Questions to Ask a Land Surveyor
For homeowners and land buyers hiring a licensed surveyor before a purchase, a fence, an addition or a boundary disagreement with a neighbor. The questions follow the order of the decision: which type of survey, the surveyor's license and experience, research and fieldwork, the markers and the drawing, cost and timing, and what happens if the result is disputed.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Type of survey
Which type of survey does my project need: a boundary survey, a mortgage location survey, a topographic survey or an ALTA survey?
Why ask it
Say what the survey is for before you ask, whether that is a purchase, a fence, an addition or a disagreement with a neighbor, and let the surveyor name the type. A good answer explains what each one would and would not settle for you. The names differ from state to state, so ask what each product is called where the land is, and be wary of a price quoted before anyone has asked about your purpose.
Could I build a fence or an addition right up to the line this survey shows?
Why ask it
This is the question that separates a full boundary survey from the cheaper drawing a lender or title company orders for a closing. In many places that closing document is not meant for placing anything on the ground, and it often says so in small print. Ask the surveyor to tell you plainly whether theirs is, and what the step up would cost if it is not.
What will this survey not tell me?
Why ask it
The answer comes quickly from anyone who knows the limits of the job. Typical exclusions are buried utilities, wetlands, flood elevations, zoning rules and the question of who owns what, each of which belongs to someone else or to an add-on. Write the list down: it tells you who else you still have to call.
Is there an earlier survey of this property you could work from, and would it lower the price?
Why ask it
Bring whatever you have: the drawing from your closing papers, the seller's copy, the subdivision plat. A surveyor will rarely put their seal on someone else's work, but an old survey tells them which markers to look for and can shorten the research. If the earlier one was theirs, ask what an update costs compared with starting again.
Can you certify the survey to my lender and title company as well as to me, and meet their written requirements?
Why ask it
Get those requirements from the loan officer or closing agent first and hand them over on paper, not as your memory of a phone call. A survey is usually addressed to named parties, and a lender or title insurer may not accept one that leaves them off; adding a name afterwards can mean a revision fee and days you may not have before closing. An ALTA survey also comes with a menu of optional items the lender or its attorney selects, and each one moves the price.
Does the whole parcel have to be surveyed, or can you establish only the line where the fence is going?
Why ask it
Some surveyors will work on a single line, and it sounds like it should cost a fraction of the full job. Often it does not, because fixing one line means finding and measuring corners well beyond it. Ask for both prices; if they are close, the full survey is the better thing to own.
Should I add topography, a flood elevation or tree locations while the crew is already on site?
Why ask it
Check with your architect, engineer or insurance agent before this call, because they are the ones who know what they will ask you for later. Adding ground elevations to a visit already scheduled usually costs less than sending the crew out a second time. If nobody on your project needs it, skip it: extra detail on the drawing is not extra protection.
If I am splitting the parcel or moving a line, will you write the new legal description and prepare what the county needs?
Why ask it
Skip this unless you are dividing land, trading a strip with a neighbor or correcting a deed. If you are, the survey is only one piece: there may be a plat, an application and an approval, and the steps are local. Ask which parts the surveyor handles and which go to an attorney, and get that split into the written agreement.
License and experience
Are you licensed as a professional land surveyor in this state, and what is your license number?
Why ask it
Take the number to the state licensing board's website, which normally shows whether the license is current and sometimes any discipline on record. Boundary work generally has to be signed by a licensed surveyor, and the board can tell you exactly what that state requires. Anyone who is vague about the number is not the person to hire.
Who will do the fieldwork, and who signs and seals the finished survey?
Why ask it
It is normal for a field crew to measure and for the licensed surveyor to review the results and sign. What you want to hear is how involved that person is: whether they look at the evidence the crew found, and whether they come out themselves when a corner is doubtful. Ask for the name of the person who will seal it, since that is whose license you looked up.
How much work have you done in this subdivision or this part of the county?
