About Us
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Surveyor |
The Bartholomew County Surveyor’s Office maintains regulated drains, section corners, GIS mapping, and cemetery location data with the best interest of the County and its citizens in mind.
Our office is comprised of three divisions: Field Surveys, GIS Mapping and Hydrology. We have a staff of seven full-time employees in addition to the County Surveyor, E. R. Gray, III, P.L.S. A registered land surveyor, E. R. has been the County Surveyor since 1984. He is active in several organizations including the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors (past President), Indiana County Surveyors Association (past President), and the National Society of Professional Surveyors. He served 8 years on the Indiana State Board of Registration for Land Surveyors.
Staff
Tom R. Finke: Head of Hydrology Division
Cris L. E. West: Administrative Assistant
Ricky L. Sanders: Head of Surveys Division
Gary L. Settle: Field Crew Chief
Jeff L. Lucas: Head of GIS Mapping Division
Greg L. Dibble: Senior Mapper
Nick W. Meyer: GIS Technician
INDIANA CODES RELATING TO OUR OFFICE
IC 36-2, Chapter 12. County Surveyor
IC 36-9, Chapter 27. Drainage Law
STATE GUIDELINES & ETHICS OF LAND SURVEYORS - PDF
TITLE 865 State Board of Registration for Land Surveyors: Article 1. General Provisions
Divisions
Field Surveys Division
The Field Surveys Division of our office constantly monitors construction in or near public right-of-way to prevent obliteration of monuments. This is accomplished in part by attending monthly meetings with public and private utilities, which represent the major component of construction in public rights-of-way, reviewing construction permits for work in a public right-of-way which are issued by the City Engineer’s Office and County Engineer’s Office, examining preliminary construction plans, and checking plats and surveys of new minor and major subdivisions as they are filed with the Columbus/Bartholomew Planning Department.
The obligation of the Surveyor's Office to the people of this county is addressed in Indiana Code, Title 36, Article 2, Chapter 12, Sections 1-15. Here is a brief outline of the responsibilities centered around and within the Bartholomew County Surveyor's Office, Field Surveys Division:
- Perpetuates and maintains section corners [IC 36-2-12-11]
- Maintains files for “legal surveys” in the county [IC 36-2-12-10]
- Provides horizontal base line data to land surveyors
- Prepares surveys of county land at the request of the County Commissioners
- Surveys right-of-way and control lines for new road and bridge construction
- Prepares Administrative Subdivisions of newly acquired county road right-of-way
- Provides plats, topographic surveys and construction stakeout for County Park Board
- Coordinates with the Bartholomew County Prosecutor, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, and the City of Columbus Police Department to determine the location of drug arrest with respect to school grounds
- Checks technical aspects (surveying) of plats filed with the Plan Department; Maintains.
- Prepares surveys of cemeteries at the request of the County Commissioners
GIS Mapping Division
The GIS Mapping Division of our office is responsible for maintaining the County Auditor’s Plat Maps and the Precinct Maps for the Bartholomew County Clerk and Office of Voter Registration. The Division also develops and maintains the computerized Geographic Information System (GIS) that is used as a basis for all county mapping. A variety of special maps are prepared, using the GIS map base, as might be required by other county departments or the general public.
The obligation of the Surveyor's Office to the people of this county is addressed in Indiana Code, Title 36, Article 2, Chapter 12, Sections 1-15. Here is a brief outline of the responsibilities centered around and within the Bartholomew County Surveyor's Office, GIS Mapping Division:
- Maintains the Voter Precinct Maps
- Maintains annexation descriptions and dis-annexation descriptions for each city and town and must certify to the State Election Board the annexations and the census tracts involved
- Maintains the Auditor's Plat Books and handles all technical land surveying issues concerning them
- GIS Mapping Coordinator
Hydrology Division
The Hydrology Division of our office is responsible for the maintenance, construction, and reconstruction of the county’s regulated or legal drains. This division works with and for the Bartholomew County Drainage Board in maintaining these drains. A watershed is determined for each drain and drainage assessments are applied through the offices of the County Auditor and Treasurer.
