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LOCAL AGENCY FORMATION COMMISSION FOR SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS Effective November 1, 2005 The following map and legal description standards are set forth by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) for San Bernardino County. This document includes the basic standards by the State Board of Equalization (SBE) for filing of legal descriptions and maps (shown in italics) as well as those additional items required by LAFCO. Please contact the LAFCO office at (909) 383- 9900 or email: [EMAIL REDACTED] with any questions on these standards prior to the preparation of the documents in order to lessen the need for future modifications. Existing LAFCO policy requires that all proposal boundaries that use a street or a road as a boundary shall establish that boundary along the centerline of the street/road. LEGAL DESCRIPTION STANDARDS Submission Requirements: The written geographic descriptions shall be a document separate from any maps. Provide ten (10) copies of the legal description. The legal description shall be on letter size (8 ½” x 11”) paper. The legal description shall contain the following information within its title: the LAFCO Number and complete title of the proposal (leave the LAFCO number blank when initially submitting the application); the title should include the name of the City or District and the proposal name or number. Example 1: LAFCO City of San Bernardino Annexation No. XX ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 Example 2: LAFCO Annexation to the San Bernardino Water District (Barton Heights Annexation) • A preamble or caption providing a general description of the area in which the proposal is located. In all cases, it should include: o “…in the County of State of California, described as follows:” o Example: Those parcels of land located in the Northeast Quarter of Section 17, Township 2 North, Range 3 West, San Bernardino Meridian, in the County of San Bernardino, State of California, described as follows: • Signature and seal of person responsible for preparing the legal description (including license or registration number with expiration date), as required by Section 8761 of the Professional Land Surveyor’s Act. • Date when the legal description was prepared or revision date(s). Specific Requirements in Writing the Legal Description: 1. Every written geographic description (a document separate from the maps) must stand on its own without the necessity of reference to any extraneous document; a description that relies solely on the use of secondary references will not be accepted. The cartographic staff (State Board of Equalization Tax Area Services Section (TASS), LAFCO, County Surveyor, etc.) must be able to plot the boundaries from the written description alone. 2. The written description shall be of the project area only. If a complete description of the special district is filed, the project area shall be clearly identified on a separate document. 3. The geographic description shall: a. State the Township and Range, section number(s) or rancho(s). b. Have a point of beginning (POB) referenced to a known major geographic position section corners, intersection of street centerlines, or the intersection of street centerline and existing agency boundary at the time of filing). A description will be rejected if the POB refers only to a tract map, a subdivision map or a recorded survey map. 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 It is preferable that the POB be the point of departure from an existing district boundary (when applicable). c. Be expressed as a specific parcel description in sectionalized land “The SW ¼ of Section 22, T1N, R1W”) or by bearings and distances. When the description is by bearings and distances, all courses shall be numbered and listed individually in a consistent clockwise direction. The description shall not be written in a narrative format. All courses required to close the traverse of the project area must be stated. All curves must be described by direction of concavity. Delta, arc length, chord, and radius shall be listed, including radial bearings for all points of non-tangency. Following are examples of unacceptable and acceptable descriptions: Unacceptable (This description refers only to extraneous documents and does not stand alone.) “From the point of beginning, northerly to the southwest corner of that certain property recorded in Book 12, Page 15 of Recorded Deeds, thence easterly to the southeast corner of that certain property recorded in Book 12, Page 16 of Recorded Deeds Acceptable (This is the same description with the courses numbered and the bearings and distances added.) “From the point of beginning: Course 1. North 1°18’56” West a distance of 150’ to the southwest corner of that certain property recorded in Book 12, Page 15 of Recorded Deeds, thence, Course 2. North 85°7’56” West a distance of 75’ to the southeast corner of that certain property recorded in Book 12, Page 16 of Recorded Deeds, thence…” LAFCO Standard 1: As noted above, all boundaries shall be described in full using bearings and distances, except as follows: a) When describing a totally surrounded island, the bearings and distances and control calls may be