The primary functions of the Hancock County Surveyor's Office are the following:

1. Supervise the construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of the regulated drains
   Regulated Drains are open ditches, tiled drains, urban drains that serve agricultural, residential, and commercial development under the jurisdiction of the Hancock County Drainage Board. The County Surveyor oversees the maintenance of these drains by fixing broken tiles, removing obstructions, brushing and dredging open ditches, removing beaver dams, etc. There are 500 miles of regulated drains in the County. Reconstruction and construction of drains are reviewed and inspected by the County Surveyor. Maintenance assessments of the regulated drains are established by the Drainage Board.
2. Section Corner Perpetuation
   The County Surveyor must keep and maintain a corner record book showing original government section corners. The Surveyor must check, locate, establish, and reference at least 5% of all original corners shown in the Corner Record Book each year.
3. County Drainage Board
   The County Surveyor is an ex-officio and non-voting member of the County Drainage Board. In this capacity the Surveyor is the technical authority on the construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of all regulated drains or proposed regulated drains in the county.
4. Serves on the Technical Committee for the Area Plan Commission
   The Surveyor is a voting member of the committee to review drainage, floodplain, plat compliance, and erosion control issues on residential subdivisions, commercial sites, and building permits.
5. Certification to Alcoholic Beverage Commission
   The County Surveyor must certify that the permit location is within a one mile radius of of an unicorportated area.
6. Private/Natural Drains
   The County Surveyor, through the Drainage Board, reviews complaints regarding obstructions within private and natural drains. When ordered by the Drainage Board, the Surveyor oversees the removal of any obstruction so as to restore proper drainage.
7. Phase II Storm Water
   The Hancock County Surveyor's Office is managing the Phase II Storm Water Program within the unincorporated portion of the county. The water quality program is aimed at reducing pollutes through education, public participation, construction and post construction, illicit discharges and good housekeeping.
8. Benchmarks
   The County Surveyor's Office keeps a record of all benchmarks in the county with elevations and descriptions, including those that have been destroyed. New benchmarks are established during the construction and re-construction of bridges and concrete culverts.
9. GIS (Geographic Information System)
   The County Surveyor's Office includes the GIS department which has several layers, including parcel information, aerial photography, contours, flood zone maps, soil, wetlands, economic development layers, etc.
10. Floodplain Management
    The County Surveyor’s Office maintains the FEMA flood zone maps and reviews all construction related to the floodplain.  We presently have two certified floodplain managers on staff and participate in the Community Rating System to give residents a 10% reduction in flood insurance.
11. Pond Permits
    The County Surveyor's Office oversees the pond permits to make sure they are built without impeding existing drainage and are a safe distance from roads.
12. Other Activities
    The County Surveyor's Office provides programs for local Boy Scout Troops, school programs, and belongs to several affiliate programs such as AIC, INAFSM, ISPLS and IGIC. We attend training programs that will benefit our office and community.