How long does it take to get a new land survey?

The time it takes to get a new land survey really depends on your property and the quality of the existing deeds. Before the physical survey even begins, land surveyors must research and review the deeds and plats for the property that you want measured as well as information about the properties that surround your land. Some of this information may be available online, and some may have to be accessed through the local courthouse. Making a trip to retrieve physical deeds can prolong the survey process by a few days or more. The quality of the deeds can also affect how long it takes land surveyors to complete their job. If any of the deeds have conflicting information, the land surveyor must do research to determine when property lines changed and find proof of their current legal status. Then, land surveyors visit the property they are working on and record physical evidence of property lines (iron stakes, fence lines, walls), and carefully compare this with data and records from the courthouse as part of the compilation of the survey drawing. The process may take one day or up to two weeks or more, depending on property size and access to the necessary information. More time-consuming research affects the overall cost for land surveying.

Land surveying is a means of measuring land and is commonly used in new construction planning, new fence planning, boundary or title disputes, insurance requirements, or when subdivision of land into plots. People commonly ask land surveyors to help mark property corners and boundary lines, set landmarks, and provide surveying maps and CAD drawings. Land to be surveyed can be any size, from under 5,000 square feet to five acres and beyond. A property’s zoning type may be residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural and can be set in an urban, rural or suburban area. Many factors affect the cost of land surveying such as topographic considerations, property title, previous surveys, jurisdiction, surveying methods used, vegetation and more.