Surveying & Engineering

Surveyor /Engineering/Civil Technology

This division of the Department of Public Works plans, designs and administers the construction of streets, sanitary sewers, water mains, storm sewers, and sidewalks throughout the City.  The Department also assists the public with inquiries regarding street grades and locations for various utilities.  They are also responsible for the maintenance and update of many of the city maps and records. Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Total Stations/Data Collectors this department can more efficiently map and locate the existing utilities as well as data acquisition for construction projects.

Surveying Services And Functions

1. Right of way locations
2. Maintain City elevation benchmarks
3. Maintain PLSS section corners with in the City
4. Prepare Certified Survey Maps as needed for monumentation of properties and industrial park lot creation owned by the City
5. Topographic mapping for sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water main, curb and gutter, and street reconstruction projects
6. Capture of feature locations for utility and other mapping using GPS equipment
7. Corresponds with Federal, State and Local governments.

Property Line Location/Property Surveys

The City of Antigo does not assist home owners in locating property irons, surveying private property, or locating property lines between private properties. A property corner or iron can ONLY be determined or verified by a survey. The City recommends property owners consider retaining the services of a private land surveyor if property corners or property lines must be accurately determined. Also, legal advice regarding property ownership and land disputes should be referred to your attorney.

Typically Certified Surveys completed by a private land surveyor are filed with the Langlade County Register of Deeds Office. Maps of Survey are typically filed with the Langlade County Surveyor’s Office.  Property owners can contact each office to determine if their property may have been surveyed and filed in the past.

Right-Of-Way

The City will assist property owners in identifying the location of public right-of-way. The right-of-way of most City streets is 66 feet. Some are narrower, and some are significantly wider. Property owners are often surprised to learn the right-of-way actually extends several feet into what they perceive is their yard, particularly in areas where there is no public sidewalk. Knowing the correct location of the right-of-way may be very important for such things as landscaping, building projects, installing a new driveway, or erecting a fence.

If residents need to know where their property line is located (other than locating the right-of-way which the City will do) they should hire a Registered Land Surveyor and have a survey completed. 

The back of sidewalk is not always on the right-of-way. We have sidewalks in the City that are not near the right-of-way. The back of walk should never be used as the sole location of the right-of-way.

GIS or even the original plat or deed dimensions are not always correct. In fact, these dimensions in most cases are never correct. If it’s a platted lot, the entire block needs to be measured and the lot dimensions prorated for long or short blocks. If it’s a deed, the adjoining deeds need to be looked at for gaps/overlaps and junior/senior rights.

Original, undisturbed plat corners are always correct. The back of walk should never be used for right-of-way location without first checking for original property corners.

The back of walk is only used for right-of-way location as a last resort. If no usable monuments are found within the block or the adjoining block, only then should the street improvements (sidewalks) be used to locate the right-of-way. In these cases, the right-of-way would be centered on the improvements, which again would mean that if the sidewalks where too close or too far apart, neither sidewalk would be exactly on the right-of-way.

When can I obtain a permit?

The Building Inspector is generally in the office from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to issue permits and answer your questions. The remainder of the work day, they are conducting on-site inspections, meetings, etc. If these times are not convenient for you, please contact our office at 715.623.3633 x 154 and we will arrange a meeting time for you. Please be aware that proper credentials will be needed at the time of application for any permit.