Survey Types

Types of Residential Land Surveys Mortgage Surveys • Boundary Surveys • Construction Layout/Staking Surveys • Elevation Certificates• As-Built• ALTA• Formboard Surveys
Mortgage Surveys Before the mortgage or title insurance is issued, the interested parties want to be sure that improvements on the property do not encroach onto adjoining properties and that neighboring improvements do not encroach on the subject property. Mortgage surveys show the location of buildings/homes, fences, etc. These surveys not only show the location but also the dimensions and a brief description of all buildings or structures on the property, including driveways, swimming pools and yard barns. Boundary Surveys A boundary survey of the subject property is when the property corners will be located and verified and/or reset. The improvements on the property will be located and encroachments onto or from the subject property will be determined. This survey can be used by the owner for construction and/or improvements to the property. As-Built Surveys This service is necessary to satisfy the building inspector’s office of the the locations of new improvements. An As-Built survey generally is a follow up on a pin locate and boundary survey. Elevation Certificate Elevation certificates are prepared to document the finished floor elevations of structures in relationship to established flood elevations and accepted vertical datum. These elevation certificates may be required by lending institutions to ensure underwriting or insurability of the subject structures. Construction Stakeout This is performed to layout engineering works both horizontally and vertically for construction of sewer lines, roads, water mains, curb lines, and the like.	Construction Layout Checking plans; verifying the building dimensions, property line ties and site grades; and other activities prior to the arrival of field crews at the job site. Checking existing field conditions such as existing underground utilities, adjoining buildings and site grades. Verifying contractor layout which includes batter boards, baselines and bench marks. Verifying accuracy of construction or layout in phases, such as footings, foundations, column and equipment bolts, structural steel, pipe layout and grades. Documenting As-Constructed locations and grades of new construction for use in satisfying final loan requirements and in future development. (When scheduling a layout/stake-out, a plan from your engineer will be required in electronic format.) American Land Title Survey (ALTA) An ALTA survey is a boundary survey prepared to a set of minimum standards that have been jointly prepared and adopted by the ALTA/ACSM (American Land Title Association and American Congress on Surveying and Mapping). Additionally, an ALTA survey shows improvements, easements, rights-of-way, and other elements impacting the ownership of land. An ALTA Survey is often prepared for commercial properties, as it will provide the title company with the information required to insure the title to the land and improvements to the high degree that a commercial development may require. In addition to the minimum standards set forth, a table of optional elements is included in the ALTA/ACSM standards. A careful review of the elements from the optional "Table A" is helpful in delineating a clear scope of the land surveyor's services.
Types of Commercial Land Surveys Boundary • Topography • ALTA/ACSM • As-Built Surveys • Construction Staking: buildings, highways, parking lot • Site Layout • Subdivision Layout • Flood Elevation Certificates
Topographical Survey Details the shape, configuration, relief, roughness or three-dimensional quality of the earth's surface. Boundary Retracement Survey This normally described by Metes and Bound descriptions and may require extensive research of adjoining deeds, original government surveys, highway plans, etc.	Utility Route Surveys Involve the determination of the relief and location of natural and artificial objects along a proposed route for power line or other utility. Global Positioning System (GPS) Positions on the earth's surface can be quickly and accurately located by measuring distances to orbiting satellites.
ALTA stands for American Land Title Association ALTA is made up of members of all the major title insurance companies and title agencies across the United States.	ACSM stands for American Congress on Surveying and Mapping

Types of Residential Land Surveys

Types of Commercial Land Surveys