What Are the Different Types of Land Surveys?

As long as humans have had the concept of owning land, they have needed to measure and mark the boundaries of their properties. Land surveying remains a crucial industry serving home builders and owners to this very day. Of course, the field has evolved over many generations to accommodate various land survey types in Guadalupe County, TX, and to use much more sophisticated equipment.

Land surveys are needed if you are to accurately mark the boundaries of any property you are purchasing, selling or improving. Surveyors work with a number of sophisticated instruments to make measurements, take pictures and make calculations to determine these boundary lines and measurements.

Here are just a few examples of some of the most common types of land surveys you should be aware of:

• Boundary surveys: Boundary surveys involve both measurements and research. Their primary purpose is to find and confirm boundary lines and corners of any piece of land in accordance with state regulations. The resulting surveys may include encroachments and easement lines, and should be able to be performed in a few hours, though that will vary depending on the lot size. Boundary surveys may rely in part on existing information about the property on file with a city or county clerk.
• Location surveys: These are similar to boundary surveys, but will feature more information about improvements within the property lines. Zoning permits or loan applications will frequently require location surveys as part of their conditions.
• Construction surveys: Construction surveys involve staking out structures and other features on properties within a construction project. One might stake out buildings, utilities, walls or roads. The staking is designed not only to show where these structures will lie, but also to determine slope and vertical and horizontal grading.
• Topographic surveys: These surveys are generally performed by civil engineers, and are used to locate features such as ditches, roads, utilities, embankments, contours, waterways and various types of improvements on the property. They may involve the use of aerial photography to get a better look at the layout of the land, as well as on-the-ground, traditional field surveying methods. Any natural and manmade features that are on top of the ground will be included on a topographic survey, which makes them a useful tool for just about any kind of project.
• Site planning surveys: These surveys are a combination of boundary and topographic surveys, used for designing industrial and commercial sites, subdivisions, stores, playgrounds, housing lots and various other types of building sites. This type of survey must be performed before any development or construction can begin.
• Subdivision surveys: Subdivision surveys are a specific type of site planning survey used to divide subdivisions into small lots and estates. These surveys may be required by local governments when planning out lots, streets and drainage for new planned communities or subdivisions.

For more information about the various land survey types you’re likely to encounter in Guadalupe County, TX, we encourage you to contact a professional land surveyor at Bettersworth & Associates, Inc. today.

Categorised in: Land Surveyor