The Rhode Island Society of Professional Land Surveyors (RISPLS) is working on behalf of our members and all Rhode Island land surveyors to pass Right of Entry (ROE) legislation.
Rhode Island is one of the few states in the union that does not have a “Surveyor Trespassing Law” or “Right of Entry” statute. A “Right of Entry” statute protects the surveyor from arrest for trespass in the commission of his or her duties. These duties may entail but not be limited to “retracing the steps of the original surveyor”, finding and locating: bounds, iron pipes, iron pins, or other such monumentation used to determine boundary line. Additionally, a Right of Entry statute will ensure that the surveyor has the authority to accumulate all mandatory offsite improvements and natural resources for municipal, state and federal projects.
Boundary Lines and Monuments there to
By the very nature of “a line’ the actual running of a line could constitute a defacto act of trespass. In as much that such activity is in ‘the public good’, land surveyors need protection from charges of trespass that currently do not exist under state statute.
Resource Mapping
By regulation, surveyors are required to locate and certify to the location of structures and resources on adjacent lands when applying for activities, and permits thereto, under the jurisdiction of state and municipal agencies. To wit RIDEM and CRMC.
Please refer to the attached position paper for a detailed examination of the issues and the proposed legislation for review and comment.