Website now features records of surveys

County Auditor’s website now features records of surveys

Jefferson- County Auditor David Thomas always gets a little excited when he speaks about technology in the Ashtabula County Auditor’s Office and with good reason. Improvements made recently to the Auditor’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS), allow residents to view more information about their property. Including now, records of survey. You can now find the new map application featured on the Ashtabula County GIS Hub (ATB-HUB) called “Engineers Survey Search”

 “The new survey tool will save people time and money so it is a really awesome thing to provide for our taxpayers”, explained Auditor David Thomas.

Caroline Petersen, GIS Coordinator, created the new application with the assistance of the Engineers office. Petersen shares, “the staff at the Engineers Office are a pleasure to work with, this tool couldn’t happen without them.”

Many property owners have questions about their property lines. Previously, individuals would need to come to the County Courthouse, visit the Recorder’s office for a copy of record and then stop at the Engineers office to speak with the tax map draftsman.

“We thought there had to be an easier way, and thankfully Caroline in our GIS Department added the new feature to the Ashtabula County GIS Hub on the Auditor’s website,” said Auditor Thomas. “We need a Map!” exclaimed Petersen.

There are many reasons one may need a survey, verifying acreage, checking for encroachments, changes which have occurred in preparation for sale or for new development on properties. Surveys provide the most accurate property line descriptions with the Auditor’s GIS map with parcel lines being within 10 feet of accuracy according to Thomas’ Office.

 “Often, people think there’s a survey required every other transfer or every third transfer rule but that’s not the case,” stated Auditor Thomas. “Surveys must meet the Ohio Survey Standards and Ashtabula County Conveyance Standards but if not, they will get a stamp marked Survey Required Next Transfer.”  

Roughly 75% of residential properties in Ashtabula County can view their survey on record through the ATB-GIS Hub with the ability to download and print the document. Residents just need to visit the Auditor’s site at auditor.ashtabulacounty.us and click GIS Hub to view the map of properties with surveys available to view. Or visit here: https://gis-ashtabulacounty.opendata.arcgis.com/

Petersen created the ATB-GIS Hub in early 2022 as a means to organize many data offerings by the Auditor’s Office GIS Department. “This has always been the plan,” Petersen said. “Create one location for all mapping and data needs steered toward the growth and development of our County. You will find resources created by the County but also links to other GIS sources like FEMA, USGS and more.”

The GIS Data Hub features other tools in addition to the new survey feature including recent sales, historical images, mail label printing, the Ashtabula County Comprehensive Plan map, and other helpful features.

“The biggest thing I recommend is just to spend some time on our site and see what all you can learn and do,” shared Auditor Thomas. “There’s a ton of useful information that can be helpful to just about anyone. And if you don’t see it, we may be able to add it!”