Survey vs Tax maps – which is correct?
Land is very rarely transferred based on area and not the boundary. In fact, over the course of Tim’s 30+ year survey career, he has surveyed based on area twice.
In the hierarchy of evidence, area is at the bottom of the list. It is simply (or not so simply) a mathematical computation using angles and distances as related to the property boundary. Therefore, it can change quickly based on relatively minor differences in the boundary. Furthermore, the age of the description can also make huge differences in the area calculations as they were done by hand (pre-computer) and shortcuts were often taken.
Now, the differences between what a survey shows and what is on the tax records is a whole other matter. Let’s talk about the confusing world of surveys versus tax records, shall we? A survey nails down the specifics with field evidence and all the details in the recorded documents. On the flip side, tax maps are like puzzles, pieced together with whatever pieces are lying around. If there was an issue with the deeds like the records didn’t match (neighbor to neighbor) or a description lacked even the most rudimentary descriptions, the tax map still had to be made.
The mappers were tasked with making maps that didn’t leave gaps or create overlaps. They made the puzzle pieces (deeds and plats) fit, even if they didn’t. In fact, there is a disclaimer on the State GIS (tax data) page,
The property maps represented on this site are compiled from information maintained by your local county Assessor’s office and are a best-fit visualization of how all the properties in a county relate to one another. The property lines are determined by examining detailed property descriptions on deeds and by using surveys created by a licensed surveyor but are not conclusive evidence of property ownership in any court of law. If you feel your property is drawn in error, you should contact your local Assessor’s office and work with them to resolve the discrepancy.
(tnmap.tn.gov)
As you can understand, it is very common for the area shown on the tax records to differ significantly from that of the actual survey. And if you still are wondering, the survey is right.
How does one survey company get a different survey than the previous one from 50 to 60 years ago how could it differe so much that a water dam be cut off the land owner that has had the property all those previous years
Please see my latest post about this.
https://www.tnlds.com/so-different/