Land surveying is the art and science of establishing or reestablishing corners, lines, boundaries, and monuments of real property based on recorded documents, historical evidence, and present standards of practice. As a career, land surveying offers tremendous day-to-day variety, the ability to work outdoors, the opportunity to apply math and geography skills in the real world, and the satisfaction of contributing something of lasting value and importance.
What is Land Surveying?
Land surveying is an intricate combination of law, math, engineering, and physics to establish property boundaries. Land surveying is used for many purposes, including:
- Property Rights – Land surveys are the foundation of property rights and are used to establish ownership and boundaries. A land survey is often required when buying or selling property and can help prevent or resolve disputes.
- Construction – Land surveying is required for most construction projects, including new construction, adding a fence, or installing utility lines. It helps to determine the location of existing infrastructure and the boundaries for improvements.
- Financing – Lenders and title companies often require a land survey before finalizing financing or title insurance for the purchase or transfer of real property.
Who are Land Surveyors?
Land surveying is crucial to responsible land development, and a professional land surveyor plays an integral role in mapping project areas, identifying potential risks, and verifying plans. After all, every project must start with good information, as that is the basis for everything that goes forward with that development or construction.
Land surveyors get to work with advanced technology that is continually evolving. This makes it the perfect career choice for those who like to stay on top of industry trends, enjoy working with new technology, and engage in work that will have an immediate and long-lasting impact on their community.
What Technology is Used in Land Surveying?
While the basics of surveying have stayed the same, the tools of surveying today are much more technical than they once were. Drones and lasers have replaced much of the work previously completed with Total Stations. Remote sensing and satellite imagery continue to improve and become cheaper, allowing more commonplace use, and there is increasing use of three-dimensional (3D) scanning.
Technology is evolving on an almost daily basis, making things quicker, more efficient, more detailed, and more accurate. At McSteen Land Surveyors, we see innovation and the use of cutting-edge technology as a core fundamental that is driving the growth of our company. Nevertheless, it is our professional land surveyors who are trained to use an intricate combination of law, math, engineering, and physics and are essential to conducting land surveys and maintaining quality standards as these new technologies are introduced and vetted.
What does a land surveyor do?
To complete a land survey, a surveyor performs research about the real property, which includes seeking out the history of the property and gathering information by going into the field and observing evidence about the property. Specific tasks involved in surveying depend on the type of land survey being conducted, which may include a mortgage location | SLR, boundary, ALTA, topographic, or other types of surveys.
At McSteen, we have licensed surveyors in both our Boundary and Mortgage Location departments. They are the final voice and authority on our projects, utilizing their knowledge and experience to assure our clients that the product they receive has been performed with the utmost regard for quality.
They review the data collected by the field crews, analyze the picture put together by our drafters, perform boundary calculations (for boundary surveys), and lastly review, sign and stamp our final survey.
What Are the Types of Land Surveys?
There are different types of land surveys and the type of land survey needed will depend on what type of information is required about the property.
- Boundary Survey – Boundary Surveys are highly accurate calculations of your property lines that can be relied on for property construction and other property improvements on both residential and commercial properties.
- Mortgage Location | SLR – A Mortgage Location | SLR is different from a boundary survey and is not used for construction or boundary determinations, but rather to confirm that what is described in the property’s deed is what is transferring in real life as part of a real estate transaction. This product is solely for the use of lenders and title insurers.
- Topographic Survey – A Topographic Survey includes field measurement and preparation of a plat to establish land elevations. These surveys are typically contracted by a residential or commercial property owner before making improvements to the property such as, but not limited to, additions, landscaping, or parking lots.
- ALTA Survey – An ALTA Survey is essentially a boundary survey plus a detailed depiction of property improvements, easements, and anything else impacting the parcel. It is used for a variety of reasons, from securing title insurance at the closing of a deal to being used as a design document for engineering purposes.
At McSteen, our purpose is to secure the land where we work, live, and play. With more than 50 years of experience in all 88 counties of Ohio, 24 counties in Indiana, and surrounding counties in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Kentucky, McSteen Land Surveyors is a leader in the industry. Contact us today and let our team of survey professionals handle your surveying needs.
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