Why Do I Need a Licensed Land Surveyor?

Unless you’re in the real estate industry or are actually a land surveyor yourself, you probably don’t think about land surveying all that often. After all, surveying isn’t exactly a service that someone needs every day.

But the day will eventually come when you need a land surveyor, and you’ll want to ensure you hire someone with a license.

Continue reading to learn situations in which you may need a surveyor and why surveyors need a license.

When do you need to hire a licensed land surveyor?

There are a wide variety of surveys and many different cases in which you may need a survey. Here are a few times to call a land surveyor:

• Identifying boundaries: One of the most common reasons people hire land surveyors is to determine the location of a property’s boundary lines. Having this information is essential if you ever run into property-line disputes with your neighbor. When you hire someone with a license, you can trust that the information will be accurate.
• Buying or selling land: Getting a land survey is often one of the first steps in the process of buying or selling a piece of land. In fact, many banks don’t give out loans until after the land has been surveyed. This survey will determine all of the land’s natural features and even give insight into the property’s true value.
• Making property improvements: If you’d like to build a fence, add a driveway or even add onto your home, your first call should be to a licensed land surveyor. The results of the survey will determine if and where you can build your proposed structure or make improvements. You’ll typically need a survey from a licensed surveyor before getting a permit to begin the project.

Why surveyors need a license

Can’t anyone stand behind a total station or use a GPS device to survey a plot of land? No way! Here are the reasons surveyors need to be licensed:

• Master all relevant skills: Land surveying is a difficult job that requires at least four years of post-secondary education as well as a few years of training or an internship. When a surveyor is licensed, you can trust that they’ve mastered all necessary skills to do their job well.
• On-the-job experience: There are some surveying situations that just can’t be taught in a college course, which is why surveyors need to get some real-world experience before obtaining their license. This field experience prepares surveyors for anything and everything.
• Stay up to date with laws: The laws surrounding the real estate industry change all the time, and surveyors need to know all about the changes. When you work with a licensed surveyor, you can trust that they know all the latest regulations.

Be sure to work with our team

Look no further than our pros at Bettersworth & Associates, Inc. the next time you need a licensed land surveyor. We’ve been in business for over six decades, so you can trust that you and your property are in good hands when you’re working with our team.

Categorised in: Land Surveyor