From the desk of: Brenda Huss
Land Survey: A land survey is performed for the purpose of locating, describing, monumenting and mapping the boundaries and corners of a parcel of land. It may also include mapping the location of buildings or other improvements on the property.
Boundary: A boundary is any natural or artificial separation marking the border of two adjacent properties. A natural boundary exists in nature (such as a river or rock outcroppings) while an artificial boundary is one of a relatively permanent nature such as a road or man-made feature.
Professional Land Surveyor (aka surveyor): An individual who practices and is currently registered with a state board after years of education, experience, and successful completion of licensing examinations. A surveyor provides their service in compliance with applicable city, county, and state laws and regulations.
If a lending institution requires either a Land Survey Plat or an Improvement Location Certificate of your property when you borrow money on it.
If you believe there may be a land-use conflict on your property.
Prior to developing and/or subdividing any parcel of land for sale.
In order to protect your investment. The surveyor can locate the boundaries of your property where improvements are planned and/or constructed, and can layout proposed improvements on your property. These professional services assure that your improvements are positioned correctly, possibly preventing costly complications.
Review your deed, along with other evidence, and render a professional opinion as to what the records and facts indicate regarding the locations, and any conflicts on the boundaries, of your land.
Advise you of defects (something that can be a safety risk or jeopardize the transaction) – which can have adverse effects on your ownership of the land.
Create a property description for all new parcels or any existing parcels that may have a defect.
Set monuments at your property corners (or more if you request) and mark them so they can be easily found. A monument is a physical object or structure marking the location of a corner or survey point, determined by the surveying process.
Prepare a plat or map (graphic representation) of your property indicating boundary measurements, the monuments found and placed, and the calculated area.
Upon completion of the survey, you will be provided with copies of the survey with the Professional Land Surveyor’s signature and seal. Every state has their own rules and regulations after a survey is completed, so check with the surveyor you hire as to what the process will be after the survey is completed. The survey will show and identify the property along with the description and all physical characteristics of found and/or set monuments described. When applicable, easements of record will be shown.
The competency, reputation, and experience of several surveyors should be considered before you select one. Hiring the lowest cost surveyor does not always protect your interests. A surveyor’s familiarity and knowledge of the area is important also. When you do hire a surveyor to do work for you, make sure the surveyor understands why you want a survey; for example, to mark the property line every 10-20 feet if you are installing a fence. The surveyor can advise you as to what standards and type of survey is required.
When you have a survey done, make sure you keep a copy, or two, even if it is recorded in the county recording system. If you buy land, always ask if there is a survey on the land you are buying and if so, ask for a copy of the survey.
There are three primary types of legal descriptions in the US:
Metes & Bounds – boundaries identified by natural landmarks & monuments (ex: Beginning at a stake and stones about 30 feet from the center of the brook that runs across the road southwesterly from the dwelling house of the late John Doe now occupied by Jane Doe…)
Lot & Block (aka Recorded Plat) – Begins with a reference to Metes & Bounds or RGSS, then divides the land into lots with numerical descriptions of each parcel. (ex: Lot 6 of Block 3 of the East Subdivision Plat as recorded in Map Book 22, Page 7 at the Recorder of Deeds)
Rectangular Government Survey System (RGSS) – regulated by US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, divides land into townships and further into sections and fractions. Uses the principal meridian as a north-south line that runs through an initial point in the RGSS. The base line is the east-west line from which the measurements originate. (ex: the S1/2 of the NW4 of Section 12, Township 4 North, Range 50 West).
