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There is a main gas line easement on the edge of our land, but the gas company is concerned about where the garden is. Would the line be marked well enough on a county map to say where the easement is?

user
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    That entirely depends on the county, and isn't really a GIS issue, per se. If you're gardening over utility resources, you probably want to talk with Miss Utility to get the ground marked (says the guy who cut a natural gas line while removing a 4-foot concrete footer for a rusting laundry line support pole). – Vince May 08 '19 at 19:51
  • we don't have any of those problems in the top foot, so it doesn't matter to me what happens. if the utility company has a problem maybe they should put in permanent markings. – user May 08 '19 at 20:02
  • My wife digs her beds 3-4 feet deep. If you hit a utility line with a power tool there could be significant costs (and risk to life and limb). – Vince May 08 '19 at 20:04
  • i'm a no tiller – user May 08 '19 at 20:05
  • This question is to general it depends on local Government rules and regulations. – Mapperz May 09 '19 at 01:10
  • Assuming you are in the US, the easement is your problem, not the utility's, no matter how you may feel about that. The easement should have been disclosed when you bought the property. It is your responsibility not to interfere with the pipeline. Furthermore, if the utility has to dig up the pipeline, in general they are not responsible for any damage to your garden or structures you build within the easement. That's what an easement means. As a pragmatic matter, you can call 811 (again, in the US) to have the pipeline location marked so you can plan your garden to avoid the pipeline itself – Llaves May 09 '19 at 03:14
  • building does not mean the same thing as growing, when god grows something that you place in the vicinity it's up to god, not you when he makes it grow well :D Calling 811 is not required if the pipeline is buried 6' down. like the major lines are. 2 years ago during road construction they broke the line with heavy equipment, and I wasn't allowed to return home as they thought I was crossing the pipeline break (when I drove 10 miles out of the way to get home), so this sounds like a double standard, and they can be found at fault, and get sued if they want such a double standard. – user May 09 '19 at 03:44

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If there's a record of survey or possibly on the deed, they might show the easement. A "GIS" or tax assessor's map is unlikely to accurately show the easement.

A title company might be able to find easement information, but I've heard of plenty of cases where the easement description is not precise enough to accurately locate its position. Then the utility builds somewhere within their easement...hopefully. It's unlikely to be centered within the easement although as time passes, sometimes the easement will recenter itself on the installed lines.

mkennedy
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