The Surveyor of the District of Columbia shall receive a salary in lieu of fees, and shall be appointed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia for a term of 4 years, unless sooner removed for cause, and shall be under the direction and control of the said Mayor.

(Mar. 3, 1901, 31 Stat. 1424, ch. 854, § 1577.)

1981 Ed., § 1-901.

1973 Ed., § 1-601.

History of Office of Surveyor: The Office of the Surveyor was abolished and the functions thereof transferred to the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia by Reorganization Plan No. 5 of 1952. Reorganization Order No. 27 of the Board of Commissioners, dated April 3, 1953, abolished the previous existing Office of the Surveyor including the office of the head thereof, and established the Office of the Surveyor headed by a Surveyor, under the direction and control of the Engineer Commissioner. All positions under the previous Office of Surveyor were transferred to the new Office with certain named exceptions. This Order was issued pursuant to Reorganization Plan No. 5 of 1952. The executive functions of the Board of Commissioners were transferred to the Commissioner of the District of Columbia by § 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967. There was established within the District of Columbia Department of Transportation the Office of Surveyor by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1982, effective December 8, 1982. The functions of the Department of Transportation were transferred to the Department of Public Works be Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1983, effective March 1, 1984.

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to the District of Columbia Council, subject to the right of the Commissioner as provided in § 406 of the Plan. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.