Boundaries of a plot of land

• This is usually an issue if your land is located in a natural setting, its boundaries are marked with boundary markers, and it borders natural features (stone fences, streams, roads, etc.).
• Take the time to think about whether you know the exact boundaries of your land and whether boundary markers have been preserved at each corner.
• If your plot of land borders a state or municipal road, do you know how far the boundary of your plot is from the centerline of the road?

• If you were present with a land surveyor (in official language, a person with a license to perform land management work) when the boundaries were marked and boundary markers were installed, you can be sure that the location of the boundary is correct.
• However, if your knowledge comes from the previous owner of the land, the information may be inaccurate.

• Decades-old materials will not help you in determining boundaries. A land surveyor or a boundary protocol prepared by the local government and the accompanying diagram will help you.
• Read the boundary description in the boundary protocol carefully and compare it with your knowledge of the boundary in nature.
• Until the legislative amendments that came into force on July 1, 2018, the land surveyor also prepared a cadastral unit plan in addition to the boundary protocol. Today, the land surveyor no longer prepares a plan, and the diagram of the shape of your cadastral unit and the location of the boundary markers is included in the boundary protocol in a single document.

Check the location of your boundary at minu.kataster.ee

• Enter the address or cadastral code of your land parcel in the address search field and click on the "Mark location" button on the right-hand side.
• A map layer will open, showing the most up-to-date information on land parcels registered in the cadastre, i.e. cadastral units.
• An information window will also open, displaying the basic data of the land parcel, its formation and boundary points, land value, restrictions, and information on arable land.

If you notice any discrepancies between the map image and the boundary you know in nature or the boundary described in your land parcel boundary protocol, please notify the Land and Spatial Development Board ([email protected], 665 0600 or use the "Feedback" button on the right side of the map view at minu.kataster.ee).

NB! When you log in to the minu.kataster.ee environment, the land parcel information window opens, giving you access to the land parcel archive documents. Here you will find the plans and boundary protocols that were used as the basis for the cadastral map drawn up by the cadastral registrar. If you have any questions about the archive materials, please feel free to contact the Land and Spatial Development Board.

NB! At the bottom of the main data field in MyCadastre, you may find the note "Area is inaccurate". This note means that there are points on the border of your land parcel that have not been measured by a land surveyor using the most accurate method. Therefore, the point on the map may not be exactly where it is in nature. Keep in mind that in the case of such inaccurate data, the boundary markers are not in the wrong location in nature, but the cadastral surveyor does not have the data to verify their exact location in the cadastre.

Take your family with you and walk along the boundary of your land once a year.

• Check that the boundary markers are still there. If possible, tidy them up.
• Boundary markers at the edge of a field or road are often bent out of shape. If you can straighten them without changing their location, do so.
• Your most attractive boundary markers are cross-shaped or hollow boundary stones. Clean them of moss and debris so that they can be distinguished from ordinary stones.
• It is good if the boundary markers in your forest have a mound around them (a small pile of soil around the boundary marker to make it easier to distinguish from the surrounding nature).

Be sure to open minu.kataster.ee on your phone when you are outside and turn on the navigation function on the right-hand side. If the location of your land parcel boundaries on the map is accurate and there is no dense forest above your head, you can easily find the approximate location of the boundary markers. You can also check the boundary point database to see if the marker you found in nature is registered as a boundary marker in the cadastre.

If a boundary marker has been destroyed in nature or cannot be repaired, you cannot take an iron pipe from under the shed and install it as a new boundary marker. Restoring a boundary marker is a job for a specialist and can only be carried out by a land surveyor or a person with a license to perform land management work.

Why?

• Boundary markers have a specific shape and size, which are described in the procedure for forming a cadastral unit.
• Boundary markers have accuracy requirements that you will never be able to achieve with your own tools.
• Usually, a boundary marker is shared with your neighbor, and by acting without involving your neighbor, you create the conditions for confusion and possibly even a boundary dispute.
• Only a specialist in the field can guarantee the quality of their work.
• Any changes to boundary markers must be reported to the cadastral registrar (with a georeferenced photo and accurate data). If the information does not reach the cadastral registrar, the corrections made in the field will have no legal significance.

• Be available and participate in the demarcation of boundaries. Although land reform has essentially been completed, land consolidation activities will continue. Land parcels will be merged, divided into several parts, and their boundaries will be changed. It is likely that the owner of a plot of land in your neighborhood is also planning such an operation.
• No matter how small the land consolidation operation of your neighbor is, if it affects your shared boundary markers, you must also be involved in the demarcation of boundaries in nature.
• Your availability will be facilitated if your contact details (place of residence, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number) are correct in the population register. It is important that your e-mail address is up to date because the cadastral registrar will first send the invitation to [email protected], from where the state will forward it to the e-mail address in the population register. If the person does not open the invitation within three days, the letter will be sent by regular mail.
• If you are invited to attend a boundary inspection, take the time to go there. If this is not possible, contact the land surveyor and try to find a mutually convenient time to visit the site. If this is also not possible, ask a friend or relative you trust to go in your place.

• If new boundary markers appear on the border of your land or an old boundary marker disappears and is replaced with a new one and you have not been notified of this, you should contact your neighbor. If your neighbor does not want to talk to you, feel free to contact the Land and Spatial Development Board.
• If you think that a boundary marker has changed its location in nature, you definitely have reason to contact a land surveyor.

• Every missing boundary marker or unclear section of the border will definitely result in future financial expenses for you.
• In the worst case, this will be accompanied by a border dispute with your neighbor, the damage from which is difficult to predict.

• Don't be afraid to ask specialists for advice. Today's land surveyors have a wealth of experience and are respected specialists in their field.
• In addition to land surveying knowledge, the land surveyor's professional examination also assesses their knowledge of legislation and their ability to resolve complex land management situations.

Contact details for licensed land surveyors