The
Tower Times
City of Stoughton
Issue 1, Spring 2013
Why You Should Know Where Your Property Stakes Are Located It is very helpful to know exactly where your property stakes (lines) are when: • Buying a home/property so you know what you are buying and for future reference; • Landscaping including planting trees and shrubs so they are planted to allow future growth to remain on your property; • Seeking to install: fencing, an accessory structure or adding onto your home, so when applying for a permit you can easily draft a plan to show where the new structure will be located; • Trying to locate any recorded easements. Many times we hear people say they were told or they assumed their property stake is where a fence, plantings, transformers or power poles are located. In fact that is seldom the case. The only way to be certain is to locate the lot corner stakes as follows: • A plat map which shows the dimensions of a property may be obtained from the Department of Planning & Development at no charge to you. This document can be picked up at City Hall, 381 E. Main Street, Emailed, Faxed or Mailed to you. The dimensions of your property will give you a reference to start from and makes it much easier once one stake is found;
• The stakes which are sometimes called “irons” or “monuments” vary in size but are typically approximately a 1-inch solid stake, 1.5 feet long and buried at ground level or by as much as a foot deep at each corner of the property; • A long tape measure is helpful but not necessary to aid in your search; • Renting a metal detector may also be helpful in locating the lot stakes; • Ask neighbors if they have an idea where the lot stakes are located to aid in your search; • Department of Planning & Development staff will assist but cannot locate lot stakes for you. City staff cannot come to your property to locate your property lines or take sides in a dispute over a private property stake location. Property stake disputes between property owners are a legal issue and are not regulated by City Ordinances; • If lot stakes cannot be found, a licensed land surveyor may be hired to locate them and/or in some cases restake them. State law requires that lot stakes are not removed however that does not mean they have not been inadvertently removed. Also, many historic areas originally had wood stakes. Surveyors can be found in the Yellow Pages or contact the City staff person below for information. The cost of a survey can vary greatly so it pays to check costs; • Over time property stakes may be removed or buried beneath retaining walls, paved driveways, concrete walks, plantings etc…making them more difficult to find; • In some cases a survey is required for new home construction, building additions, detached accessory structures or other major projects. For questions related to locating your lot stakes contact the City Zoning Administrator at 646-0421 or mstacey@ci.stoughton.wi.us