Why ask it
A surveyor who has worked the area for years has files on nearby lots, knows which old plats are unreliable and may already have measured a corner you share. That can make the job both quicker and better. Someone from two counties away can do sound work as well, but ask how they plan to make up the local knowledge.
Do you carry professional liability insurance, and can I see a certificate?
Why ask it
Professional liability, often called errors and omissions, is the policy that answers for a mistake in the survey itself; general liability covers damage the crew does on site. States differ on whether a surveyor has to carry either, so request both certificates and do not assume. A firm that has them can normally send the paperwork within a day or two.
Have you surveyed any of the properties next to mine, and have you worked for those owners?
Why ask it
Most of the time this is good news: they already hold measurements along your shared line. In a disagreement it needs a second look, because a surveyor who did the neighbor's survey may feel awkward, or may simply be the fastest route to an answer both of you accept. How openly they talk about that is most of your answer.
How much of your work is residential lots like mine, compared with construction or commercial sites?
Why ask it
A firm that lives on large construction contracts may take a single house lot and then let it sit behind bigger clients. Listen for a real share of homeowner work and for someone in the office who handles those jobs. The opposite problem exists too: a one-person shop may be excellent on house lots and not set up for an ALTA survey.
Which local title companies or real estate attorneys see your surveys regularly?
Why ask it
Those offices read surveys every week and know whose work holds up at a closing and whose comes back with questions. One call to a closing agent who knows the name is worth more than a page of online stars. If the surveyor cannot name anyone, ask for two recent homeowner clients you can phone.
Research and fieldwork
Which records will you research before anyone goes into the field?
Why ask it
A thorough answer lists your deed, the neighbors' deeds, recorded plats, earlier surveys and road records, and may mention tracing the description back through older deeds. That research is a large part of what you are paying for, even though you never see it. 'We will go off your deed' is thin, because a deed describes only one side of every line.
Why might your line differ from the county's online parcel map or the lines in a phone app?
Why ask it
The usual explanation is that those maps are drawn for tax and indexing purposes, not measured on the ground, and can sit several feet from the real line. Having heard it from the surveyor, you will remember it when a neighbor holds up a phone and says the stakes are wrong. Be cautious if the parcel map is doing more in their work than helping the crew find the site.
What physical evidence will the crew look for on the ground?
Why ask it
Iron pins, pipes, stones, old fence corners, walls and the markers at your neighbors' corners are the usual list. It explains something that surprises people: the crew will measure well beyond your lot, sometimes across the street or down the block. Mention that to the neighbors beforehand so nobody is alarmed by a tripod at the edge of their lawn.
What happens if you cannot find the original corner markers?
Why ask it
Missing markers are common on older lots, and replacing them from other evidence is routine work that takes longer. Ask how they go about it and whether the quote already allows for it. The worrying reply is one that jumps straight to measuring from the deed, with no mention of looking for what earlier surveyors left behind.
When the deed, the recorded plat and what is on the ground disagree, how do you decide where the line is?
Why ask it
You are not checking the method so much as whether they can explain it in plain words. Surveyors weigh different kinds of evidence in an order shaped by the law where the land is, so have them walk you through it for your lot. Ask too whether they would phone you before finalizing a result that moves a line you thought you knew.
Will you need to go onto my neighbors' land, and who lets them know?
Why ask it
Whether a surveyor may step onto adjoining property, and what notice is owed, is set state by state, so ask what the rule is there. Whatever it says, a friendly word from you a few days ahead costs nothing and prevents a confrontation with the crew. In a dispute, leave the notice to the surveyor so it is done the way the rules require.
What do you need from me before the crew arrives?
Why ask it
Usually your deed, any earlier survey, the title commitment if you are buying, a gate code and the dog kept indoors. The title commitment matters more than it looks, because it lists the recorded easements the surveyor is expected to plot. Clearing brush along the lines yourself sometimes brings the price down, so offer.
Can I be there during the fieldwork, or meet you on site afterwards to see each corner?
