St. Mary's GIS

sm8

Active Member
It seems as though there are a couple people on here that are pretty familiar with the planning and zoning aspects of the area. Do any of you guys know how accurate this map is?

We have a fence up and left it 10 feet from our property line to prevent future issues and to allow access to other side of it for maintenance reasons. We had a flower bed on the other side of the fence that extended to the property line.

Our newest neighbor (we have had several since living here) has been pushing the property line in both directions. I am friends with the property owner on the other side and they are having the same problem. Everything has been civil and friendly so far and I hope for it to stay that way but I am starting to feel if something is not said he will eventually think he owns my whole house. He ripped out my flower beds to level out his driveway so now there is a 2-3 foot drop along the fence and it has made the fence loose and wobbly and part of it just about to fall down. It was not the end of the world because the people who lived there before dropped a tree on it and it was in pretty rough shape but still function able. We replaced the fence and now he blacktopped all the way up to the fence as his driveway.

According to the map it has the property line even closer to his house and puts almost his whole drive way on our property. I am so tempted to print out a copy and mail it to him with no return address but I am not sure how accurate they are.
 
Plant stakes with red ribbon along the correct property line, and if asked, casually mention that you're planning on putting in a 12' brick wall.
 

Midnightrider

Well-Known Member
It seems as though there are a couple people on here that are pretty familiar with the planning and zoning aspects of the area. Do any of you guys know how accurate this map is?

We have a fence up and left it 10 feet from our property line to prevent future issues and to allow access to other side of it for maintenance reasons. We had a flower bed on the other side of the fence that extended to the property line.

Our newest neighbor (we have had several since living here) has been pushing the property line in both directions. I am friends with the property owner on the other side and they are having the same problem. Everything has been civil and friendly so far and I hope for it to stay that way but I am starting to feel if something is not said he will eventually think he owns my whole house. He ripped out my flower beds to level out his driveway so now there is a 2-3 foot drop along the fence and it has made the fence loose and wobbly and part of it just about to fall down. It was not the end of the world because the people who lived there before dropped a tree on it and it was in pretty rough shape but still function able. We replaced the fence and now he blacktopped all the way up to the fence as his driveway.

According to the map it has the property line even closer to his house and puts almost his whole drive way on our property. I am so tempted to print out a copy and mail it to him with no return address but I am not sure how accurate they are.
I don't know what you would gain by mailing him anonymously, but if you are sure it is your property you can just start parking on your new driveway. :shrug:
 

General Lee

Well-Known Member
I don't mean this to be rude.....But how can you go about and let him "think" that your property is his? For Christ sake stand up for yourselves and tell him its not his and wave the plot papers in his face if he doesn't believe you. Now you let him pave over your property so now you have an issue on your hands.

There is something on the books that claim if property lines aren't maintained (like on other sides of a fence) the people who own the property can claim it as theirs after a certain period of time.
 

Ken King

A little rusty but not crusty
PREMO Member
The http://www.stmarysmd.com/gis/ has this disclaimer - "GIS data is provided 'as is'. The maps and data provided are provided for illustration purposes only, and are not suitable for site-specific decision making."

I would call planning and zoning and ask why they approved your neighbor to put an asphalt driveway on portions of your property. Do you have a survey handy for your property?
 

Pete

Repete
Like Ken said you should get a survey and enforce your property rights. There is a statute in all states for "Adverse possession" or some call it "prescription", meaning if they use your land openly and you do not object and force them to stop they own the property after x years of use in plain view. In Maryland I believe it is 7 years.
 

sm8

Active Member
The http://www.stmarysmd.com/gis/ has this disclaimer - "GIS data is provided 'as is'. The maps and data provided are provided for illustration purposes only, and are not suitable for site-specific decision making."

I would call planning and zoning and ask why they approved your neighbor to put an asphalt driveway on portions of your property. Do you have a survey handy for your property?


I do not believe he got a permit either time. There at least was not one posted any where for the paving done today.
 
I do not believe he got a permit either time. There at least was not one posted any where for the paving done today.

The other guys are right. Contact Zoning/Planning and figure out the real property line, then file a formal protest with Z/P regarding the lack of permit for mods on your property.

Pete, I was also under the impression that adverse possession was 7 years.
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Wow and my mom gets mad at her neighbor that keeps mowing closer and closer to her house. A couple summers ago I found the lot stakes (rebar hammered into the corners of the lot) and put up surveying tape for about a week and told the neighbor I was thinking of putting in a fence for her. The mowing over in her yard stopped.
 

Ken King

A little rusty but not crusty
PREMO Member
Like Ken said you should get a survey and enforce your property rights. There is a statute in all states for "Adverse possession" or some call it "prescription", meaning if they use your land openly and you do not object and force them to stop they own the property after x years of use in plain view. In Maryland I believe it is 7 years.

The other guys are right. Contact Zoning/Planning and figure out the real property line, then file a formal protest with Z/P regarding the lack of permit for mods on your property.

Pete, I was also under the impression that adverse possession was 7 years.
Pretty sure Adverse Possession is 20 years.
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Is there any chance that your neighbors thought those flower beds belonged to them? If I moved into a house with a fence in the yard I would assume that my side of the fence was mine.

My neighbors and I consider the fences to be the property lines, but they are either on on damn close to the actual lines.
 

sm8

Active Member
I just did not want to go all self righteous freaking out about him encroaching on my property if I were not certain of the exact lines. I guess I will have to get an estimate on surveyors.
 

DoWhat

Deplorable
PREMO Member
I just did not want to go all self righteous freaking out about him encroaching on my property if I were not certain of the exact lines. I guess I will have to get an estimate on surveyors.

They ain't cheap.
Good luck.
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
A lot of places have metal stakes driven into the ground at the corners of the lot. They are often covered with grass and such, but if you have a rough idea they usually arent that hard to find.
 

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
Get a cheap metal detector from Radio Shack (rentals available anywhere?) Less than $50.00 takes a 9V battery.#easybutton
 

sm8

Active Member
Is there any chance that your neighbors thought those flower beds belonged to them? If I moved into a house with a fence in the yard I would assume that my side of the fence was mine.

My neighbors and I consider the fences to be the property lines, but they are either on on damn close to the actual lines.

I know he saw the kids working in the flower beds and me taking the kids spring pictures in it before he ripped it out. It really was not the end of the world because that is all I really enjoyed it for (Easter/Spring pics) but I guess it is possible he thought they were on his property. I guess the shock factor is if I moved somewhere I would of asked or tried to fit in with how the flow of the neighborhood was. Not just bust in doing my own thing.

After he had a little altercation with the other neighbor over the property line I did casually mention that the property lines are parallel to each other and roughly 70 feet apart 6 foot on my side and 20 foot on her side of the house. They are not exactly the type people you hang out with and have a conversation. They were originally going to extend only in front of their house until my husband mentioned they might not want to pave over their septic. I think that is the most he has said to them since they moved in But he should of just kept his mouth shut.
 
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