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Tax Map Specifications
Adopted by the Board of Equalization of Taxes of New Jersey
September 16, 1913.
In accordance with the provisions of Chapter 175, Laws of 1913, the Board of Equali-
zation of Taxes of New Jersey has adopted the following specifications for the preparation
of tax maps. These specifications apply chiefly to the preparation of Surveyed tax maps by
cities, towns, boroughs and villages not now having such maps, and by townships that vote to
have surveyed maps prepared.
Modification of these specifiations may be necessary in some districts to meet special
conditions, and will be authorized by the Board upon application, if, in its judgment, ade-
quate reason is shown.
Where a taxing district has any map or maps prepared by survey for other purposes,
such as sewers, street grading or house numbering, such maps may be used as the basis for
a tax map without a new survey.
Townships where most of the property is rural may apply to the Board of Equalization
of Taxes for permission to prepare an “outline tax map” without the expense of a Survey.
(See paragraph 17.) Townships wishing to proceed with this work should apply
promptly in order to avoid delay in receiving the map sheets.
I. All maps shall be prepared on sheets 36 inches long by 24 inches wide, upon a dur-
able mounted paper or other suitable material of an indestructible nature, which will
withstand erasures and corrections. Around each sheet should be drawn a plain border
-time, with square corners, allowing a margin of one mºon me upper loºd
right-hand sides, and three inches on the left-hand side for a binding margin. In
general, the sheets shall be plotted with the upper border line at the northerly edge
of each section. Tracings are to be made of all maps.
or urban, suburban and rural.
CITY OR URBAN : This will include districts under city, borough or town government.
SUBURBAN TERRITORY: This will include districts such as villages or parts of town-
ships, which have been laid out in lots and are in course of development.
RURAL TERRITORY: This will include districts where the greater part of the land is
still in acreage plots, such as townships.
Maps shall generally be drawn to the following scales:
City or urban districts, . . . . . . . . I inch to 50 feet
Suburban districts, . . . . . . . . . . . . I inch to IOO feet
Rural districts, . . . . . . . . --------- I inch to 200 feet when made from surveys
Rural districts, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I inch to 400 feet when outline maps are used
2. For purposes of distinction, districts will be divided into the following classes: city












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These scales are to be generally adhered to throughout an entire district, but where
special conditions exist, making it desirable to use several scales, this can be done by
first obtaining permission from the Board of Equalization of Taxes.
On maps for city and suburban districts, in addition to such features as street lines,
streams, lot and plot boundaries, railroads, etc., are to be shown the names of all
streets, roads, alleys, etc., together with their widths in figures. Also the widths and
depths of all rectangular lots, together with the dimensions of irregular lots and plots.
Subdivisions for maps of this class will be designated by blocks, lots and plots. Each
block number is to be shown in prominent figures near the center of each block, with
each lot and plot designated by its number in less conspicuous figures.
The area of each acreage plot is to be shown in ink, in acres and thousandths of
a11 a Cre. -
The boundaries of each block shall be defined by streets, main highways, rivers or
prominent streams, and the numbers shall be so arranged that no repetition of them- -
will occur in any district.
Lots and plots in each block shall be numbered consecutively. Where plots or lots oc-
curring in any block are later subdivided, each subdivision shall bear the original
number with a letter used as a subscript, as 16-a, I6-b, I6-c., etc.
On maps for rural districts are to be shown all highways, rivers, streams, railroads,
canals, etc., together with their names. All property boundaries are also to be shown
by plain solid black lines.
The area of each parcel of land is to be shown in ink, in acres and hundredths of an
acre, together with the name of the owner at the date of survey.
The subdivisions for maps of this class shall be designated by the names, Sections and
Plots.
The boundaries of a Section are to be defined by highways, rivers or prominent
In Sections where streets h -
and lot numbers shall be used as specified for city and suburban districts.
All maps shall show the location of such features as active mines, quarries and clay
streams, and designated by prefixing the letter S to the number, as S-IO. The num-
bers are to be so arranged that no repetition will occur in any district.
Plots in each section shall be numbered ºutively - - - = -
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e been opened or plotted, and lot developments exist, block
pits, also cemeteries, public parks, and State, county or municipal institutions, such as
court houses, municipal buildings, schoolhouses, asylums and prisons, and any other
property actually exempted from taxation:- Rivers, creeks, brooks and flowing
streams should also be shown on the maps, together with the approximate outlines
of tidal and fresh water marsh land, timber land, and agricultural or farm lands.
6
. In townships or other taxing districts where fire or lighting districts have been es-
tablished, or where any territory has been set off, for which a special tax rate has been
authorized in addition to the regular rate in that taxing district, the boundaries of these
districts are to be shown on the “key map,” and on each individual detail sheet where
such special districts occur, by a conspicuous dash line (- - - - - - - ) with the name and
number, if any, of the district shown on the map along the boundary lines, in several
conspicuous places.
. Surveys can be made with any degree of exactness desired, but for the purpose of tax
maps, errors are not to exceed the following limits:











