The monument decision controls the filing question
Colorado Revised Statutes 38-51-107 requires a plat when a professional land surveyor accepts certain monuments that are not already of record or sets a monument under the statutory standards. The section includes an exception for accepted monuments within qualifying recorded subdivisions.
This makes the public-record question part of a residential estimate. Under C.R.S. 38-51-107, the surveyor's treatment of monuments can determine whether a plat is required even when the homeowner originally asked only for a fence line.
Colorado counties maintain a survey-plat index
C.R.S. 38-50-101 directs each county to designate the county surveyor or another county official to maintain the survey plat records file and index. Required plats are deposited there within the statutory period and indexed by the applicable land-description system.
Before hiring, search or request records from the county office designated under C.R.S. 38-50-101. For mountain, rural, or older parcels, a prior deposited survey may reveal controlling monuments or conflicts that are not visible in the assessor's parcel viewer.
Ask for the consequence, not just the product name
| Need | Question for the surveyor |
|---|---|
| Fence or building setback | Will the work establish the boundary and mark the exact line needed for construction? |
| Missing or conflicting monument | Will accepting or setting a monument require a plat under section 38-51-107? |
| Rural acreage | Which section, township, range, grant, or prior survey records will be searched? |
| Lot split or adjustment | What local review, plat, and recording steps are outside the field survey? |
Verify the Colorado license
The Colorado architecture, engineering, and land surveying board explains the regulated professions, and the state provides a license lookup. Verify the responsible professional and request a written scope covering monuments, line staking, the final plat, and county deposit.
Find firms in the Colorado land surveyor directory. This is project guidance, not legal advice or a conclusion about a specific boundary.