1. Standard of length constructed. The county commissioners, at the expense of their respective counties, shall erect and maintain in their county, at a place convenient to the public, a standard of length at least 100 feet long with suitable subdivisions marked on it. This standard may consist of stone monuments permanently fixed with metal plates on the tops of the monuments, properly marked and protected, or of a steel bar of the necessary length properly marked and suitably placed and protected. All such standards must correspond with the standard of the National Bureau of Standards and must be provided with proper means for determining the tension of tapes or chains during comparison. These standards are under the care and custody of the county commissioners.

2. Record book; comparisons. The county commissioners shall keep a suitable book for the record of comparisons. The standards shall be accessible to any person for comparing any tape, chain or other linear measure.

3. Surveyors’ comparisons. Before making surveys in this State and at least annually, every surveyor must compare the tape or chain used in those surveys with the standard in the county in which the surveyor resides or in which surveys are to be made, and shall record the result in the book provided for that purpose. The surveyor must describe the tape or chain with the difference, if any, between that tape or chain and the standard, together with the date and temperature and the tension on the tape or chain at the time of comparison.

4. Violation. When this standard is completed in any county, any surveyor residing or making surveys in that county who neglects or refuses to comply with this section is liable to the penalties under section 1003.