Earl F. Henderson, PLS has been involved in a number of cases providing a variety of expert services. He was appointed by the Governor to the Colorado State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers & Professional Land Surveyors (AES Board) at The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) in 2011. He sat as the Board Chair for the 2013-2014 term. As an AES Board member his expertise has deepened while reviewing the work of other Professional Land Surveyors each month to determine if they comply with the statutes and rules of the State of Colorado as well as with the Generally Accepted Legal Standards of Practice. Some of the expert services Earl can provide are:
- Boundary Line Agreements – This is a legal option for neighbors to define the location of an indeterminate property line between them.
- Expert Review – Providing expert reviews and providing expert opinions on completed land surveys. These can be completed for property owners who are either involved in a legal action, or contemplating a legal action.
- Mediation – Assisting the parties involved with boundary disputes to come to an agreement.
- Dispute Resolution – Finding solutions to boundary issues.
- Court Exhibits – Producing maps and other documents for use in court proceedings.
- Expert Witness – Providing reports and testimony for situations that require intervention by the courts.
In Expert situations, Earl’s focus is always to be objective and to find solutions. Contact him for a free consultation or copy of his CV.
Original vs Retracement surveying: The general public does not understand, nor should they need to understand, the fundamental difference between an original land survey and a retracement land survey. That is the reason for hiring a Professional Land Surveyor. Property corners exist on the ground where the original surveyor set them, not at some geometrical calculated position written in a description or shown on a plat. If an original survey is being conducted then the setting of the original monument establishes the property corner location. Our Founding Fathers, several of whom were Land Surveyors, made sure that this fundamental principle was written into the Land Ordinance of 1785 prior to our country even having a Constitution. Every survey conducted after the original survey should be an attempt to retrace the actions of, or as surveyors like to say, “Follow in the Footsteps” of the original surveyor. Resorting to a measured solution based on a calculated position fails to accomplish this and often results in a conflict between the newly establish location and the original property corner location. One of the fundamental principles of retracement land surveying is to make decisions based on evidence and legal principles and to describe the results using geometry and mathematics on a Land Survey Plat, rather than relying on geometry and mathematics to determine the results. Relying on measurements and mathematical solutions rather than the evidence and law can create a property conflict or land dispute where no legal conflict existed previously. The Professional Land Surveyor can often even resolve property line disputes with a proper retracement survey instead of creating disputes with a faulty calculated position.
At Zenith Land Surveying, Inc. we pride ourselves in practicing the art of retracement land surveying.