In this case, it’s OK to give them an inch
As a land surveyor, I found the response in “Fenced In by Unneighborly Dispute Over Property Line,” Oct. 9, problematic. A fence that was constructed, allegedly, 1 inch out of position is for all practical purposes not in the “wrong” position and is within the ordinary standard of care for surveying and construction.
In most situations, property lines are located by measuring the block in which the lot resides. Each lot then receives a proportionate amount of property based on the record (from the subdivision map) and the new measurements.
If we assume an ordinary city block of 600 feet and the property line is located within 1 inch of that total, this computes to a ratio of 1 part in 7,500 -- acceptable accuracy for residential surveying. There is no error, conflict or disagreement between the two surveys and the resultant fence.
TONY PRATT
Temple City
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