North Dakota § 11-20-14.1 - Disputed property lines - Petition to district court - Effect of survey Payment of expenses

§ 11-20-14.1. Disputed property lines - Petition to district court - Effect of survey Payment of expenses

1. One or more owners of property may file with the clerk of district court a petition requesting the district court to direct the county surveyor to survey the property. The court shall set a time and place for a hearing on the petition. The hearing may not occur until three weeks after the petitioner has published notice of the petition, containing the substance of the petition, a description of the lands affected, and the names of the owners of the affected lands as they appear in the latest tax roll, and after the petitioner has mailed written notice to each occupant of land affected by the survey. 2. At the hearing on the petition, all interested parties may appear and be heard. If the district court finds that there is a dispute as to the location of a property line, the court may grant the petition. If a county surveyor is not available to conduct the survey, the court may appoint a registered land surveyor to conduct the survey. The surveyor shall provide reasonable advance written notice to occupants of affected lands specifying the date when the survey will begin. 3. 4. 5. After the survey has been completed, the surveyor shall file a record of survey under sections 11-20-12 and 11-20-13. The certificate of the surveyor is presumptive evidence of the facts contained in the survey and certificate. After the survey has been completed, the surveyor shall make a certified report to the district court showing in detail the entire expense of the survey with recommendations as to apportionment of the expense. The court shall apportion equitably the expense of the survey to the several tracts affected and provide written notice of the proposed assessment to each owner affected. The notice must inform the affected owners of their right to appear in district court no sooner than fourteen days after the notices are mailed to object to the assessments. Following consideration of any objections, the court shall make any corrections or adjustments necessary, enter an order confirming the assessment, and order the parties to pay the surveyor within thirty days. Upon certification by the surveyor that an affected owner has not paid the fees ordered by the district court within thirty days, the county auditor shall assess the amount against the land of each person affected. The county treasurer shall collect the assessments in the same manner as general property taxes are collected. On the order of the county auditor, the county treasurer shall pay any fees and expenses to a registered land surveyor who has conducted the survey.