The SCGS is looking for firms that have the applicable knowledge and resources to re-establish county boundaries in South Carolina. The intent is to award contracts to up to three (3) qualified firms licensed to work in South Carolina, or firms with offices in South Carolina.
South Carolina has approximately 1250 miles of county boundaries that are poorly monumented or unmonumented. Little, if any, maintenance has been done on these boundaries since the original surveys in the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s. Firms contracted by the SCGS to re-establish a county boundary will conduct historical and legal research to identify relevant physical evidence and land-record evidence that can be used to re-establish the boundary as defined in the South Carolina Code of Laws. Sources for historical research will include, but are not limited to, county Clerk of Court(s) or Register of Deeds offices, county Assessor offices, the SC Department of Archives & History, libraries, museums, colleges and universities, and historical societies. This research is necessary to find documentation to support the surveyor’s determination of the re-established location of a county boundary. Evidence may include, but is not limited to, deeds, plats, historic maps, newspaper articles, historic aerial photography, genealogical research and history books.
Documentation of historical research, public records and any other applicable source will be required. Field verification of the recorded historical deeds and registered surveys, as SCGS deems necessary, will be required.
All work shall be directly supervised by a professional land surveyor licensed to practice in South Carolina.
Field work shall be performed using GPS and conventional surveying techniques to establish geographic positions for boundary points and for other evidence that has been determined by research to help prove the location of the statute county boundary. Surveys must be tied to the South Carolina State Plane Coordinate System.
A professional image and relationship must be maintained with all property owners. Property owner rights must be honored at all times.
Data obtained though research and/or field work shall be provided to the SCGS in CAD format (.dwg or .dxf) or in a form that can be entered into a GIS by the SCGS. Data collector RAW or JOB files and field notes will be supplied if requested by SCGS.
The Professional Land Surveyor in charge of the project shall sign and seal paper copies of the survey. The paper copies will be formatted as is acceptable for recordation in the counties for which work is completed.