9
*
s
I2.
- I3.
I4.
I5.
. On all maps, at the lower right-hand corner of each sheet, shall be placed a condensed
statement, giving the name of the district and the county, also the date, scale, name and
IO.
II.
Boundaries of taxing districts are
1 ºnes (— - - - - - - -) -
º
Chaining city and suburban territory, not to exceed. . . . . . . . . . . . /io of 1 %
rural districts, flat country, not to exceed. . . . . . . . - - - - - - - % of 1 %
< 4 … rough and difficult country, not to exceed. A of 1 %
All traverse lines to be closed, with a maximum error of closure not to exceed two
minutes at any closure point. - -
All maps, when completed, should be bound in atlas form, with covers of the “loose-
leaf” type. At the beginning of each atlas a “key map,” should be provided, showing
to a small scale the location outlines and number of each sheet. All sheets com-
prising an atlas should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the “key map"; the
number of each sheet being placed in the upper right-hand corner within the border
line. -
address of the surveyor. Sufficient space should also be allowed between the lower
portion of the title and the border line of the sheet for the insertion of a line on
which to mark the dates when the sheet was last revised.
On all maps, the topography on each sheet shall, so far as practicable, extend to the
border lines of that sheet and along the inside of each border line shall be marked
the number of each adjacent or abutting sheet. The sheets should be so plotted that
the upper border line lies to the northward, with the upper and lower border lines ex-
tending in easterly and westerly directions, as nearly as practicable.
On all maps, block and section numbers should be placed at or near the center of each
block or section, in prominent figures; lot or plot numbers should be shown on each lot
or plot in smaller and lighter figures. All street or highway lines should be drawn in
solid black lines about 1/25 of an inch in thickness. Property lines are also to be
shown by solid black lines, but somewhat less in thickness, so that there will be an
apparent distinction between them and the Block and Section Boundaries. - -
shown by prominent dash and dº
be shown-
The outlines of marshes, timber lands, etc., are to be shown by dotted lines.
All lines and lettering on both the original maps and tracings are to be made with
black waterproof ink. -
On each sheet of all maps shall be placed a plain serviceable meridian, at least five
inches long, with the north and south line corresponding with the true meridian, and
the variation between the true and magnetic meridians shown, as existing at the date
of the survey.
In all cases the system of defining and numbering blocks, lots, sections and plots,
in any taxing district, shall be first approved by the Board of Equalization of Taxes
before being used by the local authorities.
All new maps submitted to the Board of Equalization of Taxes for approval
must clearly show in pencil all of the courses and measured distances of all tra-
verse lines used in constructing the map, for the purposes of inspection. These lines
can later be erased after the maps have been approved.
After the final approval of all maps by the Board of Equalization of Taxes, trac-
ings of them are to be made. These tracings, when completed, are to be forwarded



















to the Board of Equalization of Taxes at Trenton, who will return them after inspect-
ing and retaining a blue print copy for their files. -
16. No new map or set of maps can be used until approved and officially stamped by the
Board of Equalization of Taxes.
OUTLINE MAPS.
17. Where the Board of Equalization of Taxes has granted any taxing district permission
to use “outlines maps”, these maps will be prepared by the Board of Equalization of
Taxes from the State Geological maps, on paper, in sheets 24 inches by 36 inches,
to a scale of one inch to four hundred feet.
These maps will be forwarded to the County Board of Taxation, to be delivered to
—tº assessor of the district or which the maps were prepared. The local assessor
(or other person employed by the township for the purpose) will then proceed to
locate and plot the boundaries of all property in that district upon the maps, note the
area contained in each parcel of land, enter the name of each property owner, and
assign numbers to all sections and plots.
After the maps have been inspected by the taxpayers of the district and errors cor-
rected, they are to be returned by the County Board of Taxation to the Board of
Equalization of Taxes, who will have tax map sheets drawn and returned to the
taxing districts. The preparation of these maps will be charged to the taxing dis-
F- tricts at the cost of production.