omitted. b) When the boundary of the proposal follows along the existing (similar) 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 boundaries identical to the subject territory, the bearings and distances and control calls may be omitted along said existing (similar) boundaries. Example: “Thence along the existing boundary of the City of (or District) as established by “Annexation No. per “Annexation No. (LAFCO XXXX)” and per “Annexation No. through its various courses in a generally westerly, northerly and northwesterly direction to the…” LAFCO Standard 2: The written description shall mention when arriving at, following along and leaving the existing (similar) boundaries identical to the subject territory. The description shall also define points of intersection from said boundaries. These boundaries shall be identified using either one of the following: • For Annexations from 1964 to the present, include the City or District Annexation Name (or Number) and the LAFCO Number. Example: …Beginning at a point in the existing City of San Bernardino boundary per “Annexation No. XX (LAFCO XXXX)”, said point being… • For Annexations prior to LAFCO (circa 1964), include the City or District Annexation Number only. Example: …Beginning at a point in the existing City of San Bernardino boundary per “Annexation No. XX”, said point being… 4. The written description shall state the acreage for each separate single area (see definition below for single area) and a combined total acreage of the project area. Example: “Area A containing 2.50 acres, Area B containing 1.75 acres: Total computed acreage containing 4.25 acres more or less.” Definition: A "single area” means any separate geographical area regardless of ownership. A lot, a subdivision or a township could each be a single area. A geographical area that is divided into two or more parcels by a roadway, railroad right-of-way, river or stream is considered a single area. Geographic 4 ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 areas that are non-contiguous are not considered a single area. 5. All information stated on the description must match with the map(s), such as the name of the short title, the point of beginning, the course numbers, all the bearings and distances, and the acreage(s). 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 MAP STANDARDS Submission Requirements: The State Board of Equalization, Tax Area Services Section (TASS) strongly recommends that all maps submitted be filed in electronic/digital form (see attached description for SBE TASS submission requirements). In addition, LAFCO strongly recommends that a PDF or JPEG format of all maps be submitted so that appropriate copies can be made for use during application processing. Provide ten (10) copies of the maps. For maps submitted on sheets greater than 11” x 17”, a copy of the reduced version of the map must be submitted. The title block for the map shall contain the following information (see attached example): 1. The LAFCO Number (Leave the LAFCO Number blank when initially submitting a map), the complete title of the proposal and a general description where the proposal is located. The general description can either be described using street/road networks for small area proposals, or the use of government sectionalized land for large or remote proposals The SW ¼ of Section 22, T1N, R1W). Example: LAFCO San Bernardino Water District Annexation (Barton Heights Annexation) GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Located East of Waterman/South of Third Street 2. If applicable, the agency or firm (including address and telephone number) responsible for the preparation of the map. 3. Acreage of proposal. 4. Listing of affected agency/agencies - city, water district, county service area, etc. whose boundaries are being changed. (Do not include County of San Bernardino). 5. Signature and seal of person responsible for preparing the map (including license or registration number with expiration date), as required by Section 8761 of the Professional Land Surveyor’s Act. 6. Date of map preparation or revision date(s). Specific Requirements in Preparing the Map: 6 ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 1. All maps must be professionally drawn or copied. Rough sketches or pictorial drawings will be rejected. Assessor parcel maps will not be accepted as a substitute for the project map. LAFCO Standard 3: All maps must be drawn in black and white. Colored (GIS) maps may be accepted with only a maximum of 2 colors or 2 shades. The colors/shades to be used must be of good contrast with enough distinction to set apart the different colors or shades (especially when photocopied in black and white). 2. A vicinity map shall be included. The vicinity map shall show the location of the project area in relationship to a larger geographic area that includes major streets and highways or other physical features. LAFCO Standard 4: The vicinity map shall show the relationship of the proposal area to the majority of, or the entirety of, (depending on size) the existing city/district boundaries and/or spheres of influence. Both proposal area and existing boundary shall be clearly identified using a hatch or a shade (color). The vicinity map shall have a north arrow. Example: 3. Any portion of an existing city/district boundary in close proximity to the project area shall be shown and identified. 