(a) Offense defined.—
- (1) A person commits a summary offense if he intentionally cuts, injures, damages, destroys, defaces or removes any survey monument or marker, other than a natural object such as a tree or stream.
- (2) A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if he willfully or maliciously cuts, injures, damages, destroys, defaces or removes any survey monument or marker in order to call into question a boundary line.
- (b) Restitution.— Any person convicted of violating this section shall, in addition to any other penalty imposed, be liable for the cost of the reestablishment of permanent survey monuments or markers by a professional land surveyor and all reasonable attorney fees.
- (c) Affirmative defense.— It is an affirmative defense to any prosecution for an offense under this section that the survey monument or marker was improperly placed by a professional land surveyor.
(d) Definitions.— As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection:
- "Professional land surveyor." As defined under the act of May 23, 1945 (P.L.913, No.367), known as the Engineer, Land Surveyor and Geologist Registration Law.
- "Survey monument or marker." Any object adopted or placed by a professional land surveyor to define the boundaries of a property, including, but not limited to, natural objects such as trees or streams, or artificial monuments such as iron pins, concrete monuments, set stones or party walls. The phrase does not include a wooden stake placed by a professional land surveyor as a temporary marker or placeholder.
(July 7, 2006, P.L.348, No.72, eff. 60 days)
2006 Amendment. Act 72 added section 3312.