Field work and equipment0 answersAI answer
Record calls put a stone corner in one place, but we can't find it.
Asked October 25, 2026
AI answer · not yet verified by a surveyor
Work systematically from the evidence [1]:
- Recompute from several directions: use adjoining surveys, original plats and the best-controlled nearby corners, not just one record.
- Look for the original surveyor's pattern: systematic errors in old bearings or chaining can shift every corner in the same direction.
- Expand the search area gradually, and use a metal detector for iron. For stones and wood, look for disturbed soil, pits, mounds or bearing trees.
- Talk to locals: long-time owners often remember corner locations.
- Check for disturbance: roads, fences and logging may have moved or buried it.
- Document everything: record what you found and didn't find, and the reasoning for any re-established corner.
Follow your state's rules and accepted practice for re-establishing lost or obliterated corners. These differ between PLSS and metes-and-bounds states.
General information only. Answers here are not a survey or legal advice, and no one here can tell you where your boundary is. For your property, hire a licensed land surveyor in your state; for legal questions, a real-estate attorney.