One question we get asked frequently is: Are property surveys public record?
The answer depends on the state. In some states, yes, property surveys are public record and can be accessed by the public at the county clerk and recorder’s office in which the property is located. This is because those states have a Record of Survey law that requires a land surveyor to file the record of a land survey with the county recorder. Unfortunately, Wyoming does not have this law; and therefore, property surveys in Wyoming are not always considered public record.
We use the word “unfortunately” because we find there does end up being some redundancy when we are occasionally asked to re-survey a property that someone else has recently surveyed. In our opinion, if Wyoming did have a Record of Survey Law, it would eliminate some unnecessary duplication of work. Furthermore, any discrepancies in boundaries or positions could be more closely examined in the field if we had the details of the previous survey.
There are some surveys in Wyoming that are public record. The original survey plats for plan of developments, annexation, or subdivision of a property are logged in the county courthouse with the deeds of record. However, any future surveys after that original survey are not public record. Each county has their own system for accessing the publicly available information. For example, you can view all available plats for Campbell County using their CC Atlas Explorer.
Also, any Corner Records relating to the corners of the Public Land Survey System need to be filed with the county clerk in the county in which they are located, per the Wyoming State Statutes, Article 9: The Corner Perpetuation and Filing Act.
33-29-903. Completion of "corner file". A professional land surveyor shall complete, sign, and file with the county clerk where the corner is situated, a written record of corner establishment or restoration to be known as a "corner file" for every public land survey corner and accessory to such corner which is established, reestablished, monumented, remonumented, restored, rehabilitated, perpetuated or used as control in any survey by such surveyor, and within ninety (90) days thereafter, unless the corner and its accessories are substantially as described in an existing corner record filed in accordance with the provisions of W.S. 33-29-901 through 33-29-910.
