standards; Arizona plane coordinate system

SB1756 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
standards; Arizona plane coordinate system

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1756

Introduced by

Senator
Shope

AN
ACT

amending sections 33-131, 33-132, 33-133,
33-134, 33-135, 33-136, 33-137 and 33-138, Arizona Revised Statutes;
relating to landmarks and surveys.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.
Heading change

The article heading of title 33,
chapter 1, article 3, Arizona Revised Statutes, is changed from "
Arizona coordinate system, 1983"
to
"
Arizona plane coordinate system".

Sec. 2. Section 33-131, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
33-131.

Arizona plane coordinate system; zones; composition

A. The Arizona
plane
coordinate
system
, 1983,
is the system of plane coordinates
which
that
has been established by the
national geodetic survey for defining and stating the positions or locations of
points on the surface of the earth in this state.
� The Arizona
plane coordinate system is a subset of the national state plan coordinate
system and is divided into zones of geographic similarity across this state.

B. The Arizona
plane
coordinate
system
, 1983, contains three zones as follows:

1. The west zone, composed of La Paz,
Mohave and Yuma counties.

2. The central zone, composed of
Coconino, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yavapai counties.

3. The east zone, composed of Apache,
Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee and Navajo counties.
is a
component of the national spatial reference system as updated and PUBLISHED by
the national geodetic survey.� The national spatial reference system is a
national coordinate system that defines the elements of latitude, longitude,
height, scale, gravity and ORIENTATION through the United States.

C. In any
land description

map, report of survey or geospatial document
in which the
Arizona
plane
coordinate system
, 1983,

is
utilized
used,
the system shall
be designated
as the
"Arizona
plane
coordinate
system
"
, 1983, __________ zone",
with the name of the appropriate zone inserted
and
appropriate metadata shall be included, which must include the NATIONAL spatial
reference system reference frame, epoch date and name of the appropriate
Arizona plane coordinate system zone
.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 33-132, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
33-132.

Coordinates of system

A. The plane coordinates of a point on the earth's
surface, to be used in the position or location of such point in the
appropriate zone of the
Arizona plane coordinate
system,
shall consist of two distances, expressed in feet and decimals of a foot (foot
value 0.3048 meter exact). One of these distances, to be known as
the "X-coordinate",
or "Easting",

shall give the position in an east-and-west direction, and the
other, to be known as the "Y-coordinate",
or
"Northing",
shall give the position in a north-and-south
direction.
These coordinates shall depend on and
conform to the coordinates on the Arizona coordinate system, 1983, of the
horizontal control stations of the national geodetic survey in this state, as
these coordinates have been determined by the survey.

Coordinates in the Arizona plane coordinate system shall be computed from the
national spatial reference system latitude and longitude or vice versa using
algorithms and mathematical formulas consistent with those published by the
national geodetic survey.� The use of the term "Arizona plane coordinate
system" or "AZPCS" on any map, report of survey or geospatial
document must be limited to data that is referenced as prescribed by this
article and must not have any additional scaling, rotating or translating or
any other modifications.

B. For the purpose of more precisely defining the
Arizona
plane
coordinate system, the
following

definitions
of the national spatial reference system
of
the national geodetic survey
on the effective date of this
amendment to this section
are adopted
.
:

1. The Arizona coordinate system,
1983, west zone, is a transverse mercator projection of the North American
datum, 1983, having a central meridian 113 o 45' 00" west of Greenwich, on
which meridian the scale is set one part in fifteen thousand too
small. The origin of the coordinates is at the intersection of the
meridian 113 o 45' 00" west of Greenwich and the parallel of 31 o 00'
00" north latitude. This origin is given the coordinates of
"X" equals seven hundred thousand feet and "Y" equals zero
feet.

2. The Arizona coordinate system,
1983, central zone, is a transverse mercator projection of the North American
datum, 1983, having a central meridian 111 o 55' 00" west of Greenwich, on
which meridian the scale is set at one part in ten thousand too
small. The origin of the coordinates is at the intersection of the
meridian 111 o 55' 00" west of Greenwich and the parallel of 31 o 00'
00" north latitude. This origin is given the coordinates of
"X" equals seven hundred thousand feet and "Y" equals zero
feet.

3. The Arizona coordinate system,
1983, east zone, is a transverse mercator projection of the North American
datum, 1983, having a central meridian 110 o 10' 00" west of Greenwich, on
which meridian the scale is set at one part in ten thousand too
small. The origin of coordinates is at the intersection of the
meridian 110 o 10' 00" west of Greenwich and the parallel of 31 o 00'
00" north latitude. The origin is given the coordinates of
"X" equals seven hundred thousand feet and "Y" equals zero
feet.

C. When reported, orthometric heights
must conform to standards adopted by the national geodetic survey for points
included in the national spatial reference system.� Additional metadata must be
included to document the orthometric heights, when determined and reported on
the map, report of survey or geospatial document in which the Arizona plane
coordinate system is used.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 4. Section 33-133, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
33-133.

Ground markings of system; accuracy standards; geodetic control
stations

A. The position of
the Arizona
plane
coordinate system shall be marked on
the ground by
horizontal

geodetic
control
stations
,
which have been established in conformity with
standards
adopted by the federal geodetic control committee for
first order, second order class I or second order class II surveys or
equivalent standards adopted by successors, at the time the surveys were made
and computed on the North American datum, 1983
and
specifications adopted by the national geodetic survey for points included in
the national spatial reference system
.

