Title 13, Chapter 40 of the New Jersey Administrative Code outlines general minimum standards for all land surveys performed by professional licensed surveyors within the State of New Jersey.

The contract process for Green Acres requires survey contractors to first be pre-qualified with Treasury’s Division of Property Management and Construction (DPMC) and then evaluated by Green Acres on a technical basis for the more specialized work associated with Green Acres’ needs.

Green Acres awards two–year contracts, with openings advertised on DPMC’s website inviting pre-qualified firms to submit technical proposals. Survey firms may find that DPMC pre–qualification also allows them to secure awards from other agencies and organizations; familiarity with Green Acres survey standards is a prerequisite for future Green Acres State Land Acquisition survey service contracts.

The full “Scope of Survey Services” document is available under Standard Scope of Survey Work page of this website. For surveys for State land acquisitions, refer to Sample Forms 5A (Legend of Acquisition), 6A (Surveyor’s Certification and Summary Form), and 7A (Checklist) from Section 10 of the Scope of Survey Services.

“Appendix 2” of the rule published in the New Jersey Register on January 3, 2006 is a summary of survey requirements for local government units and nonprofit organizations. (PDF file, 64 KB) Note: The full rule adoption revising NJAC 7:36 regarding Green Acres programs can be found at 38 NJR 223. Also, remember that Green Acres is one of the Ultimate Users of any survey for a project in which Green Acres participates.

The full Standard Scope of Survey Work contains details applicable to all submissions to Green Acres. For surveys for nonprofit or local unit land acquisitions, refer to Sample Forms 5B (Legend of Acquisition), 6B (Surveyor’s Certification and Summary Form), and 7B (Checklist) from Section 10 of the Scope of Survey Services.

Properties that are encumbered by open space requirements through Green Acres must be kept free of any violations of that requirement. When a violation does occur, this is considered a diversion, and is subject to actions by the State House Commission. Diversions can result in requirements for set asides of additional land for open space purposes in a ratio possibly as high as 20 to 1. Diversions include, but are not limited to, building construction, road widening, sale or use of land for non–open space purposes, etc.

In preparing survey documents for a diversion, there are two elements to be considered: the diverted land and the remainder. The survey requirements may differ for each of these portions of the original tract.

For the diverted land, Green Acres requires a survey plan (tied to the State Plane Coordinate System) and a matching deed description (adhering to standard Green Acres format for descriptions). The new limits of the State’s interests are to be marked on the ground with concrete monuments. The acreage of the diverted land and the acreage of the remaining lands both must be reported on the plan and in the description. If the diverted lands are part of a larger tract, it may not be necessary to survey the entire tract, but just the diversion itself, as long as the plan identifies where the diversion occurs and that diversion is tied to the State Plane Coordinate System. For large tracts from which there is only a small diversion, a deed plot or a plot of the overall site that was the subject of a prior survey may be adequate.

The survey of lands replacing the diverted lands must follow the full scope of requirements as if acquired with Green Acres funds. The full scope of work for land surveying services is posted on this site under Standard Scope of Survey Work.

• State House Commission review sheet and diversion form

Partnerships between Green Acres and various other entities can help to secure the acquisition of properties that might otherwise be out of financial reach of any single group or agency. In those instances, each funding partner has a share in the ownership of the acquired lands, reflected in the contract for purchase and the final deed. To assist with preparation of final survey and acquisition documents, the surveyor may be provided with the following summary form, providing information about the separate fractional interests of the partners, separate project numbers for each partner, and responsibilities for ultimate management of the property. This is not a certification form, but a document meant to assist the surveyor in preparing final deliverables.

• Instructions to Surveyor Preparing Acquisition Documents
• Instructions to Surveyor Preparing Acquisition Documents