Why ask it
For a fence or a dispute, standing at each marker with the person who set it is worth as much as the drawing. Many surveyors would sooner meet you at the end than have you follow the crew all day, which is reasonable. If nobody will ever show you the corners in person, ask how you are meant to find them.
How accurate will the result be, and what standard does it have to meet?
Why ask it
Skip the equipment brands and ask about the standard: many states publish a minimum accuracy for boundary work, the ALTA rules carry their own, and the surveyor should know which applies offhand. Then ask the practical version, which is how close to the true corner a marker is likely to sit. If you are building within inches of a line, say so now.
Will leaves, snow, crops or wet ground change when you can do the work or what it costs?
Why ask it
Thick summer growth blocks sight lines and satellite signals, snow buries markers, and a planted field may be off limits until harvest. On wooded or farm land the season can change both the wait and the price. If you have a closing date, ask this in the first call, not after the quote arrives.
Markers and drawing
Will you set a permanent marker at every corner, and what does one look like?
Why ask it
Many boundary surveys include markers set where none are found, but some survey types include no marking at all, and the rules belong to the state. A common one is an iron rod with a cap stamped with the surveyor's license number, though materials vary. If corners are not marked, what you have bought is a drawing, and a fence crew cannot build from a drawing.
Will you stake the line between the corners so a fence builder can follow it?
Why ask it
On a long, curved or wooded line you cannot see one corner from the next, and the corners alone will not keep a fence straight. Line stakes are commonly an extra, priced by the stake or by the line, so ask for them at the spacing your contractor wants. Book the fence soon after: wooden stakes do not survive mowers and curious children for long.
How will I find the markers again a year from now?
Why ask it
Corner pins are often set flush with the ground or just under it, and grass closes over them within a season. Ask for a tall flagged stake beside each one, then photograph every corner with something permanent in the frame, such as a tree or the edge of a driveway. A cheap metal detector finds an iron rod later if you know roughly where to sweep.
Can I see a sample of the finished drawing from a job like mine?
Why ask it
A sample shows more than any description. Look for the length and direction of every line, which markers were found and which were set, the buildings, the easements, the area, and the surveyor's signature and seal. Then hold it against what your lender or permit office asked for and point out anything missing before work starts.
Will easements and rights of way be drawn on the survey, with their widths and where each one is recorded?
Why ask it
A surveyor plots the easements they are told about, most often from a title commitment. Without title work, ask whether they search for easements themselves, because many do not and will say so in a note on the drawing. An easement shown with its recording reference is one you can pull and read; a dashed line with no source is only a warning.
Will you show everything that crosses the line in either direction, and by how much?
Why ask it
Fences, sheds, driveways, roof overhangs and retaining walls are the usual things, yours over the line as well as the neighbor's. Ask for the distance to be written on the drawing. Many surveyors record the facts and avoid the word encroachment, since what a crossing means legally is a matter for an attorney where the land is.
Will the survey show setback lines, and can you draw my planned addition with its distances to the boundary?
Why ask it
Setbacks printed on a subdivision plat are often shown; zoning setbacks may be left off, because reading the zoning code is the planning office's call. For an addition, what the permit office usually wants is the proposed footprint with measured distances to each line. Find out whether that is included or a separate plot plan with its own fee.
Will the survey state the acreage or square footage, and how might that differ from my deed or the listing?
Why ask it
The figure on a tax bill or a listing is often copied from old records, and a measured area can come out higher or lower. If the price was set by the acre, the difference is money, so raise it with your agent or attorney before the due diligence period ends. The surveyor can usually say where a gap came from.
Will the survey be recorded with the county, or is it a private document for me?
Why ask it
Some states require a boundary survey to be filed, some allow it and some have no place to file one, and the surveyor will know the local practice and the filing fee. A filed survey can be found by later buyers, neighbors and other surveyors, which tends to keep the line settled. If it stays private, store the signed original with your deed.
How long will this survey stay good, and what would make it out of date?
