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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Where is the Surveyor's Office located?

A: The Surveyor's Office is located on the 2nd floor of the Madison County Government Center (16 East 9th Street, Anderson, IN  46013).

 

Q: What are the business hours of the Surveyor's Office?

A: The Surveyor's Office is open 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, excluding Holidays. (see "Government Center" for a complete list of Holidays closings.

 

Q: What is a regulated drain?

A: A regulated drain is a drain that was either approved (adopted) by the courts prior to January 1, 1966 or adopted by the Drainage Board after December 31, 1965.  A regulated drain may be an agricultural drain, an urban storm sewer, or an open drain.  Regulated drains are commonly referred to as "court drains", "legal drains", or "county drains".

 

Q: Who are the Drainage Board?

A: The Madison County Drainage Board is made up of 7 members:  1 Commissioner, 4 Madison County residents, the County Surveyor, and an attorney.  The County Surveyor and the attorney are non-voting members of the Drainage Board.

 

Q: When and where does the Drainage Board meet?

A: The Madison County Drainage Board meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month at 9:00 A.M. in the Commissioner's Court, which is located on the first floor of the Madison County Government Center.

 

Q: How can I get a hole fixed on a tile drain?

A: If the tile drain is a regulated drain and on a maintenance program, you may call or visit the Madison County Surveyor's Office and file a drainage complaint.

 

Q: Why do I pay an assessment and how is that money spent?

A: Regulated drain assessments are collected and placed into specific individual regulated drain accounts for the purpose of maintaining the regulated drain.  Maintenance of regulated drains include replacing collapsed tile, removing blockages from tile or open ditches, and bank stabilization.

 

Q: Why do I pay a drainage assessment when the drain is not located on my property?

A: Even though the regulated drain may not physically run through your property, your property is within the regulated drain watershed and is benefited by the drain.

 

Q: Who determines who pays and how much?

A: Regulated drain assessments are determined by the Drainage Board at public hearings.  Part of this process includes notifying each property owner affected a notice of the public hearing.

 

Q: Does the assessment go to the general fund?

A: No.  Regulated drain assessments go to a separate account for each individual regulated drain.  Therefore, assessments collected for a particular drain can only be spent on that drain.

 

Q: What is the difference between an assessment and a tax?

A: An assessment is paid only by the property owners who benefit from said assessment.

 

Q: Is my property in a flood zone?

A: The Madison County Surveyor's Office does not make Flood Zone determinations.  Contact the Madison County Planning Commission about procedures regarding Flood Zone determination.  Also, you may visit FEMA's (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Web Site for additional information.

 

Q: Can I get my property surveyed?

A: No.  The Surveyor's Office does not survey personal property.  The office responsibility is maintaining section corners and maintaining regulated drains.

 

Q: Does your office have a copy of a survey for my property?

A: No.  The Surveyor's Office does not keep copies of property surveys.  However, Indiana State Statute currently requires surveys to be recorded.  You may be able to acquire a copy of your survey by visiting the Recorder's Office.  You may also acquire a copy of your survey by contacting the private surveyor that prepared your survey.

 

Q: Can you recommend a private surveyor to use?

A: No.  As a government office, we cannot direct you to any particular company.  We recommend that you consult the yellow pages and under "Land Surveyors", and that you call more than one.  You may also visit the Surveyor's Office "Private Survey Companies" page on this Web site.  If you are a local surveyor and would like your company added to this list, please contact the Madison County Surveyor's Office.

 

Q: What are "Section Corners?"

A: Section corners were created when the government originally surveyed Indiana into "mile square" parcels.  Section corners refer to the four (4) corners of the "mile square" parcel.  The intermediate half-mile corners are referred to as "quarter corners" because they divide the section into quarters.  These corners are usually found near the centerline of roads.  Section corners are marked by monuments set under the direction of a licensed surveyor.

 

Q: Where can I get a county map?

A: You may download a county map on this site by visiting the "Madison County Maps" page, or you may acquire a copy by visiting the Madison County Surveyor's Office or the Madison County Council of Governments Office.

 

Q: Where do I find maps of regulated drains?

A: Regulated drain maps are on file in the Surveyor's Office.

 

Q: I have a tile that connects to a regulated drain. Does that mean that maintaining this tile is the county's responsibility?

A: No.  The county is responsible for the regulated drain only.  Any private tile connecting to a regulated drain tile is the responsibility of the land owner.

 

Q: What are benchmarks?

A: Benchmarks in land surveying usually refer to a monument containing an elevation relative to sea level.  The County Surveyor's Office tries to maintain and perpetuate these for use by the development community, floodplain determinations, and stormwater management.

 

Q: What is a legal survey?

A: A legal survey is a process by a landowner to establish the location of the line between the his/her property and that of an adjoining landowner.  This usually occurs when a discrepancy exists in title descriptions or poor boundary monumentation.