DCALS Warns of Grave Risks if DC Allows Unlicensed Officials to Sign Plats

Washington, DC — The District of Columbia Association of Land Surveyors (DCALS) today delivered a formal letter to the Mayor’s Office, the Council of the District of Columbia, and the Department of Buildings (DOB), strongly opposing the proposed “Vacant Surveyor Contingency Emergency Amendment Act.” If enacted, the legislation would permit the Director of DOB or a non-licensed designee to sign, seal, and record subdivision plats and perform other statutory duties reserved for the D.C. Surveyor — even though no jurisdiction in the United States has ever permitted unlicensed individuals to practice land surveying or certify land records.

DCALS warns that such a policy would expose the District to predictable and serious consequences, including boundary disputes, defective titles, rejected federal or private-sector approvals, and costly litigation — all because professional accountability and liability protections would be removed from a critical technical role.

The association urges the Mayor and Council to reject the proposal and instead appoint a qualified, licensed surveyor immediately, making full use of existing waiver authority under District personnel regulations.

For the full letter and additional background, Click Here.

Contact:
Ronnie Ruiz, RLS, LS
President, DCALS
president@dcals.org

“Kidwell Meadows — riverfront views!,” contemporary advertisements might have read had John Kidwell’s bold real estate gambit succeeded. His attempt failed but the federal government’s long legal efforts to quash it led to the creation of Potomac Park.

COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE

Reprinted with permission. © 2016 InTowner Publishing Corp

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited, except as provided by 17 U.S.C. §107 (“fair use”).

COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE

Reprinted with permission. © 2016 InTowner Publishing Corp

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited, except as provided by 17 U.S.C. §107 (“fair use”).

by Lauren Martino

DC Public Library Special Collections is proud to announce the release of seventy more historic Washington, DC maps in Dig DC, the online portal to DCPL Special Collections. These maps cover the District of Columbia and the region from the Civil War to the turn of the century. To see them, head on over to the Maps: City & Regional collection in Dig DC!

Some highlights of the rare maps in this collection include: 

• Map of the city of Washington and vicinity, showing present and proposed routes of steam railroads (1882)
• Cleveland Park, being a subdivision of part of a tract called Rosedale (1893)
• Plat of river front from 27th street west to 17th street west (1888)
• Roundabout Washington bicycle route map (1896)
• Map of Anacostia River in the District of Columbia (1898)
• United States Capitol Grounds (Ca. 1900)

DCPL Special Collections has digitized nearly 250 historic maps from the Washingtoniana Map Collection and is currently working to bring all of these maps online for global public access and research. These digitized maps are being released in chronological phases. This is the second release, bringing the dates covered in the online map collection to 1768 through 1900. Check back soon for the next release!

While you're in Dig DC, be sure to check out the Real Estate Plat Book Collection. This collection of real estate atlases now includes seven plat books, from 1874 to 1896. These real estate atlases have enormous research value. Plat maps convey important information about a property, such as the footprint, lot and building dimensions, and material. These maps can help you find old lot numbers, street names, and subdivision names. Studying plat maps over time gives a sense of the gradual development of neighborhoods and shows what existed before the current homes and buildings were built.

For more information about the historic map collection in Washingtoniana, please see the Washingtoniana Map Collection web page from Special Collections.

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by Lauren Martino

DC Public Library Special Collections is proud to announce the release of a century of historic Washington, DC maps in Dig DC, the online portal to DCPL Special Collections. These maps cover the District of Columbia and the region from the 1760s to the Civil War. To see them, head on over to the Maps: City & Regional collection on Dig DC!

Some highlights of the rare maps in this collection include:  

• Plat of Carrollsburg (1770)
• Historical map of the city of Washington, District of Columbia: view of the city and location of the houses in the year 1802, the beginning of Washington (1802)
• Potomac Aqueduct: showing the condition of the work at the close of the year 1840 (1857) 
• Map of district north of Washington, D.C. (1860) 

The library has digitized nearly 250 historic maps from the Washingtoniana Map Collection and is currently working to bring all of these maps online for global public access and research. These digitized maps will be released in chronological phases. Next up -- Washington, DC from the Civil War to the Turn of the Century!

In other map news, three new sets of Hopkins’ Real Estate Atlases were recently added to the Real Estate Plat Book Collection on Dig DC. The latest additions include:

• Real Estate Plat-Book of Washington, DC, Volume 2 (G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1893)
• Real Estate Plat-Book of Washington, DC, Volume 3 (G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1894)
• Real Estate Plat-Book of Washington, DC, Volume 3 Supplement (G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1896)

These real estate atlases are not only beautiful - they have enormous research value. Plat maps convey important information about a property, such as the footprint, lot and building dimensions, and material. These maps can help you find old lot numbers, street names, and subdivision names. Studying plat maps over time gives a sense of the gradual development of neighborhoods and shows what existed before the current homes and buildings were built.

The Real Estate Plat Book Collection on Dig DC also includes four previously digitized real estate plat books from 1874 to 1892.

For more information about the historic map collection in Washingtoniana, please see the Washingtoniana Map Collection web page from Special Collections.

Article written by retired DC Surveyor Chas Langelan, PS

Featured in The American Surveyor Magazine - August/September 2015

http://www.amerisurv.com/content/view/14121/