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Surveyors, commissioners plan joint review of century-old Montrose–Ouray boundary discrepancy
Summary
Surveyors and commissioners discussed a long-running difference between statutory and mapped county lines—about a quarter-mile over ~27 miles—that affects hundreds of properties; officials agreed to convene both counties' surveyors and staff to pursue either an administrative GIS-based fix or a legislative correction rather than multi-year field monumentation.
Montrose County officials heard a detailed briefing on a long-standing boundary discrepancy with neighboring Ouray County and agreed to convene surveyors and planning staff to evaluate administrative and legislative remedies.
The county surveyor told the board the south line of Montrose County and north line of Ouray County have multiple competing descriptions — statutory latitude-based language, PLSS/16th-corner descriptions and various map products — that create a roughly quarter-mile discrepancy over about 27 miles and affect hundreds of properties. "There's, to a certain degree, multiple descriptions of where it is and what it is... and depending upon which description you use... we're talking about a difference between you generally about a quarter mile... it's thousands of acres that it affects," the surveyor said.
Staff and surveyors discussed two principal resolution paths: (1) an in-field survey following BLM survey-manual monumentation (which would likely require crews over multiple summers and can be costly and produce uncertain outcomes when monuments are sparse), and (2) an administrative GIS-led approach that would define a single line built around currently used records and then pursue a legislative amendment to reconcile conflicting statutory descriptions. Several speakers favored the administrative/legislative approach as lower-cost and less disruptive to property owners, provided both counties agree on the chosen line.
Officials also raised practical consequences for property owners and permitting: if a parcel shifts from one county to another, building permits, land-use entitlements and nonconforming uses could change; the group discussed technical remedies such as recording a correction document attached to affected plats to provide notification in title searches instead of requiring costly replats.
The board directed the county surveyor to contact the Ouray County surveyor and coordinate a joint meeting with planning and GIS staff to present options and cost estimates; the surveyor said they would send an email and begin outreach in the next day or two. No formal action or vote was taken.
What's next: the county surveyor will convene counterparts and produce cost estimates for monument installation, potential affiliation with statutory amendment options, and a recommended pathway (administrative/GIS plus legislative fix or field survey).
