Finding the correct boundary line for a fence?

Question

Any civil engineers out there can help out? I have some land which I need to fence. The boundaries are staked about 600 feet apart. I have one section which runs down the side of a slope at an angle. Standing at either stake, I can not see the other stake. And the slope of the land is such that I can not string a line betwen the stakes to get a straight line to use for the fence because it lays on the ground. Is there any way to determine the correct boundary line between the two stakes?

Answer 1

Hire a surveyor.

Answer 2

Call your county surveyor or county engineer's office and have the fenceline surveyed.

Answer 3

Get a straight pole that is tall enough to be placed over one of the stakes, such that the top of the pole can be seen at the other end.  Make sure the pole is plumb (use a level or plumb-line).  Have a friend hold the pole vertically (plumb) at one end, while another friend stands over the other stake.  As you walk between the two friends, the one at the top of the slope can sight the line between the top of the long-straight-pole and you and tell you to move left or right along the line.  Then you can mark out positions for fence posts.

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Answer 4

You did not indicate what equipment you have available or what the tolerance is for your work.  

Lets assume that you can rent a basic builders transit and that you have one other person to help.... Ok..here we go.

1)  Place backsights on both of the corners.

2)  Walk to the top of the slope with your old transit and take a guess at where you think the line is.   Pound a stake or drive a nail and set up your transit.  Site either point and either flip the transit over (so it is facing the other stake) or turn an angle of 180 degrees.  Look thru the transit and see how much you missed the other corner by.

3)  Split the amount of the miss and place another stake at your transit about that far in the opposite direction of the miss.  Thus, if you missed the second point by 4 feet to the right.  Set the new transit stake 2 feet to the left.

4)  Go back to step two and repeat steps two and three until you hit the other stake.  

5)  At that point you now have a new stake on the property line AND you can set more by simply having someone walk along the sight line and drive stakes

6)  Build your fence  (I suggest building it a few inches INSIDE your boundary so that you own BOTH sides of it.

simple eh?   Its called 'wiggling in'

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Answer 5

Assuming you can see a little passed a intermediate point from both ends, you can do it with 3 or 4 people and 2 poles.

See the source page for instructions and diagrams.  Scroll down to Section 2.3.3 Setting out straight lines over a ridge or a hill.

Answer 6

Buy a lazer measurement tools. or you can home make one with a cheap dollar store selling red lazer pointer. It can shoot up to 200 feet at night.it gives a reasonable straight line,then you measure it with a roll of ruler,30 feet ruler sell in dollar store for $1.