During the recent legislative session, the state government finance bill included $9.7 million for Public Land Survey System (PLSS) Preservation Grants.

These grants will support the detailed work needed to certify more locations of Minnesota's PLSS monuments. Certified monumentation is essential for all property descriptions and location of infrastructure.

An increase in certified PLSS locations will improve the accuracy of GIS data and allow us to more confidently use spatial data for data-driven decision making. See the Preserving The Public Land Survey System Hub site for more information about the importance of these monuments.

Grant Program Taking Shape

The grant funds will be administered by the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo), led by a new MnGeo Surveyor Coordinator.

The PLSS Preservation Committee, a new committee of the Minnesota Geospatial Advisory Council (GAC), will establish criteria for PLSS Preservation Grants, evaluate and prioritize grant applications, and assist with grant review work and reporting on grant performance measures.

Get Involved

• General Membership: Anyone interested in being part of the new PLSS Preservation Committee is welcome; email MnGeo if you are interested.
  
  
• Voting Membership: As described in the PLSS Preservation Committee Charter, there will be 9 voting members (8 selected by the chair and vice-chair) who will advise MnGeo on funding grant applications.
  • If you would like to apply for voting membership, email MnGeo stating this, and include a resume and cover letter.
  • The deadline for voting membership consideration is July 14, 2023.
  • Voting members will be announced by July 28, 2023.
• Survey Coordinator position: Check the Minnesota State Government Careers webpage over the next several weeks for the job posting if you are interested in this position at MnGeo.

Thanks to the Community!

The success in funding this grant program was due to the hard work of many people over several years, including members of the GAC's Parcels and Land Records Committee (PLRC), the Minnesota Association of County Surveyors (MACS), and the Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors (MSPS).

Thank you to MSPS Past Presidents Pat Veraguth, Preston Dowell, and Chris Mavis who led the PLRC, and thank you to all who supported this effort!