ENROLLED
ACT No. 626
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 642
BY REPRESENTATIVE ORGERON
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact the heading of Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Revised Statutes of 1950
3 and R.S. 50:1 through 10 and 173.1, to enact R.S. 29:726(B)(17), and to repeal R.S.
4 50:11, relative to surveying and mapping standards and coordinate systems; to
5 provide for the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
6 Preparedness' operations plan; to provide for the restoration of service to Continually
7 Operating Reference Stations; to provide definitions; to establish the state plane
8 coordinate system and official geodetic datums; to define zones for use with the
9 official coordinate system; to update terminology and references to standards for
10 surveying and mapping; to provide for deprecated state coordinate systems; to
11 provide for the use of coordinate system terminology; to provide for the authority of
12 the Department of Transportation and Development; and to provide for related
13 matters.
14 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
15 Section 1. R.S. 29:726(B)(17) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
16 §726. Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness;
17 authority and responsibilities
18 * * *
19 B. The office shall prepare and maintain a homeland security and state
20 emergency operations plan and keep it current. The plan shall include the following:
21 * * *
22 (17) Coordination with the Louisiana State University Center for
23 GeoInformatics, or any successor entity, designated by the National Geodetic Survey
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1 as the Louisiana Spatial Reference Center, to prioritize the restoration of service to
2 Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) within the state.
3 * * *
4 Section 2. The heading of Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Revised Statutes of 1950 and
5 R.S. 50:1 through 10 and 173.1 are hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
6 CHAPTER 1. LOUISIANA COORDINATE SYSTEM SYSTEMS
7 §1. Definitions Adoption; parishes comprising north and south zones
8 The terms defined in this Section have the following meaning when found in
9 this Chapter:
10 (1) "Deprecation" means a decision to discontinue the use of a specific unit
11 or method of measurement.
12 (2) "Geodetic coordinate" means angular coordinates defined relative to a
13 particular geodetic datum, including, but not limited to, latitude, longitude, ellipsoid
14 height, orthometric height, or dynamic height
15 (3) "Geodetic datum" means the geometric models representing the earth's
16 size and shape that provide abstract coordinate systems with a reference surface or
17 origin and orientation that serves to provide known locations to begin surveys and
18 create maps; also referred to as a terrestrial reference frame or reference frame.
19 (4) "International Foot" means the length adopted in 1959 to define the unit
20 of measurement equal to 3,048/10,000 meter.
21 (5) "Meter" means the length traveled by light in a vacuum during a time
22 interval of exactly 1/299,792,458 seconds.
23 (6) "National Spatial Reference System" means the consistent coordinate
24 system maintained by the National Geodetic Survey that defines latitude, longitude,
25 height, scale, gravity, and orientation throughout the United States, including an
26 accurate national shoreline; a set of models that describes geophysical processes that
27 affect spatial measurements; and networks of permanently marked points and
28 continuously operating reference stations (CORS) to support three-dimensional
29 positioning activities.
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1 (7) "NATRF2022" means the North American Terrestrial Reference Frame
2 of 2022.
3 (8) "State plane coordinate system" means the system of conformal map
4 projections created by the National Geodetic Survey to support surveying,
5 engineering, and mapping activities throughout the United States.
6 (9) "U.S. survey foot" means the length adopted by the United States
7 government in 1893 to define the unit of measurement equal to 1,200/3,937 meter.
8 (10) "Zone" means a geographic region on the surface of the earth with a
9 uniquely defined projected coordinate reference system, with extents usually based
10 on a specified maximum linear distortion magnitude.
11 A. The systems of plane coordinates which have been established by the
12 National Ocean Service/National Geodetic Service, formerly the United States Coast
13 and Geodetic Survey, or its successors for defining and stating the geographic
14 positions or locations of points on the surface of the earth within the state of
15 Louisiana are hereafter to be known and designated as the Louisiana Coordinate
16 System of 1927 and the Louisiana Coordinate System of 1983.
17 B. For the purpose of the use of these systems, the state is divided into a
18 North Zone, South Zone, and an Offshore Zone.
19 C. The area now included in the following parishes shall constitute the North
20 Zone: Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne,
21 Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln,
22 Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine,
23 Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, and Winn.
24 D. The area now included in the following parishes shall constitute the South
25 Zone: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, East
26 Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson
27 Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemine, Pointe Coupee, St.
28 Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St.
29 Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington,
30 West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.
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1 E. The area now included in that area of the Gulf of Mexico defined as being
2 within 200 miles of the state of Louisiana shall constitute the Offshore Zone.
