservation where your property is:

OaklandBerkeleyAlamedaEmeryvillePiedmontAlbanyEl CerritoRichmondWalnut CreekSan Leandro

Construction Near Survey Monuments?

Send us your work limits — we'll identify affected monuments from record data and quote the preservation scope before your permit deadline.

Get a Quoteor(510) 543-2220

Meeting-first estimates • Response within 24 hours • Serious projects only

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