Drainage Terms
Affected Land - Land within a watershed that is affected by the construction, reconstruction, or maintenance of a regulated drain
Crossing - A drainage structure that passes over, under, or through a location used for the passage of people, livestock, or vehicles
Maintenance - Work on a drain as described in section 34(c) of the Indiana Code for any of the purposes stated in that section
Open Drain - A natural or artificial open channel that carries surplus water and was established under or made subject to any drainage statute
Private Drain - A drain that is located on land owned by one (1) person or by two (2) or more persons jointly and was not established under or made subject to any drainage statute
Reconstruction - Work on a drain as described in section 34(b) of the Indiana Code to correct any of the problems with the drain that are enumerated in that section up to and including the discharge portion of the drain
Regulated Drain - An open drain, a tiled drain, or a combination of the two
Tiled Drain - A tiled channel that carries surplus water; and was established under or made subject to any drainage statute
Watershed - An area of land from which all runoff water drains to a given point or that is affected by a small lake
Drainage Board
General Information
The Drainage Board was formed under Indiana Code 36-9-27 and its subsections are the guidelines that the board follows to carry out its duties. These laws, and others pertaining to this division of our office, can be viewed by following our links on the Links page of our website.
Work performed for the Drainage Board is done through the Hydrology Division of our office. That division is responsible for the maintenance, construction, and reconstruction of the county's regulated or legal drains. A watershed is determined for each drain and drainage assessments are applied through the offices of the County Auditor and Treasurer.
2024 BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY DRAINAGE BOARD MEMBERS
Jeff M. Schroer, Chairman
Jason Engelau, Vice-Chairman
Ronald F. Speaker, Secretary
Jason R. Pence
Carl H. Lienhoop, County Commissioner
E. R. Gray, III, County Surveyor (ex-officio)
Drainage Board Meetings
Regular meetings are held the second Monday of each month in the Commissioners' Chambers, County Governmental Building, 440 Third Street, Columbus, Indiana.
If you have an item to be placed on the Bartholomew County Drainage Board’s Agenda, the request should be submitted to the Surveyor’s Office no later than five working days before the scheduled meeting.
The agenda for an upcoming regular meeting will be posted with the meeting on the county's calendar no later than the Friday prior to the scheduled meeting date and will be removed and replaced for each meeting.
Joint Drainage Boards
Since waterways naturally cross county lines, it is necessary to create drainage boards that are made up more than one county.
Below is the list of drains that cross our county lines.
- Thompson-Schneck Regulated Drain, Jackson County
- Mary Kobbe Regulated Drain, Jackson County
- Mary R. Glanton (Sidney Branch) Regulated Drain, Shelby County
- Kate Ensley Regulated Drain, Shelby County
- Francis Overstreet (Haw Creek), Shelby County
Regulated Drains
The following is a list of all Regulated Drains that are under the jurisdiction of the Bartholomew County Drainage Board.
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Helpful Links
Helpful Links
American Congress on Surveying and Mapping
American Society of Civil Engineers
Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
The Indiana Cave Survey, Inc.
Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Indiana Department of Transportation
Indiana Map
Indiana State Board of Registration for Land Surveyors
Indiana Underground Locate (Holey Moley, Call Before You Dig)
National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS)
The Official Website of the State of Indiana
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
How Do I...
Flood Zone determinations are made by the City/County Planning Department at City Hall. If documentation has been set, a metal detector can help locate the metal pins at property corners. Depending on the accuracy needed on the property line, a private surveyor may need to verify the monument location. Deed and Plats are available in the Recorder's office's office. You will need to call a private land surveyor for this information. The County Surveyor's office only marks county right-of-way lines, we leave the property lines to private land surveyors. Hire a private surveyor to verify the accuracy of the neighbor's survey. You will need to hire a private surveryor, then get a Certified Site Plan, which is required by Building and Zoning in order to construct a building. As a government office, we cannot direct you to any particular company. We recommend that you refer to the yellow pages and look under "Land Surveyors" and go from there. Please fill out the Verification of Business Location form located on the Surveyor's forms page.
