Ludlow Engineering and Land Survey

Image via Wikipedia

Getting a Land Survey In Utah Is Easy!

Many people ask on how one gets or requests a land survey.  I hope we can explain this process and detail it in a way, that it makes sense and sounds easy.

What is a boundry survey?

A boundary survey determines the property lines of a parcel of land described in a deed. It will also indicate the extent of any easements or encroachments and may show the limitations imposed on the property by state or local regulations.

When is a survey needed?

A survey is strongly recommended before buying, subdividing, improving or building on land. Surveying the parcel before these activities ensures that the expense and frustration of defending a lawsuit, moving a building, or resolving a boundry dispute can be avoided.

What does a standard boundary survey entail?

The surveyor thoroughly examines the historical records relating to the land in question and often all lands surrounding it. In addition to the Registry of Deeds this research may include: the Registry of Probate, county commissioners’ offices, town offices, historical associations and the Department of Transportation. The surveyor may also talk with prior owners and adjoiners.

The field work begins after the research and involves establishing a control network of known points called a traverse. The points are used to search for and locate existing monuments and other evidence of the boundaries. Although the field portion of a survey is the most visible phase of surveying, it usually represents only a third of the entire project.

The results of the field work are compared with the research and the surveyor then reconciles all the information to arrive at a final conclusion about the boundaries. A second field trip is then needed to set the new monuments. Finally, the surveyor will draft a plan, prepare a legal description and write a report.

How much does a survey cost?

The cost of a boundary survey depends on many variables, some of which can not be known until after the work has started. The size, terrain, vegetation, location and season affect the charges and can usually be estimated fairly accurately. However, the surveyor will not know if deeded monuments are missing or if they conflict with the description until well into the survey.

The complexity of the research is also usually not known until the surveyor begins the actual work. Some parcels have passed through many owners over the years. Some may have added adjacent parcels or sold off portions of the orginal lot. The more outparcels and consolidations there have been, the more complex and costly the research becomes. Many deeds are “abutter deeds” which use the neighbors’ names to define boundaries. In some cases it may be necessary to research parcels far removed from the land being surveyed to assemble the jigsaw puzzle of old deeds and it is not unusual for the research to account for 50% or more of the total survey cost.

What are the results of a boundary survey?

Depending on the services agreed on, a boundary survey may produce:

1. Monuments at all property corners
2. A written description of the property
3. A plan of the property
4. A report explaining the basis of decisions and judgements made to determine the boundaries.

How will the boundaries be marked?

This also depends on what the client and the surveyor have agreed to. Monuments may include wooden posts, iron pins or pipes, marked trees or concrete monuments. Maine survey standards require that each monument set by a surveyor must clearly show his or her license number. Additionally, you may want to have the surveyor blaze and/or paint trees along the boundary line.

_{»crosslinked«}

What is a boundry survey?

A boundary survey determines the property lines of a parcel of land described in a deed. It will also indicate the extent of any easements or encroachments and may show the limitations imposed on the property by state or local regulations.

When is a survey needed?

A survey is strongly recommended before buying, subdividing, improving or building on land. Surveying the parcel before these activities ensures that the expense and frustration of defending a lawsuit, moving a building, or resolving a boundry dispute can be avoided.

What does a standard boundary survey entail?

The surveyor thoroughly examines the historical records relating to the land in question and often all lands surrounding it. In addition to the Registry of Deeds this research may include: the Registry of Probate, county commissioners’ offices, town offices, historical associations and the Department of Transportation. The surveyor may also talk with prior owners and adjoiners.

The field work begins after the research and involves establishing a control network of known points called a traverse. The points are used to search for and locate existing monuments and other evidence of the boundaries. Although the field portion of a survey is the most visible phase of surveying, it usually represents only a third of the entire project.

The results of the field work are compared with the research and the surveyor then reconciles all the information to arrive at a final conclusion about the boundaries. A second field trip is then needed to set the new monuments. Finally, the surveyor will draft a plan, prepare a legal description and write a report.

How much does a survey cost?

The cost of a boundary survey depends on many variables, some of which can not be known until after the work has started. The size, terrain, vegetation, location and season affect the charges and can usually be estimated fairly accurately. However, the surveyor will not know if deeded monuments are missing or if they conflict with the description until well into the survey.

The complexity of the research is also usually not known until the surveyor begins the actual work. Some parcels have passed through many owners over the years. Some may have added adjacent parcels or sold off portions of the orginal lot. The more outparcels and consolidations there have been, the more complex and costly the research becomes. Many deeds are “abutter deeds” which use the neighbors’ names to define boundaries. In some cases it may be necessary to research parcels far removed from the land being surveyed to assemble the jigsaw puzzle of old deeds and it is not unusual for the research to account for 50% or more of the total survey cost.

What are the results of a boundary survey?

Depending on the services agreed on, a boundary survey may produce:

1. Monuments at all property corners
2. A written description of the property
3. A plan of the property
4. A report explaining the basis of decisions and judgements made to determine the boundaries.

How will the boundaries be marked?

This also depends on what the client and the surveyor have agreed to. Monuments may include wooden posts, iron pins or pipes, marked trees or concrete monuments. Maine survey standards require that each monument set by a surveyor must clearly show his or her license number. Additionally, you may want to have the surveyor blaze and/or paint trees along the boundary line.

Land Survey Coordination

Land is a very big asset for the owner and as any asset, it has to be calculated for its worth as well as its boundaries have to be determined to ensure that the owner’s rights to his property can be preserved. This is the aspect where the land survey comes in. Land survey as the name suggests is all about the calculation of the boundaries and the survey conducted to make sure that the quality and other aspects of the land remain intact.

Land survey coordination is a big aspect of any property deals or even in cases of inheritances. This is because the extent and the boundary of the property have to be carefully measured and then legalised for such deals and it can only be done with the help of carefully conducted surveys.

Ground survey is a profession that has a large scope because even the construction of maps depends upon the careful execution of the proper surveys. Land survey coordination can be conducted by any authorised surveyor but the bigger the extent of the project is; the bigger is the need for man power and tools for the surveys.

There are vast machinery and tools that have to be used to get decent land surveys and in some cases the extent of the land is so large that it is not possible for a single person to complete the project on their own.

In some cases like the government land surveys or surveys conducted by promoters to construct large buildings and society areas, the project of the survey coordination is leased or put on contracts and the tender for these contracts is made available to the different survey coordination agencies and these agencies are selected on the basis of their price quotes and their earlier experiences and track records.

However, if an individual wants to consider land survey coordination for their personal property and the extent of the holding or the property is large enough to warrant a survey, it is advisable that they do their research and gather all the information before they reach the consensus of deciding the perfect land survey coordinator for themselves.

They should make sure that they are clear about the reason for their conducting the survey. For instance sometimes they might be conducting the survey because they need the question of property or inheritance to be settled or sometimes there is a situation of buying or selling a fraction of the total property for which a proper mark up of the boundaries of the property has to be determined.

In fact it is not a good idea to buy or a sell a property without getting it surveyed by a land survey coordinator first.

Once the surveyor is decided upon, make sure that all the proper documents are made available to the surveyor for a proper documented survey. Again make sure that the communication between the owners and the surveyors is quite clear and they have a clear idea about the purpose and the objectivity of the survey.