3 §2. State plane coordinate system; zones Designation for use in North, South, and
4 Offshore Zones
5 A. The official geodetic datums for geodetic coordinates referenced within
6 the state shall be as defined by the National Spatial Reference System established by
7 the National Geodetic Survey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
8 Administration, or its successors. As established for use in the North Zone, the
9 Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927 or the Louisiana Coordinate System of 1983
10 shall be named; and in any land description in which it is used, it shall be designated
11 the "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927 North Zone" or "Louisiana Coordinate
12 System of 1983 North Zone".
13 B. The official state plane coordinate system for defining and stating the
14 positions or locations of points on the surface of the earth within the state is the most
15 recent version of the state plane coordinate system for Louisiana based on the
16 National Spatial Reference System established by the National Geodetic Survey and
17 shall be known as the Louisiana Plane Coordinate System. As established for use
18 in the South Zone, the Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927 or the Louisiana
19 Coordinate System of 1983 shall be named; and in any land description in which it
20 is used, it shall be designated the "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927 South
21 Zone" or "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1983 South Zone".
22 (1) For the purpose of using the Louisiana Plane Coordinate System, the
23 state is divided into three projection zone layers designated as the North Zone, the
24 South Zone, and the Statewide Zone, the areas of which are as follows:
25 (a) The area now included in the following parishes shall constitute the
26 North Zone: Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne,
27 Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln,
28 Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine,
29 Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, and Winn.
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1 (b) The area now included in the following parishes extending to the coastal
2 boundary of Louisiana shall constitute the South Zone: Acadia, Allen, Ascension,
3 Assumption, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana,
4 Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche,
5 Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemine, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St.
6 Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St.
7 Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge,
8 and West Feliciana.
9 (c) The area now included in the areas of the North Zone and South Zone
10 shall constitute the Statewide Zone.
11 (2) For purposes of defining more precisely the Louisiana Plane Coordinate
12 System, the following definitions are adopted:
13 (a) The "Louisiana Plane Coordinate System North Zone" is a Lambert
14 conformal conic projection of the National Spatial Reference System NATRF2022
15 or its successors, having a central parallel at north latitude 31 degrees 54 minutes 00
16 seconds, along which parallel the scale shall be 0.999 93 (exact). The origin of the
17 North Zone is at the intersection of the meridian 92 degrees 30 minutes west
18 longitude and the parallel 31 degrees 54 minutes 00 seconds north latitude. This
19 origin is given the coordinates: x (east) = 495,300 meters and y (north) = 190,500
20 meters.
21 (b) The "Louisiana Plane Coordinate System South Zone" is a Lambert
22 conformal conic projection of the National Spatial Reference System NATRF2022
23 or its successors, having a standard parallel at north latitude 30 degrees 00 minutes
24 00 seconds, along which parallel the scale shall be 0.999 93 (exact). The origin of
25 the South Zone is at the intersection of the meridian 91 degrees 30 minutes 00
26 seconds west longitude and the parallel 30 degrees 00 minutes 00 seconds north
27 latitude. This origin is given the coordinates: x (east) = 609,600 meters and y (north)
28 = 190,500 meters.
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1 (c) The "Louisiana Plane Coordinate System Statewide Zone" has statewide
2 coverage. It is a Hotine Oblique Mercator projection of the National Spatial
3 Reference System NATRF2022 or its successors, having a north latitude of 31
4 degrees 00 minutes 00 seconds and a west longitude of 91 degrees 30 minutes, 00
5 seconds and a skew azimuth of -68 degrees 00 minutes 00 seconds at that point, and
6 the skew axis scale shall be 0.999 8 (exact). This origin is given the coordinates: x
7 (east) = 914,400 meters and y (north) = 381,000 meters.
8 C. The provisions of this Section shall not be construed to prohibit the
9 appropriate use of other datums or geodetic reference networks when required and
10 appropriate. As established for use in that area of the Gulf of Mexico defined as
11 being within 200 miles of the state of Louisiana, it shall constitute the Offshore
12 Zone.
13 §3. Linear units defined Plane coordinates
14 A. The plane coordinates used to express the position or location of a point
15 on the earth's surface within an appropriate plane coordinate system zone shall
16 consist of two distances which shall be expressed in meters and decimals of a meter
17 or in feet and decimals of a foot. One of these distances, to be known as the East or
18 X-coordinate, shall give the distance east of the Y-axis; the other distance, to be
19 known as the North or Y-coordinate, shall give the distance north of the X-axis. The
20 Y-axis of any zone shall be parallel with the central meridian of that zone. The
21 X-axis of any zone shall be at right angles to the central meridian of that zone.
22 B. When the values are expressed in feet, the U.S. survey foot shall be used
23 as the standard foot for the Louisiana Plane Coordinate System.