4. Every map must clearly show all existing streets, roads and highways with 7 ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 their current names that are within and adjacent to the project area. Additionally, every map shall indicate each township and range, section lines and numbers or ranchos that are in proximity of the project area. 5. Every map shall bear a scale and a north arrow. The point of beginning shall be clearly shown and match the written geographic description. LAFCO Standard 5: The true point of beginning (T.P.O.B.) and the point of commencement should also be labeled on the map, if applicable. 6. The boundaries of the project area shall be distinctively delineated on each map without masking any essential geographic or political features. The boundaries of the project area must be the most predominant line on the map. Boundary lines that are delineated by a line that exceeds 1.5 millimeter in width shall be rejected. The use of graphic tape or broad tip marking pens to delineate the boundary is not acceptable. LAFCO Standard 6: The entity proposed for change shall be clearly shown on the map. A solid line shall be used to depict the proposed change boundary and must be the most prominent line on the map. Common boundary lines overlapping each other shall be clearly delineated using distinct line-types. Clearly delineate the existing city/district boundary by using either a hatched line-style, i.e., or using color shading for GIS (colored) maps. A legend must be provided that clearly identifies the agencies and changes shown on the map. Example: 8 ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 LEGEND 7. All dimensions needed to plot the boundaries must be given on the map of the project area. Each map shall have numbered courses matching the written geographic description. Index tables may be utilized. LAFCO Standard 7: If both the course number and the bearings and distances cannot be written legibly alongside the boundary, then only the course number (corresponding to the course numbers on the written description) shall be shown on the boundary line and a line/curve table listing the various courses with the bearings and distances shall be added to the map sheet. 8. All parcels within the project area that touch the new boundary shall be clearly labeled with the assessor’s parcel number. Interior parcels that do not touch the boundary need not be identified on the map. 9. If the project area has an interior island(s) of exclusion or the boundary has a peninsula of exclusion (or inclusion), that area(s) should be shown in an enlarged drawing. This drawing should be of sufficient size and scale to allow TASS to plot the boundary without difficulty. 10. When it is necessary to use more than one map sheet to show the boundaries of the project area, the sheet size should be uniform. A small key map giving the relationship of the several sheets shall be furnished. Match lines between adjoining sheets must be used. While the geography on adjoining sheets may overlap, the project boundaries must stop at the match lines. The State Board of Equalization has standardized the D Size (24’ x 36’) map sheet, but will accept larger or smaller map sizes depending on the size and complexity of the individual single area(s). 9 ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 LAFCO Standard 8: To identify and delineate the different boundary lines, areas, or geographic features on the map, use common lines, symbols, hatching, and abbreviations. A legend table shall be included to describe each line-type, hatching-style, symbol and abbreviation visible on the map sheet. 10 ---PAGE BREAK--- LEGAL DESCRIPTION AND MAP STANDARDS FOR LAFCO NOVEMBER 1, 2005 CHECKLIST: (This checklist is for your convenience only. It is not required to be provided with your application filing.) □ Legal Description: □ Can the geographic Description stand alone? □ Is the desription of the project area only □ Does it include the township & range, section number(s) or rancho? □ Is there a point of beginning? □ Are the courses numbered to follow a clockwise direction from the point of beginning? □ Is the total acreage included? □ Does the information on the legal description match with the map(s)? □ MAP(S): □ Is the map accurately drawn to professional standards? □ Is it the original size copy? □ Is a vicinity map included? □ Are existing boundaries shown and identified? □ Are existing streets, roads, and highways referenced with their current names? □ Does it include the township & range, section number(s) or rancho? □ Does it have a north arrow and scale bar? □ Is the Point of Beginning clearly shown? □ Is the boundary made apparent without masking adjacent background features? □ Are all courses numbered to follow the written description? □ Is each parcel that touches the new boundary and is within the project area labeled with an APN? □ Is an enlarged drawing included to show smaller areas of exclusion or inclusion, if applicable? □ Is there a key map for multiple sheets? □ Does the electronic filing conform with the standards of the State Board of Equalization Tax Area Services Section requirements and those of LAFCO? 11