FAQs
When Do I Need a Professional Surveyor?
Surveying, is frequently needed when formally establishing boundaries of properties or accurately measuring surface dimensions for construction. Exact appraisals are often required by law or substantiate as proof during legal disputes. If you are unsure about your current needs, please feel free to contact us for more information.
Who can request a survey?
We provide services to Realtors, Title Companies, Property Owners, Contractors, Builders, Engineering Firms, and Architectural Firms.
What do I need to prepare for Land Surveying?
Your land surveyor will take you through each step of the process, and generally we will need the official legal documentation for the property in question. These documents are typically a copy of the deed or a copy of your Title Insurance Policy. We will also need an address of the site if not rural.
How much with the survey cost?
It depends. Nearly all projects have unique conditions and situations that need to be considered, which is extremely difficult to standardize in advance. The cost for most land surveying work is based on the following variables:
Record Research: This varies by the number of parcels involved; and the number of past transactions. This necessary step is often complicated by the casual manner in which land transactions have been handled in the past, resulting in many vague, incomplete, and often contradictory legal descriptions and land records.
Type of Survey: Costs may increase as the required precision and scope of the survey increases.
Size and Shape of the Property: An irregularly shaped parcel has more corners to monument and a longer boundary than a rectangular parcel containing the same area.
Terrain: A level parcel is easier to survey than a hilly parcel.
Amount of Existing Evidence on the Property: Existing evidence such as iron, wood, concrete, or stone monuments, old fences, and lines of occupation aid the surveyor. Their absence may compound difficulties involved in retracing boundaries.
Local Knowledge of the Property: Someone pointing out accepted occupation lines and monumentation is a considerable aid to the surveyor.
Abutter Difficulties: When neighbors are cooperative, an otherwise difficult or impossible boundary line location may be established by a boundary line agreement.
Time of the Year: In the Summer, foliage may present problems making traversing difficult. In the Winter, weather may slow travel to and from the site, and sometimes conceal field evidence. Frozen ground often makes things more difficult as well.
Title Company & Public Agency Requirements: Title companies or public agencies may require considerably more documentation than is normally required by the average land owner.
Because of these variables, it is difficult to determine exact fees. However, based on general experience, knowledge of the area, and the requirements for the work, the Land Surveyor can usually furnish an approximate estimate of the costs.
What kind of survey do I need?
Although specializations of surveys are classified in different ways for various local and regulatory institutions, the type of survey will most likely be specified by the entity requiring the survey. Below are eight types of surveys we offer.
Mortgage Surveys - A mortgage survey is generally conducted to determine land boundaries and building locations. A relatively simple survey, it will note buildings, sheds, fences, easements and required building setbacks, and natural landmarks. The survey you receive will provide a comprehensive report of the property details.
Lot Surveys - Establishes all corners and property lines of the subject property, to include finding or setting monuments.
Farm Surveys / Section Subdividing - A farm survey is used to locate the existing boundaries and determine the area of land which has been subdivided. In other cases, a farm survey is used to divide larger sections into smaller ones. In both cases, it is common that the survey will require the finding or re-establishment of several, if not all of the section and quarter-section corners in that particular section, in order to properly determine and or further subdivide the areas of land in question.
Topographical Surveys - A topographic or topographical land survey shows the height, depth, size and location of any manmade or natural features on a given parcel of land, as well as the changes or contours in elevation throughout the parcel. While boundary surveys focus on horizontal measurements, topographic surveys are about elevation.
Construction Staking - Construction Staking, also known as a Site Layout Survey, is the process of interpreting construction plans and marking the location of proposed new structures such as roads or buildings. Construction staking is performed to ensure a project is built according to engineering design plans.
ALTA Surveys - An ALTA Survey is a detailed survey performed by a registered licensed surveyor, prepared in accordance with the standards specified by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping (ACSM). An ALTA Survey shows the boundaries of the property, the location of improvements on the subject property, including any and all structures, fences, utility lines, roads, etc., along with the location of any/all easements. This is one of the most detailed surveys available.
Subdivision Platting - Subdivision platting is the process of splitting one larger piece of land into several smaller parcels of land and drawing a map (or plat) of the new subdivision, often for the purpose of selling off the parcels individually.
As-Built Surveys -The purpose of the As-Built Survey is to show the property “as it is built” at a particular point in time. While a pre-construction survey is performed to document conditions prior to construction work being performed, the As-Built survey is conducted to show the current state of the site at various stages throughout the duration of a project. It also serves as a close-out document to verify that the work authorized was completed to plans and in compliance with all relevant standards and regulations.
Tower Surveys - Cellular Tower development surveys are surveys prepared for the construction of cellular towers. During the course of this type of survey, we define the limits of the lease area for the carrier, prepare a topographic survey of the area, and place monuments. We establish the latitude and longitude of the site in order to meet FAA requirements for horizontal and vertical accuracy.