B. A
horizontal

geodetic

control station
normally
consists of
,
if practicable,
a
group of
bronze
,

or
brass
discs
or
other metal disc
imbedded in concrete
posts nearly flush
with the ground surface
or cemented into
holes

a hole
drilled into
a
rock
outcrops

outcrop,
or ledges in such a configuration
that the station is referenced by a subsurface mark in a precise vertical
register with the surface mark, two reference marks, similar to the surface
mark accurately located by azimuth and horizontal distance in respect to the
horizontal control station and not more than one hundred fifty feet distant and
an azimuth mark which may be similar to the horizontal control station not less
than one thousand feet distant, or optionally, an object not less than three thousand
feet distant such as a church spire, water tank, radio or television
transmitting antenna, by which azimuth mark subsequent surveys may be
accurately oriented
STAINLESS STEEL RODS DRIVEN TO
REFUSAL AND CASED IN GROUND ACCESS LIDS, MEASURING PIERS OR ANTENNA MASTS FOR
DIRECT PLACEMENT OF SURVEYING INSTRUMENTS or other stable objects suitable for
long-term perpetuation of coordinates
.

C.
Horizontal

Notwithstanding
limitations to physical access prescribed by section 33-104, geodetic
control
stations shall be established, if practicable,
in proximity to
road intersections, hill or mountain tops and similar locations as an aid in
the field searches for the horizontal control stations
at
publicly accessible locations, with public access to data and raw observables
from automated observation sites in accordance with national geodetic survey
guidelines when applicable
.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 5. Section 33-134, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
33-134.

Map data located in more than one zone

If
a tract of land

data
to
be defined by a single description extends
from one into another
of the coordinate

into one or more adjacent
zones
established by this article
, the position of all points
on its boundaries may

must
be referred
exclusively
to
as either of the two zones,

one zone, with
the zone
which
that
is used being specifically named in the
description
map, report of survey or other document in which the Arizona plane
coordinate system is used
.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 6. Section 33-135, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
33-135.

Reliance of purchaser or mortgagee not required

Nothing contained in
This article
requires
does not require
any purchaser or
mortgagee to rely on any land description, any part of which depends
exclusively on the Arizona
plane
coordinate system
, 1983
.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 7. Section 33-136, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
33-136.

Public lands survey descriptions; conflicts; control

If coordinates based on the Arizona
plane
coordinate
system
, 1983,
are used to describe a tract of land
which
that
in the same document is also
described by reference to a subdivision, line or corner of the United States
public land surveys, the description by coordinates shall be construed as
supplemental to the basic description of the subdivision, line or corner contained
in the official field notes and plat filed of record, and in the event of a
conflict the description by reference to the subdivision, line or corner of the
United States public land surveys prevails over the description by coordinates.

END_STATUTE

Sec. 8. Section 33-137, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
33-137.

Recording, filing, publishing extensions and densifications of
the ground marking system

A. Extensions and densifications of the ground
marking system of the Arizona
plane
coordinate system
, 1983,
shall be executed in conformity with the standards and
specifications of the
federal geodetic control committee for
first order, second order class I and second order class II surveys and
computed on the North American datum, 1983
NATIONAL
geodetic survey for data to be included in the national spatial reference
system
.

B. The results of these surveys shall be published
by a competent department of the federal government, such as the national
geodetic survey, or a surveyor
or engineer who is
qualified
to practice in this state, in which case the survey results shall bear a
certification to the effect that the
standards,
specifications

and guidelines
of the
federal geodetic
control committee

national GEODETIC SURVEY
have
been followed
, and the designation and information prescribed by
section 33-131 shall be included on the face of the published map, report of
survey or geospatial document in which the Arizona plane coordinate system is
used
.

C. Extensions and densifications of the ground
marking system
by first order, second order class I or second
order class II methods only shall be used
must use
relevant national geodetic survey standards, specifications, guidelines and
recommendations for data to be included in the national spatial reference
system
. Such extensions and densifications shall be
integrated with previously established
horizontal

geodetic
control stations
of equal or higher
order to form a matrix or network no part of which shall have positional errors
exceeding those specified for class II second order. The spacing
intervals shall not exceed three miles
that are CONNECTED
to and consistent with the national spatial reference system
.
� Coordinates that are determined for new stations must have
positional accuracies that are consistent with those published by the national
geodetic survey for national spatial reference stations in the vicinity of new
stations.

D. The results of
these

geodetic control station
surveys are public domain and shall be
duly recorded in the office of the county recorder of the county where the
horizontal

geodetic
control station is
situated
or the publicly accessible database of the national
geodetic survey, or both
.
� NOTWITHSTANDING that the
survey results and data are public domain, PHYSICAL access to geodetic control
stations is governed by section 33-104.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 9. Section 33-138, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
33-138.

Recording prerequisite

Coordinates based on the Arizona
plane
coordinate
system
, 1983,
shall not be presented to be recorded in any
public land records
, map, report of survey or geospatial
document
unless the recording document also contains the descriptions of
not less than two
horizontal

geodetic
control
stations
of first order, second order class I or second order
class II positional accuracy
within the national spatial
reference system as published by the national geodetic survey and
which
shall not exceed six miles from the nearest point or line of the land survey.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 10.
Conditional enactment; notice

A.
This
act does not become effective unless the national geodetic survey of the
national ocean service, national oceanic and atmospheric administration, United
States department of commerce publishes a notice in the federal register that
the modernized national spatial reference system is approved.

B.
The
state board of technical registration shall notify the director of the Arizona
legislative council in writing on or before August 1, 2029 either:

1. Of the date on which the
condition was met.

2. That the condition was
not met.