County Surveyor
Lewis Mills
Background
The primary duty of the surveyor is that of making land surveys and determining
boundary lines and corners, when ordered to do so by the courts or upon the request of
individual landowners. The 1799 Constitution of Kentucky was the first to mention the
office of surveyor. It provided for the appointment of a surveyor for any county when
needed. The 1850 Constitution called for the election of a surveyor for
each county for a term of four years. The present Constitution also calls
for the election of a surveyor in each county for a term of four years.
Qualifications
To be eligible for the office, a person must be 24 years of age, a citizen of
Kentucky, a resident of the state for two years, and a resident of the county of election for
one year. Before taking office, the county surveyor must give bond
with sureties approved by the fiscal court. The county surveyor must also
file with the county clerk a certificate from a college or from the Circuit judge of his or
her county that the candidate is competent to perform the duties of the county surveyor’s
office
.
A number of statutes describe the powers and duties of surveyors. A county surveyor must perform any business in the civil engineering profession that he or she is
lawfully ordered to do by any court in the county.
The county surveyor may select chairpersons and other necessary assistants to aid in carrying out the orders of the court.
Courts may direct orders of surveys to any person, but in considering an application for the ppointment of some other surveyor for a special work, the courts must give preference to the county surveyor.
The county surveyor must promptly and faithfully execute every order of survey made by any court in the county. The county surveyor must make out and return a true plat (map) and certificate of the survey, accompanied by explanatory notes.