Land Surveying
Welcome to the Land Surveying information page for the City of Wheat Ridge! The information on this page is intended for the use by licensed Engineers, Architects, Land Surveyors, and Contractors working within the City of Wheat Ridge. The PDF formatted documents provided on this page are intended to be printed in blank form. If you have issues accessing any materials; a file format prevents you from accessing the information; or require additional ADA assistance, please contact the Community Development Engineering Department at email: Engineering@ci.wheatridge.co.us or 303-235-2866.
The following information can be found on the tabs below:
General Information
- Current City Datum - A small introduction to the City's Current City Datum that should be used while preparing any and all exhibits.
- Land Surveying Information Packet - A combination of files of which should be reviewed or completed prior to the completion of any survey work inside city limits and submission of any documents for review.
- Cover Sheet Items - Documents that provide the required note information for cover sheets with Plat submittals.
- General Requirements - Required information to be included with the submission of any surveyed documents.
Current City Datum Conversion
- Detailed information about how to survey using the Current City Datum.
Land Survey Maps
- Land Survey Maps - A collection of documents containing information related to the GIS Survey and Control list, the Horizontal & Vertical Base Map & the Right-of-Way sections maps.
- City of Wheat Ridge Legal Boundary - Contact information for the stamped legal boundary for the City of Wheat Ridge.
Monument Information
- General Monument Information - Information regarding the City's requirements on which monuments can be used within City limits.
- Survey Monument Sheets - A collection of documents containing the official monument records of the City that contains pertinent land surveying and geodetic information.
- Addition Monument Information - A link to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies regarding their Colorado Land Survey Monument Record, Master Index and Monument Record Filing Instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- A list of questions and answers often received by the engineering department regarding property lines, section ties, basis of bearing and more.
Current City Datum
The Current City Datum is a ground-based, modified form of the NAD83/92 State Plane coordinate system which must be used on all Final Plats per the Wheat Ridge Municipal Code of Laws. The Current City Datum is related to Colorado State Plane Central Zone 0502, and all documents containing a legal description, such as an Outline Development Plan, Final Development Plan, Final Plat, Right-of-Way Deed, or Easement, must be on the City of Wheat Ridge Current City Datum. Refer to the Current City Datum Conversion tab above for more information.
Land Surveying Information Packet
A collection of documents containing the City's Geodetic Surveying Requirements, a Section Tie Example, Final Plat Review Checklist, and Survey Monument Instructions within Public Right-of-Way, used by city staff during their respective review of submitted documents.
Land Surveying Information Packet
This form is in PDF format and designed for you to print a blank form.
Cover Sheet Items
Documents containing the required cover sheet information with the plat submittal. Confirm your subdivision type with your Planning case manager.
- Type I Subdivision Cover Sheet Items (No Right-of-Way Dedication)
This form is in PDF format and designed for you to print a blank form. - Type I Subdivision Cover Sheet Items (With Right-of-Way Dedication)
This form is in PDF format and designed for you to print a blank form. - Type II Subdivision Cover Sheet Items
This form is in PDF format and designed for you to print a blank form.
General Requirements
- All submitted documents will comply with the requirements for Jefferson County's recording.
- All final plats must comply with the Colorado Revised Statute Article 51, Title 58.
- Additional requirements can be found at inside the City of Wheat Ridge municipal code at Section 26-410 - Application Contents.
City of Wheat Ridge Datum Conversion Information & Procedure
Most land surveyors using modern GPS (Global Positioning System) field equipment set up their data collectors to use North American Datum 1983(2011) (NAD83(2011)).
It has been reported that field surveyors are having difficulty converting between NAD83(2011) and City of Wheat Ridge datum. The national datum is being updated to a new system scheduled to be completed in 2022. The City of Wheat Ridge may have to revise its datum upon completion of the new system in 2022, but if necessary, such a revision will not be made until the revised national system is in common use.
For this reason, we have created this narrative describing the process currently required to set up a data collector for use within the City of Wheat Ridge, and instructions on how to convert other datum coordinates to the City of Wheat Ridge datum, referred to hereafter as the “Current City Datum”.
The Current City Datum is related to Colorado State Plane Central Zone 0502 NAD83 using the following elements: An Average Latitude of 39°46'35.634" and an Average Longitude of 105°06'17.736” has been established at the Center of Project.
Computation Notes: Center of Project has been determined to be at the approximate location of the Center West 16th corner of Section 22, T3S, R69W, at the intersection of Hoyt Court and 43rd Avenue extended.
The Combined Factor of 0.999747803 was determined by multiplying the Scale Factor by the Elevation Factor.
