About Survey Control Points

Engineering Director

Thomas V. Clabo, P.E.
[email protected]
(865) 215-2148

400 Main St., Suite 475
Knoxville, TN 37902

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The City of Knoxville has established a 3D network of survey control points throughout the city. The Department of Engineering maintains the network and publishes information for public use. This information is available via an interactive KGIS website. The City's network is based on the Tennessee Coordinate System of 1983. Horizontal coordinates for all points in the network (effective and destroyed) have been adjusted to conform to the National Spatial Reference System of 2007. The resulting information was published December 1, 2009. The interactive survey points website is maintained by KGIS and the City Engineering Department together, and allows the internet user to locate the nearest survey control points, print survey control data, print maps, compute bearings and distances, etc.

Date Action
June 10, 2014 24 new points added (1741-1750, 1841-1851, 1853, 1855 & 1857); established date June 10, 2014.
June 17, 2013 68 new points added (1670-1740, skipping 1708-1709); established date June 17, 2013.
As of June 17, 2013, the City of Knoxville Survey Control Network will be referenced to the NAD 83(2011) adjustment.
September 20, 2011 91 new points are added (1579-1669), effective date on September 20, 2011
December 1, 2009 55 new points are added (1109,1523-1578 with 1539 unused), effective date on December 1, 2009; All survey data has been readjusted to NAD83(NSRS2007) effective date on December 1, 2009. This includes readjusted data for any stations that were considered destroyed.
October 5, 2007 74 new points are added (1450-1522), effective date on October 5, 2007
September 29, 2006 91 new points are added (1359-1449), effective date on September 29, 2006
December 12, 2005 80 new points are added (1279-1358). Points 0208-0212, 0214, 0216, 0230, 0233, 0351, 0404-0417, 0580, 0799, 0804-0809, 0856-0859, and 0877-0879 were revised. Established date is December 12, 2005, but new point data must be used after the effective date of March 12, 2006.
February 4, 2005 39 new points are added (1240-1278), effective date on May 5, 2005.  Points 0101, 0133, 0392-0394, 0396-0399, 0564-0567, 0569, 0585, 0586, 0590-0593, 0780-0784, and 0786-0788 were revised.
May 18, 2004 78 new points are added (1106-1108, 1165-1239), effective date on August 16, 2004.   Points 0085-0091, 0185-0188, 0938-0945, 0967-0968 were revised.
September 1, 2003 55 new points are added (1110-1164), effective date on December 1, 2003.   Points 0332-0344 were revised.
April 3, 2003 61 new points are added (1030-1090), effective date on July 2, 2003.
January 22, 2003 125 new points are added (0920-1029, 1091-1105), effective date on April 1, 2003. Notification letter sent to local surveyors.
August 2002 Initial publication of survey control points on city website. Becomes effective April 1, 2003.


The first technical document ("About The Data") describes how to use the geodetic and grid data from the survey control points, definitions of various survey terms, distance reductions, convergence angles, and types of elevation datum. The second document contains the original description of the Tennessee Coordinate System of 1983. The third and fourth documents were sent to local Knoxville surveyors in January 2003 to explain and clarify platting issues.

File name Rev. Date
About-the-data_NAD83(2011-PA11-MA11)Epoch2010.00 [PDF] June 2014
About the Data NAD83 (2011) [PDF] June 2013
About the Data NAD83 (NSRS2007) Readjustment [PDF] December 2009
About the Data[PDF] January 2003
(TCA) Chapter 66-6 [PDF] December 2002
Letter to Area Surveyors June 2013 [PDF] June 2013
Letter to Area Surveyors Dec. 2009 [PDF] December 2009
New Stamps Jan. 2003 [PDF] January 2003
See Land Development Manual - Appendix A  for the Plat Review Checklist.
 Survey Control System Requirements


Your cooperation is requested in maintaining the survey control network. Please prevent any damage or destruction to the survey control monuments, particularly during construction or paving work. Contact the Civil Engineering Division at 865-215-6100 (Don Jenkins) to report disturbed or missing survey control points, or with any possible data discrepancies.

The Minimum Subdivision Regulations (MSR) for Knoxville and Knox County requires that surveys must be tied and rotated to the City's survey control system. Contact the Stormwater Engineering Division at 865-215-2148 for questions about survey control requirements and survey plat issues. Many topics can be answered by downloading either the Plat Review Checklist or Survey Control System Requirements from the Land Development Manual or the Letter To Area Surveyors.

A general reminder:


KGIS Maps is an interactive mapping KGIS website for general use that displays property ownership, addresses, buildings, streets, land use zoning, wards, voting precincts, school zones, Knox County Property Assessor’s Parcel Identification Maps, parcel IDs, recorded deed references, city limits, political boundaries, etc.