CHAPTER 21. SURVEYS AND FIELD NOTES
NATURAL RESOURCES CODE
TITLE 2. PUBLIC DOMAIN
SUBTITLE B. SURVEYS AND SURVEYORS
CHAPTER 21. SURVEYS AND FIELD NOTES
SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 21.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the General Land
Office.
(2) "Land office" means the General Land Office.
(3) "Navigable stream" means a stream which retains an average
width of 30 feet from the mouth up.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
SUBCHAPTER B. SURVEYS
Sec. 21.011. SURVEYS OF PUBLIC LAND. Each survey of public land
shall be made under authority of law and by a surveyor duly
appointed, elected, or licensed and qualified.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
Sec. 21.012. SURVEYS ON NAVIGABLE STREAMS. (a) If the
circumstances of the lines previously surveyed under the law will
permit, land surveyed for individuals, lying on a navigable
stream, shall front one-half of the square on the stream with the
line running at right angles with the general course of the
stream.
(b) A navigable stream may not be crossed by the lines of a
survey.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
Sec. 21.013. SURVEYS NOT ON A NAVIGABLE STREAM. Surveys that
are not made on navigable streams shall be in a square as far as
lines previously surveyed will permit.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2355, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
Sec. 21.014. SURVEY FOR DIVISION LINE. (a) Before running a
division line between two settlers or occupants claiming land,
the surveyor shall give written notice to the interested parties.
(b) A survey made contrary to the true intent and meaning of
this section is invalid.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2356, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
SUBCHAPTER C. FIELD NOTES
Sec. 21.041. FIELD NOTES OF A SURVEY OF PUBLIC LAND. The field
notes of a survey of public land shall state:
(1) the county in which the land is located;
(2) the authority under which the survey is made and a true
description of the survey;
(3) the land by proper field notes with the necessary calls and
connections for identification, observing the Spanish measurement
by varas;
(4) a diagram of the survey;
(5) the State Plane Coordinates based on the Texas Coordinate
System of 1927 or the Texas Coordinate System of 1983 values for
the beginning point on the survey with appropriate reference to
zone, mapping angle, grid distances, acreage and the N.G.S.
Station to which the survey is tied;
(6) the names of the field survey personnel;
(7) the date the survey was made; and
(8) the signature of the surveyor.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2356, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 624, Sec. 1,
eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 616, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1987.
Sec. 21.042. SURVEYOR'S CERTIFICATION. (a) The surveyor shall
certify officially:
(1) to the correctness of the survey;
(2) that the survey was made according to law;
(3) that the survey was actually made in the field; and
(4) that the field notes are duly recorded, giving the book and
page.
(b) If the survey was made by a deputy, the county surveyor
shall certify officially that:
(1) he has examined the field notes;
(2) he finds them correct; and
(3) he has determined that the survey is duly recorded, giving
the book and page of record.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2356, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
Sec. 21.043. LOST FIELD NOTES. (a) If the original field notes
of an authorized survey are lost or destroyed, the owner or his
agent may obtain a certified copy of the record from the county
surveyor on making an affidavit of the loss or destruction and
filing it in the office of the county surveyor where the survey
was recorded.
(b) The certified copy shall be as valid as the original record
and shall secure to the owner all the rights before the
commissioner that the original would have secured.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2356, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
Sec. 21.044. INCORRECT FIELD NOTES. (a) The commissioner shall
have a plain statement of errors in any field notes submitted to
the land office, together with a sketch of the map, forwarded by
mail, or personally by the interested party, to the surveyor who
made the survey, with a request to correct and return the field
notes and map.
(b) The surveyor shall correct and return the field notes and
map at once without further charge.
(c) If the conflict exists only on the map or in the field
notes, the surveyor need only officially certify to the facts and
furnish a true sketch of the survey with its connections.
(d) This section does not require the commissioner or a surveyor
to make a new survey of land or a portion of the land after a
survey of the land is accepted by the commissioner for filing in
the official records of the land office.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2356, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
Amended by:
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch.
160, Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2005.
SUBCHAPTER D. TEXAS COORDINATE SYSTEMS
Sec. 21.071. ADOPTION OF COORDINATE SYSTEMS. (a) The systems
of plane coordinates which have been established by the National
Oceanic Survey/National Geodetic Survey for defining and stating
the positions or locations of points on the surface of the earth
within the State of Texas are adopted and will be known and
designated as the Texas Coordinate System of 1927 and the Texas
Coordinate System of 1983.
(b) Each system is a separate system and must be used as a
separate system.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2357, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 616, Sec. 3,
eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Sec. 21.072. PURPOSE AND LIMITATIONS OF COORDINATE SYSTEMS. (a)
The only purpose for adopting the Texas Coordinate System of
1927 and the Texas Coordinate System of 1983 is to recognize a
system for use in the State of Texas to definitely ascertain
positions on the surface of the earth.
(b) Except as provided in Section 21.041 of this code, the use
of a system is not required, and the provisions of this
subchapter shall not be construed to set aside or disturb any
corner or survey already established.
(c) The use of the term "Texas Coordinate System" on a map,
report, survey, or other document is limited to coordinates based
on a Texas Coordinate System as defined in this subchapter.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2357, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 624, Sec. 2,
eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 616, Sec. 4, eff.
Sept. 1, 1987.
Sec. 21.073. DIVISION OF STATE INTO ZONES. For the purpose of
using a system, the state is divided into five zones:
(1) the North Zone;
(2) the North Central Zone;
(3) the Central Zone;
(4) the South Central Zone; and
(5) the South Zone.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2357, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 616, Sec. 5,
eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Sec. 21.074. AREA WITHIN ZONES. (a) The area included in the
following counties constitutes the North Zone: Armstrong,
Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf
Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill,
Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter,
Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, and Wheeler.
(b) The area included in the following counties constitutes the
North Central Zone: Andrews, Archer, Bailey, Baylor, Borden,
Bowie, Callahan, Camp, Cass, Clay, Cochran, Collin, Cooke,
Cottle, Crosby, Dallas, Dawson, Delta, Denton, Dickens, Eastland,
Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Franklin, Gaines,
Garza, Grayson, Gregg, Hale, Hardeman, Harrison, Haskell,
Henderson, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Hopkins, Howard, Hunt, Jack,
Johnson, Jones, Kaufman, Kent, King, Knox, Lamar, Lamb, Lubbock,
Lynn, Marion, Martin, Mitchell, Montague, Morris, Motley,
Navarro, Nolan, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Rains, Red River,
Rockwall, Rusk, Scurry, Shackelford, Smith, Somervell, Stephens,
Stonewall, Tarrant, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Titus, Upshur,
Van Zandt, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise, Wood, Yoakum, and Young.
(c) The area included in the following counties constitutes the
Central Zone: Anderson, Angelina, Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Bosque,
Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Cherokee, Coke, Coleman,
Comanche, Concho, Coryell, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Ector, El
Paso, Falls, Freestone, Gillespie, Glasscock, Grimes, Hamilton,
Hardin, Houston, Hudspeth, Irion, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Kimble,
Lampasas, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Llano, Loving, McLennan,
McCulloch, Madison, Mason, Menard, Midland, Milam, Mills,
Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Pecos, Polk, Reagan,
Reeves, Robertson, Runnels, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto,
San Saba, Schleicher, Shelby, Sterling, Sutton, Tom Green,
Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upton, Walker, Ward, Washington,
Williamson, and Winkler.
(d) The area included in the following counties constitutes the
South Central Zone: Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bandera, Bee,
Bexar, Brazoria, Brewster, Caldwell, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado,
Comal, DeWitt, Dimmit, Edwards, Fayette, Fort Bend, Frio,
Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Jackson,
Jefferson, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, LaSalle, Lavaca, Live
Oak, McMullen, Matagorda, Maverick, Medina, Presidio, Real,
Refugio, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Waller, Wharton,
Wilson, and Zavala.
