FAQ

Since a person may require the services of a Professional Land Surveyor only once during their lifetime, they may not be aware of the logical steps to be followed when selecting a Land Surveyor. To help in making such a selecting, we have prepared this page with the answers to a few commonly asked questions. In general, a survey should be made before purchasing real property, when dividing any parcel of land for sale (in conformance with state laws and local ordinances), and prior to the construction of any improvements on property in which you have an interest. Remember, the services of a Land Surveyor today will cost less time in worry and money than the cost of moving improvements or defending a law suit later.

HOW DO I CHOOSE A LAND SURVEYOR?

Only a Registered Professional Land Surveyor licensed by the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying is legally permitted to perform land surveys in the State of Texas. Most active Land Surveyors are listed in the yellow pages of the telephone book, or a listing may be obtained from the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors. The Land Surveyor is an integral part of a professional team composed of attorneys, engineers, architects, planners, and landscape architects. Some land surveying companies offer comprehensive services including some, or all, of the above.

Choose a reputable Land Surveyor in whose skill and judgment you can put your trust. A Land Surveyor should not be selected by price alone. Competency is of first importance. Your selection should be made when you are sure that the professional that you have chosen has all of the facts, and is completely aware of your requirements of the government agency having jurisdiction over the property. Land Surveyors, like other professionals, vary in knowledge and ability. The experiences expressed by clients have shown that the majority of Land Surveyors provide competent work for a reasonable fee.

HOW MUCH WILL A SURVEY COST?

The cost for most land surveying work is determined, based on the following variables:

1. Type of survey: Cost may increase as the required precision and of the scope of the survey increases.
2. Record search: This varies by (a) the number parcels involved; and (b) the number of past transactions. (This necessary step is 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).
3. Size and shape of the property: An irregularly shaped parcel has more corners to monument than a rectangular parcel containing the same area.
4. Sectionalized Survey Work: (Mainly in west Texas) This could require the survey of the entire section (+/-640 acres ) in which the land being surveyed lies, regardless of the area of parcel. In some cases, a survey of more than one section is required, depending on the location of the parcel in question and in relation to the sections shown on the government plat.
5. Terrain: A level parcel of land is easier to survey than a mountainous or hilly parcel.
6. Vegetation: Branches, brush, and small trees must frequently be cleared to afford a line of sight for the Surveyor. Shrubs, flowers and trees on home sites are normally not disturbed, but may require additional field time to work around them.
7. Accessibility: The time to perform the surveying work varies with the distance to, and the difficulty in reaching, the corners on the site.
8. Amount of existing evidence on the poverty: Existing evidence such as iron, wood, or stone monuments, old fences and occupation lines, witness trees, etc. aid the Surveyor. Their absence may compound difficulties involved in retracting the original survey.
9. Local knowledge of property: Someone pointing out accepted occupational lines and monumentation is a considerable aid to the Surveyor.
10. Abutter Difficulties: When neighbors are cooperative, and otherwise difficult or impossible boundary line location may be established by the boundary line agreement.
11. Time of Year: In summer, Foliage may present problems making traversing and observing GPS signals difficult. In winter, weather may slow travel to and on site, and sometimes conceal field evidence.
12. Title Company Requirements: Title companies may require considerably more documentation than is normally required by the average owner.
13. 13. Insurance: Does the surveyor carry Liability, Errors and Omissions, Workman's Compensation and Commercial Automobile insurance? An uninsured surveyor is obviously going to be cheaper than an insured one, but at what future cost? Boundary One, LLC carries all of the above referenced insurance coverage.

Cost estimates and proposals are generated based on the anticipated or desired time to complete the project, in addition to the above referenced variables. Because of these variables, it can be difficult to determine exact fees. However, based on general experience and the requirements for the work, the Surveyor can furnish an approximate estimate of the costs. Land Surveyors familiar with an area or locale are usually more efficient than those who are not.

WHAT WILL A LAND SURVEYOR DO FOR ME?

Q: Will a Land Surveyor tell me what I own?

A: No. It is your responsibility to furnish the Surveyor with a legal description, current title report, or policy concerning the parcel that you want surveyed. He/she will also disclose the areas that are in conflict so that the title company and/or attorney can resolve any problems.

Q: Will I be shown if there are any easements on my property?

A: Yes, if you instruct the Land Surveyor to show encroachments in the area of concern to you.

Q: Will I be shown if there are any easements on my property?

A: Yes, if you instruct the Surveyor to do so, and provide a current title report or title policy to use for this purpose. He/she may supply a map, plat, or exhibit showing this information.

Q: How will I be shown what is surveyed?

