Understanding Surveys

Surveying is the art and science of measuring and mapping land and is most often needed to establish legal boundaries. As with most other circumstances, in residential use the survey discloses the actual lot size, the position and dimensions of structures on the property, and the presence, boundaries and positions of legal aspects such as easements and building setback lines. All 50 states have laws that regulate the competence, integrity and practice of the surveying profession.

Common Uses

Surveys are needed for a variety of purposes. They may be required as part of the lending process. A lender, whether it is a bank, mortgage company or some other financial entity, wants to be sure that the land and buildings upon which they are lending money is exactly as described in the contracts and other documents that accompany the transaction. Surveys establish, clarify or confirm legal descriptions that appear in deeds, mortgages, contracts, and other documents that affect a properties. Surveying is a vital part of the design and construction process, since it is essential that the physical characteristics of any structure being built conform to the physical and legal characteristics of the site. Surveying is also an integral part of the design and placement of infrastructure such as roadways or road improvements. A survey can be used in court to settle disputes over property boundaries and who owns what. A wise owner should always consult his survey before erecting a fence, garage or storage building, or when planting shrubery near the edge of the property to avoid trouble with neighbors and avoid future problems when selling.

What They Do

Land surveyors deal with both mathematical and physical aspects of measuring and apply them to legal aspects of boundary law. To perform a boundary survey the surveyor might research the descriptions of adjoiners, retrace prior surveys, establish or reestablish monumentation, show any physical evidence of possession or easements, keep field notes, address the theoretical uncertainty of his measurements, provide a written survey report and in certain cases, record the plat at the local court house. Since the first and most obvious source of information available to the surveyor is the land itself, their primary job is usually to perform a physical inspection and measurement, but they also work from plats, deeds, and other documents filed in public records, and also from monuments and other physical objects which serve as evidence of where the boundary is located. Residential surveys are typically simple to perform, but large tracts of land can be highly complex jobs. Imagine the difficulty of surveying a tract of land containing thousands of acres where boundaries can include one or more winding rivers. Surveys can be either horizontal or vertical. Horizontal surveys involve compass directions. Vertical surveys involve elevations and are most often needed to determine the height of a landmark, structure or parcel of land above sea level and whether or not a structure lies within a flood hazard.

Equipment

Land surveying is a profession that requires technical skills, legal knowledge, and specialized equipment. The types of equipment used vary with the complexity of the job, but common items in the surveyor's tool kit include tape measures, compass, optical and physical levels, a transit, a tripod, range finder, GPS devices, and a magnatic locator to find metal objects such as marker pins or stakes. Surveyors also must have the necessary skills to keep their equipment in proper repair and adjustment. Modern tools in use now reduce the actual physical labor involved in measuring, and increase accuracy of results. By example, some measurements that used to be taken by hand using tapes or wheels are now taken with laser devices. Computers and software are necessary tools for calculation and reporting, and the widespread availability of aerial and satellite images on the internet are useful.