(e) The area included in the following counties constitutes the
South Zone: Brooks, Cameron, Duval, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells,
Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Willacy, and
Zapata.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2357, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
Sec. 21.075. ZONE NAMES IN LAND DESCRIPTION. (a) As
established for use in the North Zone, the Texas Coordinate
System of 1927 or the Texas Coordinate System of 1983 shall be
named, and in any land description in which it is used it shall
be designated, the "Texas Coordinate System of 1927, North Zone"
or "Texas Coordinate System of 1983, North Zone."
(b) As established for use in the North Central Zone, the Texas
Coordinate System of 1927 or the Texas Coordinate System of 1983
shall be named, and in any land description in which it is used
it shall be designated, the "Texas Coordinate System of 1927,
North Central Zone" or "Texas Coordinate System of 1983, North
Central Zone."
(c) As established for use in the Central Zone, the Texas
Coordinate System of 1927 or the Texas Coordinate System of 1983
shall be named, and in any land description in which it is used
it shall be designated, the "Texas Coordinate System of 1927,
Central Zone" or "Texas Coordinate System of 1983, Central Zone."
(d) As established for use in the South Central Zone, the Texas
Coordinate System of 1927 or the Texas Coordinate System of 1983
shall be named, and in any land description in which it is used
it shall be designated, the "Texas Coordinate System of 1927,
South Central Zone" or "Texas Coordinate System of 1983, South
Central Zone."
(e) As established for use in the South Zone, the Texas
Coordinate System of 1927 or the Texas Coordinate System of 1983
shall be named, and in any land description in which it is used
it shall be designated, the "Texas Coordinate System of 1927,
South Zone" or "Texas Coordinate System of 1983, South Zone."
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2358, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 616, Sec. 6,
eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Sec. 21.076. DEFINITIONS. (a) For the purpose of precisely
defining the Texas Coordinate System of 1927 and the Texas
Coordinate System of 1983, the following definitions are adopted:
(1) The Texas Coordinate System of 1927, North Zone, and the
Texas Coordinate System of 1983, North Zone, is a Lambert
conformal projection, having standard parallels at north
latitudes 34° 39' and 36° 11', along which parallels the
scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is at the
intersection of the meridian 101° 30' west longitude and the
parallel 34° 00' north latitude. The origin of the 1927
coordinate system is given the coordinates: x = 2,000,000 feet
(720,000 varas) and y = 0 feet (0 varas). The origin of the 1983
coordinate system is given the coordinates: x = 200,000 meters
(236,220 varas) and y = 1,000,000 meters (1,181,100 varas).
(2) The Texas Coordinate System of 1927, North Central Zone, and
the Texas Coordinate System of 1983, North Central Zone, is a
Lambert conformal projection, having standard parallels at north
latitudes 32° 08' and 33° 58', along which parallels the
scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates for the 1927
coordinate system is at the intersection of the meridian 97°
30' west longitude and the parallel 31° 40' north latitude.
This origin is given the coordinates: x = 2,000,000 feet (720,000
varas) and y = 0 feet (0 varas). The origin of coordinates for
the 1983 coordinate system is at the intersection of the meridian
98° 30' west longitude and the parallel 31° 40' north
latitude. This origin is given the coordinates: x = 600,000
meters (708,660 varas) and y = 2,000,000 meters (2,362,200
varas).
(3) The Texas Coordinate System of 1927, Central Zone, and the
Texas Coordinate System of 1983, Central Zone, is a Lambert
conformal projection, having standard parallels at north
latitudes 30° 07' and 31° 53', along which parallels the
scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is at the
intersection of the meridian 100° 20' west longitude and the
parallel 29° 40' north latitude. The origin of the 1927
coordinate system is given the coordinates: x = 2,000,000 feet
(720,000 varas) and y = 0 feet (0 varas). The origin of the 1983
coordinate system is given the coordinates: x = 700,000 meters
(826,770 varas) and y = 3,000,000 meters (3,543,300 varas).
