Clear answers to common survey questions.

Start with your goal, such as buying property, finding a line, designing a site or starting construction. Use our service finder or describe the project in the quote form.

Send the property address or parcel ID, what you need, your desired deadline and any available deed, plat, prior survey, title commitment or design plans.

Yes. Submit the quote form. Our office reviews requests and follows up; the website does not calculate or guarantee prices.

Price depends on the type of survey, size, record complexity, vegetation, terrain, access, deadlines and requested deliverables. We quote the specific scope.

Research, crew scheduling, site conditions and drafting all affect timing. Share your closing, permit or construction deadline early.

Contact the office to confirm whether any evaluation or research fee applies to your request.

Yes. An address, location description or nearby road intersection can help us identify the site. A parcel ID is useful if available.

Not necessarily. Buyers, agents, contractors and design teams often initiate requests. We will discuss authorization and access before field work.

Tell us the actual deadline. Expedited work depends on crew capacity, records and the scope; availability is not guaranteed.

Our office reviews your property and goals, asks for missing information if needed, and discusses scope, schedule and price.

A boundary survey uses deeds, plats, monuments and field evidence to determine property line locations and document them as scoped.

No. Tax parcel maps are general reference tools and may not show exact boundary positions. Use survey evidence before placing a fence near a line.

A survey crew can search for existing monuments and evaluate boundary evidence. Whether corners are marked or set depends on the scope and applicable requirements.

Not necessarily. A fence can differ from the surveyed boundary. Boundary or ownership disputes may also involve legal issues.

If a marker appears moved or damaged, contact your surveyor. Do not assume a loose stake or flag is a permanent corner monument.

Visible improvements near lines can be mapped when included in the scope. Title, easement and legal conclusions require separate review.

Deed acreage may be approximate or based on older measurements. Boundary location depends on the controlling evidence, not acreage alone.

A survey can document important boundary evidence. Ownership or title disputes may require legal advice or a court decision.

It is often wise to know the lines first. Local permits, setbacks, easements and neighborhood rules are separate questions.

The legal boundary controls the property description; a reported acreage is calculated from that boundary and may differ from tax records.

Surveyors compare written records to physical evidence to understand the intended boundaries and resolve differences between sources.

Flags and temporary stakes often help locate field work. A monument is the physical boundary evidence or mark identified in the survey documentation.

It depends on your lender, title insurer, contract and risk tolerance. A survey can help reveal boundary and improvement issues even when not required.

Not automatically. The buyer can still order a survey to understand boundaries, improvements and possible conflicts.

Sometimes, but the age, site changes, scope and requirements of your lender or title company matter. Ask the party relying on it before assuming it is acceptable.

It is a defined commercial survey product prepared under the current ALTA/NSPS standards and agreed optional Table A items.

No. ALTA/NSPS surveys have specific title-related standards and coordination requirements, commonly used for commercial property.

A title commitment lists recorded matters relevant to title insurance. Surveyors use supplied documents to address applicable surveyed matters.

They are optional additional survey items selected by agreement. Each requested item can affect the work, timing and price.

A survey may show easement locations based on supplied records. Interpreting ownership and legal rights belongs to the appropriate legal or title professional.

Surveying may be one part of the process. Lot size, access, zoning and local subdivision rules determine what can be approved.

A plat is a drawing showing proposed or established lots, boundaries and related information for applicable review or recording.

No. Permit approval depends on the applicable agency and other requirements, including zoning, design and site conditions.

Yes, if the requested service is available. Boundary and topographic information can help designers locate improvements and assess site conditions.

Often for development. Boundary work defines property limits; topographic work measures terrain and site features. The design team should confirm its needs.

A survey may depict setbacks when the correct requirements are supplied and included in scope. The local authority determines the applicable rules.

A surveyor can prepare certain descriptions as part of an agreed service. Tell us the purpose and provide the relevant records.

It measures ground elevations and selected existing features for engineering, site design, drainage or other planning.

Not always. Topographic and boundary work have different purposes; ask for both when the project needs both.

Contour lines connect locations at the same elevation. They help readers understand slopes and landforms.

It is a digital representation of the ground surface built from measured points and breaklines. The data scope affects the model’s detail.

Digital deliverables can be arranged when included in the scope. Tell us the file format, units, coordinate system and your design team’s needs.

A laser scanner measures many points on visible surfaces, producing a detailed three-dimensional set of coordinates called a point cloud.

A point cloud is a set of measured 3D points showing scanned surfaces. It may need processing before it becomes an engineering drawing or model.

Yes, selected features and surfaces can be extracted, but the amount of modeling work depends on the required detail and deliverable.

No. Laser scanning generally needs a clear line of sight. Hidden or blocked areas can require additional setups or another method.

Aerial mapping can support certain projects, but ground control, accuracy checks and the intended use determine whether it meets a survey need.

The project should specify its datum, units and coordinate system. If you need Florida State Plane or another grid, tell us before work begins.

Survey crews mark selected design positions or elevations in the field so contractors can build to the approved plans.

Coordinate with your contractor and surveyor before the crew needs the marks. Final plans, current revisions and site access are important.

Usually approved plans, control information, coordinates or dimensions, needed offsets, tolerances and the requested staking dates.

It measures specified improvements as constructed, often to record their locations or elevations or support project closeout.

Surface features and records can be mapped as scoped. Confirm whether subsurface utility investigation or utility-owner locating is needed separately.

It investigates and maps the limits and features of a roadway or utility corridor using relevant records and field evidence.

Often. Agencies may require specific control, coding, mapping, digital files and reports. Supply those requirements with the request.

Control surveys can create a common coordinate and elevation reference. The scope should define datum, accuracy and how others will use it.

It is a standardized form documenting specified building elevations and related information for some floodplain, permitting or insurance uses.

No. Requirements vary. Ask your insurer, lender or floodplain administrator whether one is needed for your situation.

A survey can provide elevation and location information for certain review requests; FEMA or the applicable authority makes map-change decisions.

A benchmark is a reference point with an established elevation. Survey crews use suitable benchmarks and control to relate project measurements.

Elevation is one factor. Flood risk also depends on local drainage, storms, mapped hazards and surrounding conditions.

A survey can measure specified building elevations when access, reference information and the requested documentation are agreed.

Not always. Tell us about gates, pets, tenants, restricted areas and access instructions so the crew can plan.

Fieldwork may require access to the subject property. The office will discuss access arrangements before scheduling.

Minor access work may be needed in some cases, but do not assume clearing is included. Discuss vegetation and permission during scoping.

They may mark control, boundary evidence, topographic shots or temporary work points. Ask the project team before disturbing them.

Only the features included in the agreed scope. Tell us which improvements matter to your project.

Ask for the format you need. Depending on scope, the deliverable may be a signed drawing, digital PDF, CAD files, control data or another specified product.

We can discuss the intended recipients and permitted reliance or distribution when setting the scope.

Often changes can be discussed, but new work, extra visits, schedules or fees may be required. Contact the office promptly.

Ask our office about the retention and retrieval policies for your project. Availability and future reuse of older files can vary.

Contact our office with the project name or address and the specific question. We can direct it to the appropriate team member.