The Current City Datum coordinates were determined by multiplying the Colorado State Plane Central Zone 0502 NAD83 Coordinates by the inverse (1.00025226062) of the Combined Factor and then truncating 1,000,000 from the Northing Coordinate and 3,000,000 from the Easting Coordinate.
U.S Army Corp of Engineer Geodetic conversion program Corpscon V6.0 was used for the Average Latitude and Average Longitude to calculate a Scale Factor of 1.000005363 at the Center of Project.
Project Average Elevation has been determined to be 5440.00 U.S. survey feet by averaging the elevations of all observed monuments.
The Elevation Factor of 0.99974244138 was determined by dividing the Accepted Earth Radius (20,906,000 feet) by the sum of the Accepted Earth Radius and the Average Elevation.
DATA COLLECTOR SETUP
Coordinate System: US State Plane 1983; Colorado Central Zone 0502; NAD83; GEOID12*
Coordinates: Ground (keyed in scale factor)
Ground Scale Factor: 1.00025226062
False Northing Offset: -1,000,000 survey feet
False Easting Offset: -3,000,000 survey feet
Project Location: Lat=39°46'35.634"N; Lon=105°06'17.736”W; Height=5440.00sft
This setup should give satisfactory results Citywide.
PROCEDURE
Upon setup of the data collector using the above parameters, tie into at least two Wheat Ridge control points. Control point coordinates and the overall monumentation/benchmark site can be found in the Land Survey Maps Tab. Survey monument sheets and some restrictions/requirements are located in the Monument Information Tab. The surveyor should then determine if results are satisfactory for the job.
Land Survey Maps
A collection of documents containing the City of Wheat Ridge GIS Survey and Control List, the Horizontal & Vertical Control Base Map, and Right-of-Way Section Maps.
- Land Survey Maps
This form is in PDF format and designed for you to print a blank form.
City of Wheat Ridge Legal Boundary
For a copy of the stamped legal boundary of the City of Wheat Ridge please email: Engineering@ci.wheatridge.co.us
General Monument Information
While land surveying monuments such as the NGS Primary Control points and sixteenth or other aliquot corners lying within the city network may be used for GPS, topographical, ALTA, or other applicable land surveys, they cannot be used in section ties on Final Plats per City Code. Chapter 26, Article IV, Section 26-410 of the Municipal Code of Laws states that all section ties shall exclusively be to Section Corners, Quarter-Section Corners, or PHAC monuments.
Please be advised only Section Corner, Quarter-Section Corner, or PHAC monuments, are acceptable as section-ties for documents containing a Legal Description, such as for Land Use Application submittals. Sixteenth Corners or other aliquot corners are not acceptable for use in Section-Ties.
Survey Monument Sheets
A collection of documents containing the official monument records of the city that contain pertinent land surveying and geodetic information, as well as photos and drawings depicting the location and cap information for each monument.
- Survey Monument Sheets
This form is in PDF format and designed for you to print a blank form.
Additional Information
For additional information such as the Colorado Land Survey Monument Record, the Colorado Land Survey Monuments Master Index, and Monument Records Filing Instructions see the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are my property lines?
It is the responsibility of each property owner to determine the location of his or her own lot lines. A legal description from your deed or title insurance policy will give you the dimensions of your property; however, properly identifying the property pins located at the corners of your lot will help you determine your property boundaries. If you cannot find or are unfamiliar with the process of locating your property pins, you may need to hire a licensed Professional Land Surveyor to survey your property boundary. The City of Wheat Ridge does not provide land surveying services of any type for private property.
Why can't a 1/16 (sixteenth) corner be used as a section tie?
Platted areas must be on the Current City Datum and be tied to Section Corners per Chapter 26, Article IV, Section 26-410 of the City of Wheat Ridge Municipal Code of Laws. Sixteenth or other aliquot corners are not acceptable for use as section ties. The City Code has been amended to include the City PHAC monuments for use in section ties.
What lines may be used as a Basis of Bearing?
The only lines acceptable as a Basis of Bearing are section lines or quarter-section lines. Sixteenth or other aliquot lines are not acceptable for use as a Basis of Bearing.
Does the City have accuracy requirements?
Control surveys must adhere to the FGDC Accuracy Standards for Geodetic Networks. The boundary of Final Plats must close to at least 1:50,000 per Chapter 26, Article IV, Sec. 26-410 of the Municipal Code of Laws.
Do I need to complete the Geodetic Surveying Requirements Checklist?
The Geodetic Surveying Requirements for Final Plats may appear to be only for GPS surveys. However, as Wheat Ridge is on a modified (ground-based) form of the NAD83/92 State Plane coordinate system, the checklist applies to all Final Plats regardless of whether conventional or GPS surveying methodology was employed in the creation of the Plat.