A: Corners of the property will be marked with stakes, pipes, or other such monuments with the Registered Professional Land Surveyors registration number or associated employer indicated thereon. The corners on the parcel will be pointed out to you, if requested. A plat of survey will usually be given to you when these monuments are set, indicating dimensions of property lines, monuments, and other relative data as required by the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying, the client, or others.

Q: Should I explain why I want a Survey?

A: Yes. If the Surveyor knows why you want a survey, he/she can recommend the type of survey you need, and how much detail should be shown on the map, plat, and exhibit.

Q: Why are there conflicting boundary and easement lines?

A: It is often true that boundary/easement line disputes, gaps, and overlaps are a result of legal descriptions which were originally written and recorded without the benefit of the services of a competent Land Surveyor. It is important to have these lines are properly described and surveyed, of necessary, when property or easement lines are created or changed. Any newly created or adjusted boundary line requires processing through the local government agency as required by local ordinance and/or Chapter 212 of the Local Govt. Code.

METHODS OF SURVEYING

Most Surveyors use electronic distance and angle measurement equipment, including GPS, as well as the traditional transit and tape. Modern AutoCAD computer systems aid in efficiently gathering measurements and in evaluating all collected evidence required to perform the survey. The Land Surveyor takes pride in being able to use these instruments and computers to perform land surveys efficiently, accurately, and cost effectively.

TYPES OF LAND SURVEYS

ALTA/NSPS (American Land Title Association/National Society of Professional Surveyors) Survey or Extended Title Insurance Coverage Survey:

A survey made for the purpose of supplying a title company and lender with survey and location data necessary for issuing American Land Title Association or Extended Coverage Title Insurance.

Boundary Survey:

A survey for the express purpose of establishing or re-establishing the corners and boundary lines of a given parcel of land. A boundary survey may be an original survey or a retracement survey. An original survey is a subdivision of lands of the Republic of State of Texas. Any subdivision of an existing tract of land is also an original survey and the performance of such a survey is dictated by the client's needs, site considerations, state laws and local ordinances governing subdivisions. However, before a tract of land can be subdivided, its corners and boundaries must be established by a retracement survey. A retracement survey is a boundary survey which re-establishes the corners and boundary lines of a parcel of land previously surveyed. This involves a thorough research of both public and private records to arrive at a proper description of the property. Often the surveyor must include a historical analysis of property configurations in the general area. Such research may involve public records in the original land patent records maintained by the General Land Office in Austin, Texas. Angular and linear measurements locating existing property corners and other evidence of ownership are then correlated with this title research. Complex survey problems, often solved using analytical analysis, trigonometric calculations, high-speed computers and plotters, are then resolved and final monumentation of property corners and boundary lines is established. Easement lines may also be located and/or established with this type of survey. The details of the survey are shown on a survey map or on a series of maps. Copies of maps stamped with the surveyor's seal and usually accompanied by a written legal description are then prepared for the client's needs. The Registered Professional Land Surveyor maintains the original map tracings and other record research as he may be required at a later date to represent his findings in a Court of Law.

Land Title Survey:

If you are purchasing title insurance, often a land title survey is required. This is usually a boundary retracement survey with additional surveying to meet the specific needs required by title insurance companies. The map of such a survey must show particular information in detail and exactness of matters discoverable from survey and inspection, and not necessarily evidenced by public records. Unrecorded easements, access roads to other properties, physical encroachments of buildings, and other visible adverse uses of the property by other parties, are examples of matters of particular concern for a land title survey.

Topographic Survey:

A survey locating topographic features—natural and manmade—such as buildings, improvements, fences, elevations, trees, streams, contours of the land, etc. This type of survey may be required by a governmental agency or may be used by engineers and/or architects for design improvements or developments on site.

Site Planning Survey:

A combination of boundary and topographic surveys for preparation of a site plan to be used for designing improvements or developments.

Subdivision Survey:

The subdivision of a tract of land into smaller parcels, showing monumentation and survey data on a map, in conformance with local ordinances and/or the Texas Local Government Code Chap. 212.

Control Survey:

Precise location of horizontal and vertical positions of points for use in a boundary determination, mapping from aerial photographs, construction staking, and other related purposes.

Court Exhibit Survey:

Analysis of various legal descriptions and survey maps; field locating of record, existing monuments, and physical features; and mapping showing this information for the purpose of presenting a visual exhibit to be used in a courtroom.

Construction Survey:

Construction staking of improvements shown on improvement plans for control of construction on developments for roads, buildings, pipelines, etc.

LAND SURVEYOR-CLIENT RELATIONS

The Professional Land Surveyor renders a highly technical and complex service. He/she is a member of a professional team—attorney Title Company, architect, engineer, and others—and prepares the foundation upon which your project is built.

In cases of controversy, a Land Surveyor appears in court in your behalf as an expert witness. No one else can assume responsibility for the correctness and accuracy of the work performed by an individual Surveyor.