How to Find Someone to Survey Your Property Boundary Correctly

There are different reasons why somebody would need boundary surveying in their property. Often, this type of surveying is done if the owner of the property wants to legally place an item on the property such as a new structure or a fence.

A Licensed Land Surveyor

When hiring a land surveyor, you have to make sure that he is duly licensed by your state. A “licensed” land surveyor means he was able to complete his studies, passed all exams and is certified to perform specific types of land surveys.

Hiring a licensed land surveyor is especially important if there is a dispute over a certain area of a property as the court would be asking for the current boundary survey result as well as testimony from a licensed land surveyor. With this being said, you also have to make sure that the surveyor you’re going to hire can also stand as an expert witness in court.

Looking for a Licensed Land Surveyor

If your property has been surveyed before, it would be easier for you to contact that land surveyor again. This is the best option for several reasons; he already has all information about your property, making it easier for him to perform a new type of survey.

You can typically find your land surveyor’s information on the survey result given to you (if you’ve bought the property from somebody, for instance) or the result given to you by the surveyor himself.

If you don’t have the survey drawing, you can also check the markers put in place by the surveyor during the last survey done on your property. These markers, which looks like iron pegs or pipes, should have the surveyor’s license number/ name on it. You can use this information to find the surveyor online.

If you can’t find the surveyor who worked on your property before, or if the property has never been surveyed, you should easily find a land surveyor in your area (for a land surveyor in the Vermont area, click here).

Important Points to Remember when Hiring an ALTA Surveyor

  • As mentioned, make sure that he or she is a licensed land surveyor.
  • He or she should have experience in performing alta boundary surveys. If you’re going to pay somebody, you’d rather have someone who has done it before, right?
  • Look for someone easy to talk to. Communication is very important when hiring a land surveyor. You see, surveying is more of an art than a science – this is why land surveying results vary. It’s important that your surveyor understand why you’re having the survey, what you’re going to use the results for and how soon you’ll be needing the results.
author avatar
Surveyor

More Posts

Rural Vermont farmland evaluated as part of a due diligence survey before purchase
alta survey
Surveyor

Due Diligence Survey Steps for Buying Rural Land

Rural land rarely comes with clear answers about where it starts and stops. Fences move over time. Stone walls often follow old cow paths, not deed lines. A tax map might show a neat square when the real boundary bends through the woods. If you are buying rural land under

Read More »
Aerial view of a commercial property and parking area for an ALTA title survey
alta survey
Surveyor

How an ALTA Title Survey Supports a Smooth Commercial Purchase

On many commercial deals, buyers order the ALTA title survey late, sometimes only a few weeks before closing. That timing puts stress on everyone. The survey does more when it starts early and stays part of the buying process from the first weeks under contract. Think of it as shared

Read More »
Surveyor performing a construction survey on a Vermont construction site
construction
Surveyor

What Does a Construction Survey Include?

A construction survey turns a project’s design into marks on the ground. What it includes shifts with the plans, the site, and what the surveyor was hired to do. This article covers what a construction survey can include, from prep to final records. What Information Is Prepared Before Construction Begins?

Read More »
A mortgage survey being completed for a Vermont home before the property closing
land surveying
Surveyor

When Does a Property Need a Mortgage Survey?

Not every property closing calls for a mortgage survey. Whether one is required comes down to the lender’s underwriting file, not a state law or a blanket rule. Here’s how the pieces fit together, and what to check before you order anything. Start With the Loan Instructions, Not a Blanket

Read More »
Boundary survey held beside a residential fence line, showing how a fence may differ from the surveyed property boundary
boundary surveying
Surveyor

The Fence Is Where? Reading a Boundary Survey

A boundary survey and a fence line are not always the same thing. On many older properties, the fence went up decades before anyone ordered a current survey. Reading the drawing correctly takes more than glancing at where the fence sits on the ground.  Start With the Survey’s Orientation, Not

Read More »
Surveyor using a total station to complete a construction survey on an active Vermont construction site
construction
Surveyor

When Do You Need a Construction Survey?

Plans get approved. Permits get signed. Then someone has to put a shovel in the ground in the right spot. A construction survey is what connects the paper design to the actual site, and knowing when a project needs one can save a contractor from tearing out work and starting

Read More »