A Circuit Court judge has approved an agreement between land surveyors and the state that sets the profession's first standards of practice -- designed to protect consumers without boosting already high closing costs in Maryland.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Edward J. Angeletti accepted the proposed regulations Friday, after months of debate that prompted a surveyors group to sue the state. The regulations, which must still undergo legislative review, would take effect no earlier than March 1. The rules would allow consumers applying for mortgages to choose between cursory house location drawings and time-intensive, costlier boundary surveys.
The Maryland Society of Surveyors Inc. agreed to withdraw a lawsuit charging that consumers would be forced to pay $1,000 or more for boundary surveys.
Consumers will be given disclosure forms stating that house location drawings are used to obtain loans, while boundary surveys determine actual property lines.