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Staff recommends raising certified‑survey threshold; committee to review PLATSA survey work instructions
Summary
Richland County staff told the committee they will research legal and procedural steps before proposing an ordinance change that would require certified survey maps for more parcels, and discussed raising the current 10‑acre CSM threshold to roughly 35 acres in some zones.
Zoning and land-records staff described concerns about how unreviewed plat-of-survey filings (PLATSA) affect parcel acres and legal descriptions and recommended further work before making an ordinance change. Staff proposed raising the threshold that requires a certified survey map (CSM) from 10 acres to a higher level (staff discussed 35 acres as a target for ag-forest/ag-residential categories) so that more divisions receive a certified review and accurate legal descriptions.
Julie, the county land-records staff, said she has been meeting with regional GIS and survey technicians and developing work instructions for how to handle PLATSA surveys and potential acreage changes, but that legal questions remain and she wants more time for research before presenting a formal ordinance amendment. "I want to make sure that we are in the best light before I bring it here, and we make it a work instruction," she said.
Staff and committee members discussed comparisons with neighboring counties: some counties use 35–40 acres or higher thresholds for requiring certified surveys; Columbia County was discussed as using a threshold up to 80 acres in some categories. Committee members noted that raising the CSM threshold would reduce mapping errors and ghost parcels but could create a bottleneck and higher cost for property owners because certified surveys require licensed surveyors; staff and a county surveyor warned there are fewer local surveyors and capacity constraints could slow transactions.
The committee did not vote on an ordinance amendment but asked staff to continue research, develop formal work instructions for handling PLATSA filings and return with recommendations at the next meeting in August. The committee also discussed whether the CSM requirement should focus on agricultural-forest/residential zoning where smaller parcels are more likely to convert to residential use.
