Monument Preservation in San Francisco, CA
We reference and replace San Francisco's street survey monuments for contractors, utilities, and developers — filing the Corner Records and Records of Survey that Public Works Order 187592 and California §8771 require before construction begins.
Monument Preservation in San Francisco: Local Conditions
San Francisco is unusual among Bay Area cities in enforcing monument preservation as a local permit condition, not just a state statute. Public Works Order 187592 requires a licensed land surveyor to file a Corner Record or Record of Survey with the County Surveyor before any construction begins within 20 feet of an existing survey monument, and Public Works charges a monument referencing fee — with a substantially higher fee if construction starts before the monuments are referenced. Underneath it is California Business and Professions Code Section 8771, which requires that monuments be referenced before they are disturbed by grading, paving, or trenching and replaced afterward. Because the city's boundary system hangs on its street monument lines — every map of record must tie to at least two of them — a lost monument at an intersection is a problem for every lot on the block.
The monuments themselves are Public Works' brass disks and other markers set along the monument lines shown on the city's monument maps, many of them in intersections that are dug up for sewer, water, PG&E, and street-repaving work, and in front of sites being excavated for new buildings and below-grade garages. Our process is the one the County Surveyor expects: recover the monuments in the work zone, tie them to CCSF-CS13 and to surrounding monuments with redundant measurements, set reference ties outside the disturbance area, and file the Corner Record before the first cut. When the work is complete we reset the monuments from the ties and file the closing record. For trench and repaving jobs that move block by block, we document the monuments in scope and keep filings current with the schedule.
Where a project has already disturbed a monument, we handle the extended referencing and the Record of Survey needed to re-establish it. Deliverables are the filed Corner Records or Record of Survey, a tie sheet, and CCSF-CS13 coordinates for everything recovered. Related: San Francisco parcel maps and surveying in San Francisco.
Full service details, process, and deliverables: Monument Preservation for Construction · All surveying in San Francisco: San Francisco land surveying
What's Included
- 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
Our Process
Monument Search
We research record maps and locate every monument within the construction disturbance zone — street centerline monuments, property corners, and benchmarks.
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.
Construction Proceeds
Your project grades, paves, or trenches without monument liability. We remain available if unexpected monuments are uncovered during the work.
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 in San Francisco: FAQ
Monument Preservation Across the East Bay
Need Monument Preservation in San Francisco?
Call (510) 543-2220 or request a quote — we'll scope your San Francisco project and give you a fixed price.
Meeting-first estimates • Response within 24 hours • Serious projects only