Determining land ownership

[+xipotec]

I see a bunch or caches placed along the "edge" of private property, like malls shopping centers etc etc. How are people determining private lands from public lands? It there a guide that explains some general property ownership laws/rules? How can you tell who owns the woods behind a shopping center or along a park?

[+Buzzy204]

Your country tax assessor has that information and a lot of them have it online.

[+Buzzy204]

Plus they will have an address that you can write to requesting permission to place a cache on the land.

[+xipotec]

Thx we have it online

[+sasqwatches]

you can always see if the county you are in has a GIS (mapping) website and look it up that way which has the ability to access tax records owners name and addy also you can pull right of ways, and lot sizes from them as well

[+Mn-treker]

That being said, all parking lots are private property. Side walks in the city are as well.

In Minneapolis a geocacher almost got busted by US Marshals. Cache placed in sign on side walk,

US Marshal came out to confront. He said this is federal property, federal building. Cache soon dissapeared, then was archived. In the city side walks belong to building owner. The public is allowed to use them and owner

Must keep clean and maintained at building owners expense. For sidewalks in front of homes is the same thing. Home owner owns all the way to the curb. If does not maintain side walk then city does

It and bills property owner. Put a cache in a tree on boulevard and you might be tress passing.

[+xipotec]

That being said, all parking lots are private property. Side walks in the city are as well.

In Minneapolis a geocacher almost got busted by US Marshals. Cache placed in sign on side walk,

US Marshal came out to confront. He said this is federal property, federal building. Cache soon dissapeared, then was archived. In the city side walks belong to building owner. The public is allowed to use them and owner

Must keep clean and maintained at building owners expense. For sidewalks in front of homes is the same thing. Home owner owns all the way to the curb. If does not maintain side walk then city does

It and bills property owner. Put a cache in a tree on boulevard and you might be tress passing.

Yes I am seeing a similar problem. If you follow the guidelines to the letter, many spaces are off limits. Yet I find caches in these "restricted" places all the time?

 

What is the definition of right of way? On out tax explorer, may areas are simply not listed at all. No tax records? I think not!

So its still a bit of a guessing game as far as I can tell.

[+Mn-treker]

Sometimes you might need to check with local laws. I own the land under the road in front of my property, on bothsides of the road also.

I own the land in the so called right of way. The township owns the right of way for a road and utilities (phone and power only).

Snowmobile and ATV not allowed in that right of way, also not open to the general public. Geocache would be prohibited there, I would not allow it.

My neighbors would be up in arms about strangers in the area. Bieng that county cops are the only cops that would come You could imaagine what the neighbors would come armed with.

Different right of ways have different laws, so check before you do any thing.

[+sasqwatches]

right away and the laws that pertain to them are different in different states as well and that is where the GIS site are helpful it shows right aways so you can determine where they are and how wide they are

Edited March 23, 2013 by the sasqwatches

[+Mn-treker]

Yes the GIS maps a good but beware mistakes abound. Also even the disclaimers say aproximate on the drawn boundries.

I have found that three years ago my county GIS maps were ok and boundries drawn good. But now not so good,(wed site remade) even my property

line on the north was moved on the map 60 to 80 feet into my north neighbors property. Good thing that I know where my lines are.

As far as right of ways go city, county, state, and township right of ways differ as to whats allowed in them.

They may also differ from state to state. So while you check your GIS maps check your laws also.

Some counties may not have the GIS system, I have found a few that don't. In this case a county plat map is a good source.

It will show property boundries, but this is also somewhat ify due to possible out of date. But you can always check with county offices

as to ownership.

[+xipotec]

I guess what I am saying is there are a awful lot of caches in very questionable areas around me, and I find it very hard to believe all those folks got persmission first ,checked a GIS, checked all local laws . etc etc. I know I asked the question of the land manager for our country parks, and he said NO CACHES....to bad because their are already dozens of them in each park!

 

I also asked if it was an "official policy", and they said "No". So once again, I found a person so willing to say "no" without anything to back up what they were saying, just like everything in life!