Monument Preservation
The Monument Preservation Fund maintains the City's existing survey monuments through a long-term plan to inventory, reference and replace lost monuments.
Survey monuments are essential to the precise location of all land divisions (parcels) within the City and County of San Francisco. The framework for actual physical reference points, known as monuments, has been previously established and must be preserved in order to secure ownership boundaries. The City's monument system consists of known points that serve as the basis of reference for subsequent new and existing land subdivisions.
In San Francisco, it is the responsibility of the City and County Surveyor to ensure that the existing reference framework of control points known as monuments is maintained.
More Background
Historically, a property description and map relied upon nearby natural landmarks as monuments such as trees, or stones, to identify the physical boundaries of a parcel. In the last 200 years, the transitory nature of such physical features dictated that more permanent system of (monument) points be established. In San Francisco, more than 3000 monument points are documented and serve to form an underlying framework to reference City land subdivisions.
Protection and Preservation Prior to Construction
Guidelines establishing the protection and preservation of survey monuments prior to construction are outlined in Public Works Order 187,592.
Monument Preservation Fund
The Monument Preservation Fund will be used to ensure continued existence and accuracy of these needed monuments. As known reference points are lost or disturbed, precise boundary locations become increasingly difficult to survey due to the availability of fewer reference locations. The fund is dedicated to the maintenance and re-establishment of the monuments that are necessary to locate land, describe and map boundaries vital to public and private land ownership and related property rights.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information, please contact us at:
San Francisco Public Works • Bureau of Street-Use & Mapping
49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 300 • San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone : (628) 271-2000
Mission
San Francisco Public Works is one of the largest and most complex municipal operations in the City, with a 1,600-member workforce and a $384 million annual operating budget. The department's active capital project portfolio exceeds $3 billion. As one of San Francisco oldest City departments, it is also one of the most forward-thinking. Keeping San Francisco beautiful, safe and sustainable.
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