Minnesota Statute 505 details everything professional surveyors must know and do in order to create official plats, coordinates and surveys. Coordinates are specifically covered by §505.18–§505.28: ten sections total.
As is usually the case with government literature, these sections’ language is rather dense. Let’s make their purposes a little more accessible to the non-surveyor by breaking their meanings down into simpler English.
Disclaimer: Compass Consultants is not a law firm. We are not attorneys; we are not qualified to give legal advice. No information contained on this website is intended to be construed as legal advice.
505.18 Minnesota Coordinate System
This section begins by naming the system of plane coordinates: the “Minnesota Coordinate System of 1927 and the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1983.”
The section proceeds to divide the state of Minnesota into three Zones: North, Central and South. You may read the counties each Zone contains here, or view the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Zone map here.
505.19 Zones; Land Descriptions
This section states how each Zone must be identified on land descriptions in which it is used. These are:
Minnesota Coordinate System of 1927, North Zone or the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1983, North Zone
Minnesota Coordinate System of 1927, Central Zone or the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1983, Central Zone
Minnesota Coordinate System of 1927, South Zone or the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1983, South Zone
505.20 X- and Y-Coordinates
This section defines how plane coordinate values (which express geographic position of a point on the earth’s surface) are to be written. Coordinate values are to be expressed as two distances:
The x-coordinate (which gives the position in east-and-west direction)
The y-coordinate (which gives the position in north-and-south direction)
Standards for coordinates are identified, including the units they are to be measured in:
When using the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1927, the surveyor must express both distances as U.S. survey feet and decimals of a foot.
When using the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1983, the surveyor must express both distances as either (A) meters and decimals of a meter, or (B) U.S. survey feet and decimals of a foot.
505.21 Reference to Zones
This section is short and to the point. It states that when a tract of land defined by a single description extends from one Zone into another (e.g. North into Central), the positions of all points on its boundaries may be referred to either of the two Zones. Whichever Zone is used must be named in the description.
505.22 Minnesota Coordinate Systems Defined
True to its name, this section defines the North, Central and South Zones of both the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1927 and the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1983. They are unambiguous definitions, yet of little interest to someone who isn’t already familiar with Lambert conformal conic projections.
505.23 Where Coordinates Recorded
This section creates a restriction of sorts. Suppose that a surveyor has created coordinates that are (A) based on the Minnesota Coordinate System, and (B) meant to define the position of a point on a land boundary. If they want said coordinates to be recorded in public land or deed records, then the point must fall within one-half mile of a “horizontal control station” (i.e. a point with a known latitude and longitude that is used to establish coordinate systems and create accurate maps) that was established in conformity with the standards of §505.20. This limitation may be modified by an authorized state agency to meet local conditions.
Essentially, §505.23 states that points on land boundaries cannot be official unless they are established relative to a pre-established point on the map.
505.24 Limitation of Use
This section states that the term “Minnesota Coordinate System of 1927, North, Central, or South Zone or Minnesota Coordinate System of 1983, North, Central, or South Zone” cannot appear on official documents unless it specifically utilizes the Minnesota Coordinate System.
505.25 When Use of Coordinates Supplemental
Surveyors often reference U.S. public land surveys when they describe tracts of land using the Minnesota Coordinate System. Essentially, this section defines surveyors’ tract descriptions as supplemental to U.S. public land surveys. It further states that when a description contradicts a U.S. public land survey, the latter document prevails as official record.
505.26 Description Not Exclusive
This section states that nothing in §505.18–§505.26 requires a purchaser or mortgagee to rely on a description when any part of it depends exclusively upon the Minnesota Coordinate System.
505.27 [Repealed]
This section was renumbered to 505.173 and repealed.
505.28 Last Use of 1927 Coordinate System
This section prohibits use of the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1927 after December 31st, 1992. In effect, the Minnesota Coordinate System of 1983 is the only system surveyors currently use.
If you made it this far, then you have already gathered that the Minnesota Coordinate System is thoroughly complex and strictly governed. You may attempt to measure coordinates by yourself – but if you intend for those coordinates to have any legal value, you will be quite lost. Only a professional surveyor is qualified to follow §505.18–§505.28 to the letter.
Are you planning a new development, and want to ensure its coordinates are just as accurate as they are legally recordable? Then we encourage you to contact Compass Consultants today for expert surveying in Minnesota, North Dakota or South Dakota!