24 The plane coordinate values for a point on the earth's surface, used to express
25 the geographic position or location of such point in the appropriate zone of this
26 system, shall consist of two distances expressed in U.S. Survey feet and decimals of
27 a foot when using the Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927 and expressed in meters
28 and decimals of a meter, or the equivalent distance in feet and decimals of a foot,
29 (conversion factor is 3937 divided by 1200), when using the Louisiana Coordinate
30 System of 1983. One of these distances to be known as the "x-coordinate", shall give
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1 the position in an east and west direction; the other, to be known as the "y-
2 coordinate", shall give the position in a north and south direction. These coordinates
3 shall be made to depend upon and conform to plane rectangular coordinate values
4 for the monumented points of the North American Horizontal Geodetic Control
5 Network as published by the National Ocean Service/National Geodetic Survey, or
6 its successors, and whose plane coordinates have been computed on the systems
7 defined in this Chapter. Any such station may be used for establishing a survey
8 connection to either Louisiana Coordinate System.
9 §4. Describing of location
10 For purposes of describing the location of any point in the state of Louisiana,
11 it shall be considered a complete, legal, and satisfactory description of such location
12 to give the position of a said survey station or land boundary corner on the system
13 of plane coordinates defined in this Chapter.
14 §5. Purchaser or mortgagee reliance on description not required to rely on
15 description depending solely on system
16 Nothing contained in this Chapter shall require a purchaser or mortgagee to
17 rely on a description, which depends exclusively upon a particular state plane
18 coordinate system either Louisiana Coordinate System.
19 §6. Land in different zones
20 When any tract of land to be defined by a single description extends from one
21 zone into another the other of the above coordinate zones, the positions of all points
22 on its boundaries may be referred to either of the two zones, but the zone which is
23 used shall be being specifically named in the description.
24 §7. Superseded state coordinate systems; definitions retained Louisiana Coordinate
25 System defined
26 A. The Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927 was deprecated beginning
27 December 31, 1995, and the Louisiana Coordinate System of 1983 will be
28 deprecated upon the National Geodetic Survey's release of the National Spatial
29 Reference System of 2022. The previously adopted definitions for these deprecated
30 systems are retained.
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1 B. Zones. For these deprecated systems, the state was divided into a North
2 Zone, a South Zone, and an Offshore Zone as follows:
3 (1) The area now included in the following parishes shall constitute the
4 North Zone: Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne,
5 Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln,
6 Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine,
7 Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, and Winn.
8 (2) The area now included in the following parishes shall constitute the
9 South Zone: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Beauregard, Calcasieu,
10 Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson,
11 Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemine, Pointe
12 Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St.
13 Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion,
14 Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.
15 (3) The area now included in that area of the Gulf of Mexico defined as
16 being within two hundred miles of the state of Louisiana shall constitute the Offshore
17 Zone.
18 C. Definition of zones.
19 (1) For purposes of more precisely defining the Louisiana Coordinate
20 System of 1927, the following definition by the United States Coast and Geodetic
21 Survey, now National Ocean Service/National Geodetic Service, was previously is
22 adopted:
23 (1) (a) The "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927 North Zone" is a Lambert
24 conformal conic projection of the Clarke spheroid of 1866, having standard parallels
25 at north latitudes 31 degrees 10 minutes and 32 degrees 40 minutes, along which
26 parallels the scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinate is at the intersection of the
27 meridian 92 degrees 30 minutes west of Greenwich and the parallel 30 degrees 40
28 minutes north latitude. This origin is given the coordinates: x = 2,000,000' and y =
29 0', as now defined.
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1 (2) (b) The "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927 South Zone" is a Lambert
2 conformal conic projection of the Clarke spheroid of 1866, having standard parallels
3 at north latitudes 29 degrees 18 minutes and 30 degrees 42 minutes, along which
4 parallels the scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is at the intersection of
5 the meridian 91 degrees 20 minutes west of Greenwich and the parallel 28 degrees
6 40 minutes north latitude. This origin is given the coordinates: x = 2,000,000' and
7 y= 0', as now defined.
