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«}

Image via Wikipedia

Boundary Survey and Property Surveys in Utah

Boundary Survey

Related articles

• Utah Land Surveyors (ludlowengineers.com)
• Land Surveyors in Utah (ludlowengineers.com)
• Ludlow Engineering Knows Land Surveys (ludlowengineers.com)
• Ludlow Performs All Kinds Of Land Surveys (ludlowengineers.com)
• Uses Of Boundary Surveys (ludlowengineers.com)

  Surveying or land surveying is the technique, art, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the surface of the Earth, and they are often used to establish land maps and boundaries for ownership or governmental purposes.

To accomplish their objective, surveyors use elements of geometry, engineering, trigonometry, mathematics, physics, and law.

An alternative definition, per the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), is the science and art of making all essential measurements to determine the relative position of points and/or physical and cultural details above, on, or beneath the surface of the Earth, and to depict them in a usable form, or to establish the position of points and/or details.   (Wikipedia)

As a Land surveyor in the State of Utah, the above definition is an accurate description. In addition, the land Surveyor researches old documents and survey data from the times of the pioneers through the late 1800′s. The surveyor needs to locate points on the ground called Section corners, that were set back in these times for the control of a land boundary survey. This sometimes requires hours of research and planning. The old records will sometimes describe the location of the section corner by reference to other physical features such as the top of a ridge, a ledge, a stream, a road, or old trail. Some of these features still exist and are used to help locate the section corner, which may be a stone, a post, mound, or other type of marker as described in the old record.

 The old methods of surveying were not entirely accurate. Sometimes the bearings and distances are considerably different on the ground from corner to corner than was stated in the old record. The law states the corner shall forever remain in the original position it was placed for the corner it was intended to represent, regardless of the error to record.

 Land Surveying in Utah and in all other States can sometimes be a complicated process. That is one reason why we need the talents and skills of the Professional Land Surveyors.

                                                                              Daryl N Penrod PLS, Utah