Why ask it
A survey has no expiry date of its own: it records the property as it stood on the day of the fieldwork. What dates it is change, such as a new fence, an addition or a neighbor's shed, and a lender or title company may set its own limit on how old a survey it will accept. At a later sale or refinance, check with the closing agent what they will take before you order anything new.
What do I receive at the end: signed paper copies, a PDF, a CAD file?
Why ask it
Each reader wants a different thing. Lenders and permit offices tend to ask for a signed and sealed copy, while an architect or engineer wants the CAD file to design on. Ask how many originals come with the fee, whether digital files cost extra, and how long the firm keeps your job on file.
Cost and timing
What will the survey cost, and is that a fixed fee or an estimate?
Why ask it
A flat fee is common for a lot in a recorded subdivision, where the surveyor can predict the work. Rural land with thin records is more often quoted by the hour, and there you should ask for a ceiling. In both cases, find out what would push the price up and whether they will call before it does.
What about my property makes it cost more or less than a typical job?
Why ask it
Size, slope, brush, the age of the records, missing corners and the years since anyone last surveyed nearby all move the price. If they have already looked up your parcel you will hear specifics, and those are what explain why two quotes are far apart. Generalities mean nobody has opened the records yet.
What exactly does the quote include: research, fieldwork, corner markers, the drawing, line stakes, filing?
Why ask it
Go down that list item by item and write yes or no beside each one. The lowest quote is frequently for a different product, such as a drawing with no markers set, and you only see it when the items are side by side. Anything the surveyor calls included should appear in the written scope.
Will you put the scope, the price and the delivery date in a written agreement?
Why ask it
The agreement should name the type of survey, the parcel, what you will receive, what it costs and when. Read it for a clause that caps what the firm owes you if the survey is wrong, and ask about it if you find one. A handshake is fine until the day the drawing is late and your closing is not.
When can the crew come out, and when will I have the signed survey in hand?
Why ask it
Those are two separate dates, and the stretch between them, when the office is computing and drafting, is where jobs slip. If a closing, a due diligence deadline or a contractor's start date depends on it, give them that date and ask whether they will commit to it in writing. A rush fee is worth asking about before you assume the answer is no.
Do you take a deposit, and when is the balance due?
Why ask it
Terms vary from nothing up front to half before the crew arrives. Check whether the signed drawing is released only after the final payment, and plan for that if a lender is waiting on it. On a purchase, some surveyors will bill through the closing, which your closing agent can confirm.
If I need you back later, to reset a corner or stake the foundation of the addition, what does a return visit cost?
Why ask it
Going back to their own survey costs a surveyor far less than starting cold, and many will quote a modest fee for it. Ask how long that holds, since records and markers both age. Staking a foundation is a separate service with its own price, and your builder will want it timed to the excavation.
Disputes
If your result differs from an older survey, will you find out why and explain it to me?
Why ask it
Two careful surveys of one lot can differ by a small amount, and that is ordinary measurement. A larger gap usually means the two surveyors relied on different evidence, and the useful answer is a promise to obtain the older survey, work out what it was based on and tell you in writing. Some will simply call the other surveyor, which is often the fastest way to the reason.
What should I do if your line puts my neighbor's fence or shed on my side, or mine on theirs?
Why ask it
Expect the surveyor to draw a boundary around their own role here: they can say where the line is, not what years of use may have done to anyone's rights. That part depends on the law where the land is and belongs to a local attorney. A good surveyor says so without being asked, and tells you not to move or remove anything in the meantime.
Would you walk the line with my neighbor and me together?
Why ask it
Hearing the explanation from the surveyor, at the marker, with the evidence pointed out, settles a good many disagreements before they harden. Ask what the visit costs, and offer the neighbor a copy of the drawing. If things are already hostile or lawyers are involved, check with your attorney before arranging it.
What happens if my neighbor hires another surveyor who puts the line somewhere else?
Why ask it
Listen for a willingness to compare notes: surveyors can often resolve a difference between themselves once each sees what the other relied on. Where they cannot, it usually comes down to an agreement between the owners or a court, and an attorney where the land is can explain how either works. A reply that amounts to 'mine is right' with no interest in the other survey should worry you.
