Cadastral Surveys for Certificate of Title up to 99 years
The primary purpose of a cadastral survey is to determine for each land parcel its location, the extent of its boundaries and surface area and to indicate its separate identity both graphically on a map and physically on the ground.
The cadastral survey procedure starts with a request from a member of the public. A site or layout plan is prepared by a Planning Authority and is endorsed by the Council to ensure that the land in question falls within the confines of that local authority. Once the plan has been endorsed by the Council, 8 copies of this site plan is sent to the Commissioner of Lands for scrutiny and to check on the availability of that land. At this stage the Commissioner of Lands , through the Folios Section, checks on possible encroachments. If no encroachments are discovered, the Commissioner of Lands will request the Surveyor- General to number the property. On receipt of the site plans, the Surveyor- General further scrutinizes the site plan and if found correct, the parcel of land is numbered and instructions are issued to a Regional Survey office to survey the respective parcel . In the event that the Head Quarters or Regional Office cannot conduct the survey, the Surveyor- General also authorizes the applicant to engage a private licensed land surveyor to execute the survey. A list of registered surveyors authorized to conduct surveys is available at the Ministry of Lands.
The Regional Survey Office or the private surveyor will carryout the cadastral survey which involves measurements of angles and distances from known control points using basic methods of land surveying. Once the survey is completed, the survey is lodged with the Surveyor - General Office for examination purposes. Examination entails a comprehensive re-calculation or checking of all field abstracts, computations and draft plans. The examiner corrects minor errors, while major errors or omissions are referred back to the Surveyor for field corrections. If found to be correct, the survey is approved by a Government Surveyor and thereafter general plans and survey diagrams are framed and approved by the Surveyor-General's office. After approval, the survey records become the property of the Government and are available to the public for reference at a fee which is subject to review from time to time. The approved diagrams are then released to the client or to the Commissioner of Lands who will use the diagram to draw up a lease in favour of the applicant.
Sketch Plan For 14-Year Lease
Sketch Plans are usually obtained for land located in customary areas. The client approaches the Chief to request for a piece of land. A person preferably with land use planning skills prepares a plan of the area and the chief endorses and approves this site plan. After endorsement of the plan by the Chief, the plan is sent to the planning authority for endorsement and approval. Once approved, the sketch plan for the proposed area is drawn from various maps by the Surveyor-General and approved by a Government Surveyor. The sketch plan is utilized by the Commissioner of Lands for preparation of a 14-year lease.