Occasionally we have surveyors on the mountain. It is important to respect their stakes, pins, whiskers and flags. If I have any knowledge of the survey, I am now asking the surveyors to put business cards at doors of properties close to the stakes. That should help if there are any questions or concerns to be able to go straight to the source.
It is very important to not ever remove or tamper with any markings.
Click for the law – yes, it is a law to not tamper with survey monuments or markers
When you do have a recorded survey, the surveyors usually mark the property with wooden stakes where corner pins are set. They will sometimes also place property line markers with wooden stakes like what is pictured.
I’m working with a listing now that had a very extensive, and expensive survey a number of years ago. The property owner paid for numerous line stakes, corners set and all marked with wooden stakes. Over the years, those wooden stakes have disappeared. A foot of snow around a thin piece of wood, and that wood doesn’t last long. Erosion on hillsides can bury stakes pretty quick. Branches fall and for what ever reason, the stakes come down and disappear.
When you have recorded corner markers and property line stakes set by licensed surveyors, it is wise to add steel stakes. It can be helpful to paint the tops a bright color so you can see them from a distance, and check on them once in a while to maybe add a fresh coat of paint.
Also, take photos right after the survey with each stake and a large tree, boulders or maybe a building or road in the photo. It can add a lot of value to property to have clearly marked corners and find them in the future if property is ever sold.
I’m always available to answer any questions.
Respectfully,
Bonnie Phelps
Palomar Mountain News 
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