Orange County NC Website
9 <br />EXTRACT FROM <br />NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL STATUTES <br />§ 153A-18. Uncertain or disputed boundary. <br />(a) If two or.more counties are uncertain as to the exact location of the boundary between <br />them, they may cause the boundary to be surveyed, marked, and mapped. The counties may <br />appoint special commissioners to supervise the surveying, marking, and mapping. A <br />commissioner so appointed or a person surveying or marking the bouindary may enter upon <br />private property to view and survey the boundary or to erect boundary markers. Upon ratification <br />of the survey by the board of commissioners of each county, a map showing the surveyed <br />boundary shall be recorded in the office of the register of deeds of each county in the manner <br />provided by law for the recordation of maps or plats and in the Secretary of State's office. The <br />map shall contain a reference to the date of each resolution of ratification and to the page in the <br />minutes of each board of commissioners where the resolution may be found. Upon recordation, <br />the map is conclusive as to the location of the boundary. <br />(b) If two or more counties dispute the exact location of the boundary between them, and the <br />dispute cannot be resolved pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, any of the counties may <br />apply to a superior court judge who has jurisdiction pursuant to G.S. 7A-47.1 or 7A-48 in any of <br />the districts or sets of districts as defined in G.S. 7A-41.1 in which any of the counties is located <br />for appointment of a boundary commission. The application shall identify the disputed boundary <br />and ask that a boundary commission be appointed. Upon receiving the application, the court <br />shall set a date for a hearing on whether to appoint the commission. The court shall cause <br />notice of the hearing to be served on the other county or counties. If, after the hearing, the court <br />finds that the location of the boundary is disputed, it shall appoint a boundary commission. The <br />commission shall consist of one resident of each disputing county and a resident of some other <br />county. The court may appoint one or more surveyors to assist the commission. The <br />commission shall locate, survey, and map and may mark the disputed boundary. To do so it <br />may take evidence and hear testimony, and any commissioner and any person surveying or <br />marking the boundary may enter upon private property to view and survey the boundary or to <br />erect boundary markers. Within 45 days after the day it is appointed, unless this time is <br />extended by the court, the commission shall make its report (which shall include a map of the <br />surveyed boundary) to the court. To be sufficient, the report must be concurred in by a majority <br />of the commissioners. If the court is satisfied that the commissioners have made no error of law, <br />it shall ratify the report, after which the map shall be recorded in the office of the register of <br />deeds of each county in the manner provided by law for the recordation of maps or plats and in <br />the Secretary of State's office. Upon recordation, the map is conclusive as to the location of the <br />boundary. The disputing counties shall divide equally the costs of locating, surveying, marking, <br />and mapping the boundary, unless the court finds that an equal division of the costs would be <br />unjust. In that case the court may determine the division of costs. <br />(c) Two or more counties may establish the boundary between them pursuant to subsection <br />(a), above, bythe use of base maps prepared from orthophotography, which base reaps show <br />the monuments of the United States Geological Survey and` North Carolina State Plane <br />Coordinate System established pursuant to Chapter 102 of the General Statutes. Upon <br />ratification of the location of the boundary determined'from orthophotography by the board of <br />commissioners of each county, the map showing the boundary and the monuments of the <br />United States Geological Survey and North Carolina... State Plane Coordinate System shall be <br />recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of each county and in the Secretary of State's <br />office. The map shall contain a reference to the date of each resolution of ratification and to the <br />page in the minutes of each board of commissioners where the resolution may be found. Upon <br />recordation, the map is conclusive as to the location of the boundary. (1836, c. 3; R.C., c. 27; <br />Code, s. 721; Rev., s. 1322; C.S., s. 1299; 1925, c. 251; 1973, c. 822, s; 1; 1987 (Reg. Sess., <br />1988), c. 1037, s. 121; 1997=299,. s. 1.) <br />