If this ended up in court, would you write a report and testify, and what do you charge for that?
Why ask it
Testimony is billed apart from the survey, normally by the hour and at a higher rate, so learn the figure before you need it. Ask whether they have done it before, because explaining a boundary to a judge is its own skill. If a dispute is likely, say so before the fieldwork: a surveyor who knows will document the evidence with that in mind.
What should I do if someone pulls up or moves a marker you set?
Why ask it
Disturbing a survey marker is an offense in many places, though the rule and the penalty are local and the surveyor will know them. In practical terms your protection is the photographs you took and the surveyor's own measurements, which let them put a corner back. Do not try to put it back yourself: a pin a few inches off is worse than a missing one.
If I find a mistake in the survey later, how do you handle it?
Why ask it
The reply you hope for is short: tell us, we will go back out, check it, and correct the drawing and the markers at our cost if we were wrong. Ask how long they stand behind a survey, and ask an attorney how long a claim can be brought where you live, since those limits differ. Keep the agreement and the signed drawing together in case you ever need either.
How to hire a land surveyor
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you call
Know what the survey is for
A purchase, a fence, an addition and a dispute each call for a different product at a different price. Put your purpose in the first sentence of the call or the email. It is the one thing the surveyor cannot look up.
Gather the papers
Find your deed, the parcel number from the tax bill, any earlier survey and, if you are buying, the title commitment. With a parcel number in hand a surveyor can pull the records and quote a real figure instead of a range.
Ask who else needs the survey
Call the lender, the closing agent, the permit office or your architect first and ask what each one requires, in writing if they will give it. Their requirements decide the type of survey more than your preference does.
Check the license yourself
State licensing boards generally have a public lookup. Two minutes there before the call tells you whether the name on the website belongs to a current license, so on the call you only need to confirm who will sign your survey.
On the call
Start with the type of survey
Everything in Cost and timing depends on the answers under Type of survey, so take that group first. A price given before the surveyor knows the purpose is a price for something you may not need.
Ask how, not whether
'How will you find the corners' draws out more than 'will you find the corners'. The first needs a description of records and fieldwork; the second needs only a yes.
Give your deadline as a date
Say the closing date or the day the fence crew is booked, and ask whether the signed drawing can be in your hands a few days ahead of it. 'As soon as possible' gives a busy office nothing to schedule around.
Raise a dispute at the start
If a neighbor already disagrees about the line, say so in the first call. It affects how the evidence is documented, whether the surveyor wants the job at all, and whether you should speak to an attorney first.
Comparing two or three quotes
Make sure they quote the same product
Write the type of survey at the top of each quote. A boundary survey with corners set and a location drawing for a closing are priced very differently, and one is not a substitute for the other.
List what is marked on the ground
For each quote note whether corners are set, whether line stakes are included and how many. For a fence this decides more than the drawing does.
Compare the two dates
Put the fieldwork date and the delivery date for each firm next to your own deadline. The cheapest quote is no saving if the drawing arrives a week after the closing.
Weigh local files
A firm that has already worked on your block may cost a little more per hour and still finish for less, because part of the research is in their cabinet. Ask each one what they already hold for your area.
When the survey arrives
Walk every corner with the drawing
Take the drawing outside and find each marker it shows. If one is missing or you cannot match the drawing to the ground, call the surveyor that week, while the job is fresh in their files.
Read the notes as well as the lines
The small print on a survey says what was relied on and what was left out, such as easements not searched or utilities not located. Those notes are where the limits you asked about are written down.
Photograph and file
Take a picture of each marker with something permanent in the frame, and keep the signed original with your deed. Send a copy to the fence contractor or architect instead of lending out the original.
Take surprises to the right person
A question about where the line is goes back to the surveyor. A question about what a crossing fence or an unexpected easement means for your rights goes to an attorney who practices where the land is.