8 B. (2) For purposes of more precisely defining the Louisiana Coordinate
9 System of 1983, the following definition by the National Ocean Service/National
10 Geodetic Service was previously is adopted:
11 (1) (a) The "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1983 North Zone" is a Lambert
12 conformal conic projection of the North American Datum of 1983, having standard
13 parallels at north latitudes 31 degrees 10 minutes and 32 degrees 40 minutes, along
14 which parallels the scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is at the
15 intersection of the meridian 92 degrees 30 minutes west of Greenwich and the
16 parallel 30 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. This origin is given the coordinates:
17 x = 1,000,000 meters and y = 0 meters.
18 (2) (b) The "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1983 South Zone" is a Lambert
19 conformal conic projection of the North American Datum of 1983, having standard
20 parallels at north latitudes 29 degrees 18 minutes and 30 degrees 42 minutes along
21 which parallels the scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is at the
22 intersection of the meridian 91 degrees 20 minutes west of Greenwich and the
23 parallel 28 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. This origin is given the coordinates:
24 x = 1,000,000 meters and y = 0 meters.
25 (3) (c) The "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1983 Offshore Zone" is a
26 Lambert conformal conic projection of the North American Datum 1983, having
27 standard parallels at north latitudes 26 degrees 10 minutes and 27 degrees 50
28 minutes, along which parallels the scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is
29 at the intersection of the meridian 91 degrees 20 minutes west of Greenwich and the
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1 parallel 25 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. This origin is given the coordinates:
2 x = 1,000,000 meters and y = 0 meters.
3 §8. Accuracy requirements Distance of boundary points from station
4 A. Accuracy requirements for surveys and maps purporting to define the
5 position of a point shall be those expressed in the Standards of Practice for Boundary
6 Surveys promulgated by the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying
7 Board or its successor. No survey or map purporting to define the position of a point
8 shall be presented for recordation in any public land records or deed records unless
9 they comply with these accuracy requirements.
10 B. Accuracy requirements for mapping shall be those expressed in the
11 United States National Map Accuracy Standards or its successor unless the project
12 specifically calls for the use of another standard, in which case, the alternative
13 standard shall be clearly stated on the map or document.
14 No coordinate based on either Louisiana Coordinate System, purporting to
15 define the position of a point, shall be presented to be recorded in any public land
16 records or deed records unless such point is within five kilometers of a monumented
17 horizontal control station established in conformity with the standards of accuracy
18 and specification for first or second-order geodetic surveying as prepared and
19 published by the Federal Geodetic Control Committee (FGCC) of the United States
20 Department of Commerce. Standards and Specifications of the FGCC or its
21 successors in force on date of said survey shall apply. The publishing of the existing
22 control stations, or the acceptance with intent to publish the newly established
23 control stations, by the National Ocean Service/National Geodetic Service will
24 constitute evidence of adherence to the FGCC Specification. Above limitations may
25 be modified by a duly authorized state agency, the Department of Transportation and
26 Development, to meet local conditions.
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1 §9. Duly authorized state agency
2 The state Department of Transportation and Development is designated as the
3 authorized state agency, as referred to in R.S. 50:8, to administer the provisions of
4 this Chapter, to collect and distribute information, to authorize such modifications
5 as are referred to in R.S. 50:8, and generally to advise with and assist appropriate
6 state and federal agencies and individuals interested in the development of the
7 provisions of this Chapter.
8 §10. Use of Louisiana coordinate system names term "Louisiana Coordinate
9 System" in document
10 Use of the terms "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927", "Louisiana
11 Coordinate System of 1983", and "Louisiana Plane Coordinate System" on any map,
12 report of a survey, or other document shall be limited to coordinates based on the
13 coordinate systems defined in this Chapter.
14 The use of the term "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1927 'North', 'South'
15 Zones" or "Louisiana Coordinate System of 1983 'North', 'South', or 'Offshore'
16 Zones" on any map, report of survey, or other document shall be limited to
17 coordinates based on the Louisiana Coordinate System as defined in this Chapter.
18 * * *
19 §173.1. Geodetic Vertical control standards
20 Controls Vertical controls for all surveys shall be determined in the National
21 Spatial Reference System or its successors North American Vertical Datum of 1988
22 (NAVD88). All measurements shall be referenced to local control stations of the
23 National Spatial Reference System or its successors, specifically the public domain
24 Louisiana State University Continuously Operating Reference Stations network or
25 other reference stations currently approved by the National Oceanographic and
26 Atmospheric Administration National Geodetic Survey approved reference stations,
27 such as benchmarks, monuments, or continually operating reference stations.
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1 Section 2. R.S. 50:11 is hereby repealed in its entirety.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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