(4) The Texas Coordinate System of 1927, South Central Zone, and
the Texas Coordinate System of 1983, South Central Zone, is a
Lambert conformal projection, having standard parallels at north
latitudes 28° 23' and 30° 17', along which parallels the
scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is at the
intersection of the meridian of 99° 00' west longitude and
the parallel 27° 50' north latitude. The origin of the 1927
coordinate system is given the coordinates: x = 2,000,000 feet
(720,000 varas) and y = 0 feet (0 varas). The origin of the 1983
coordinate system is given the coordinates: x = 600,000 meters
(708,660 varas) and y = 4,000,000 meters (4,724,400 varas).
(5) The Texas Coordinate System of 1927, South Zone, and the
Texas Coordinate System of 1983, South Zone, is a Lambert
conformal projection, having standard parallels at north
latitudes 26° 10' and 27° 50', along which parallels the
scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is at the
intersection of the meridian 98° 30' west longitude and the
parallel 25° 40' north latitude. The origin of the 1927
coordinate system is given the coordinates: x = 2,000,000 feet
(720,000 varas) and y = 0 feet (0 varas). The origin of the 1983
coordinate system is given the coordinates: x = 300,000 meters
(354,330 varas) and y = 5,000,000 meters (5,905,500 varas).
(b) The position of the Texas Coordinate System of 1927 and the
Texas Coordinate System of 1983 shall be as marked on the ground
by triangulation or traverse stations established in conformity
with the standards adopted by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration for first-order and second-order work,
whose geodetic positions have been rigidly adjusted on the North
American datum of 1927 or 1983, and whose coordinates have been
computed on the system defined in this subchapter. Any of these
stations may be used for establishing a survey connection with
the Texas Coordinate System of 1927 or the Texas Coordinate
System of 1983.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2358, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 616, Sec. 7,
eff. Sept. 1, 1987.
Sec. 21.077. UNIT OF MEASUREMENT. The unit of measurement in
this subchapter has the following values, based on the
International Meter established by the National Bureau of
Standards:
(1) one meter = 39.37 inches exactly;
(2) one foot = 12.00 inches exactly; and
(3) one vara = 33-1/3 inches exactly.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2359, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977.
Sec. 21.078. TERMS "X COORDINATE" AND "Y COORDINATE". (a) The
plane coordinate values for a point on the earth's surface, to be
used in expressing the position or location of the point in the
appropriate zone, of either system, shall consist of two
distances, expressed in U.S. Survey Feet and decimals of a foot
or varas or tenths of a vara when using the Texas Coordinate
System of 1927 and expressed in meters and decimals of a meter,
in U.S. Survey Feet or decimals of a foot, or in varas or tenths
of a vara when using the Texas Coordinate System of 1983.
(b) One of these distances, to be known as the "x coordinate,"
shall give the position in an east-and-west direction; the other,
to be known as the "y coordinate," shall give the position in a
north-and-south direction.
(c) These coordinates shall be made to depend on and conform to
the plane rectangular coordinate values for the monumented points
of the North American Horizontal Geodetic Control Network as
published by the National Oceanic Survey/National Geodetic
Survey, or its successors, and whose plane coordinates have been
computed on the systems defined in this subchapter.
(d) Any station described in this section may be used for
establishing a survey connection to either the Texas Coordinate
System of 1927 or the Texas Coordinate System of 1983.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2359, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 616, Sec. 8,
eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 991, Sec. 4, eff.
Sept. 1, 1993.
Sec. 21.079. LAND IN MORE THAN ONE ZONE. If a tract of land to
be defined by a single description extends from one zone into
another of the coordinate zones, the positions of all points on
its boundaries may be referred to by either of the zones, the
zone which is used being specifically named in the description.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2360, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff.
Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 616, Sec. 9,
eff. Sept. 1, 1987.