Boundary Surveys

When do You Need a Boundary Survey?

Similar to a residential boundary survey, a boundary survey meets the minimum standard requirements for surveys in the state of Georgia and North Carolina, and it is the type of survey most lenders require as part of the loan approval process. Stratus Mapping conducts thorough and accurate boundary surveys for land owners who are buying, selling or developing commercial property.

A boundary survey should be obtained in the following situations:

If you’re buying or selling commercial or residential property, (may be required by the lender)
If clarity is needed as to the legal description and boundaries of your property
If you’re planning to develop commercially zoned property
As a requirement for permits
If there is no current plat on file, or if the plat on file is more than a few years old (older plats may be inaccurate or fail to reflect recent zoning changes)

What to Expect With a Boundary Survey

Stratus Mapping will conduct a thorough on-site analysis of your property, and will use this data to draw up a plat illustrating your property lines, bearings and distances, total acreage, and any existing improvements to the property. If any encroachments exist on either side of the boundary, the survey will show these as well. While on site, the surveyors will also flag property corners and reset any missing pins to ensure your property lines are clear and visible.

Stratus Mapping Boundary Survey

Property Line Staking

For situations in which you need to visualize the actual boundary line of your property, Stratus Mapping offers thorough and accurate property line staking services. This is particularly helpful and even necessary if you need clarity on where you build a structure near the edge of your property, and can prevent potentially expensive encroachment issues with your neighbors later on. It can also help to clarify vague or inaccurate legal descriptions and resolve disputes with the neighbors as to where your boundaries are.

When is Property Line Staking Needed?

Property line staking is helpful anytime you need a visual marker of your property boundaries, but especially in the following circumstances:

If you are planning to place a structure or perform landscaping near the edge of your property
If you are planning to fence in a portion of your property and need to make sure the fence is in the right place (your local governing authorities may also have stipulations on how close to your property line the fence may sit)
If you suspect your neighbor is encroaching on your land with landscaping or a structure
If you need to determine who owns a pre-existing object on/near the property line (e.g., a tree or hedge)
If questions are raised as to the accuracy of your property’s legal description (for example, when attempting to buy or sell)
If it is otherwise difficult to tell where your property boundaries lie (for example, in hilly or wooded areas for larger plots of land)

The Process of Property Line Staking

Because this is a tangible survey with visual results, no survey map or plans are provided with property line staking. Rather, Stratus Mapping verifies the property line measurements against the recorded deed, then marks your property line with wooden stakes placed 50 feet apart (or closer or farther, as you require). We also mark all property corners and set any corners that are missing. For less detailed alternatives to property line staking, we can mark corners only or perform a basic residential boundary survey.

Contact Stratus Mapping for your property line staking needs today.

Stratus Mapping Property Line Staking

Site Plan Surveys

When you’re requesting a permit to build on your property—whether you’re building from the ground up a house, commercial building, subdivision, or even just a room addition—the local governing jurisdiction will typically ask you to submit a site plan survey providing detailed information about the site where you plan to build, as well as the proposed improvements. At Stratus Mapping, we have a thorough understanding of the specific requirements of local jurisdictions throughout the state, and we have the expertise to create an accurate site plan survey to meet or exceed those requirements.

When do You Need a Site Plan Survey?

As mentioned above, site plan surveys are most often requested to obtain building permits for property improvements. However, there are other reasons to obtain this survey besides just getting a permit. For example, if the site is on a flood plain, an engineer may need to look at a site plan in order to come up with a strategy for grading the land. A site plan survey can also serve as a measure for accuracy to make sure the building or addition is being built correctly. In short, anytime you are planning for some sort of improvement that interacts with the land, from add-ons to driveways to below-ground pools, a site plan survey may be a good idea, even if your local authorities do not require it.

What a Site Plan Survey Entails

The level of detail in a site plan is usually determined by the governing jurisdiction for the site. Stratus Mapping works closely with builders, architects, landscape architects and government officials to create a site plan that satisfies the property owner while conforming to the requirements of the governing jurisdiction. Standard site plans will show the existing and proposed improvements, topography, tree location, tree recompense, proposed grading, silt and tree fencing and lot coverage calculations. Many site plans mark the locations of utilities.

For more information about having a site plan survey conducted for your property, contact Stratus Mapping today.

Stratus Mapping Site Plan

As-Built Surveys

If you are making improvements on a parcel of land you own, it may be necessary for you to obtain an as-built survey to verify your work upon completion. As-built surveys are typically performed at the completion of a construction project in order for the property owner to obtain a CO (Certificate of Occupancy) in accordance with local zoning laws. Stratus Mapping has a thorough understanding of the requirements of local governing jurisdictions throughout the state, and the expertise to meet these requirements on your behalf.

When is an As-Built Survey Needed?

Unlike other types of surveys which primarily detail the land itself (often before improvements are made), as-built surveys provide a field documentation and location of construction and improvements to one or more structures on the land. For this reason, you’re most likely to need one during or after a construction project for any of the following reasons:

To verify to zoning authorities that the improvements are in compliance with local codes
To obtain a Certificate of Occupancy (CO), verifying that the structure is deemed habitable
To ensure that the builders and contractors performed the work according to plans
For larger construction projects, to provide a series of “snapshots” of the progress of construction, to ensure everything is on schedule, or to make adjustments to the schedule
To verify to a lender that the improvements being funded are being made accordingly
Any other time you require field verification of the current state of your structure.

Considerations with As-Built Surveys.

The level of detail on an as-built survey depends on the requirements of the local authorities. The surveyor will locate all new improvements on the property and verify that the location and elevation of the completed work conforms to local regulations. If applicable, the surveyor will also verify that the completed work matches any plans initially submitted to the zoning board or local jurisdiction for approval and permits.

As-built surveys may be needed for either residential or commercial construction projects, and regardless of how detailed they are required to be, accuracy is always of the utmost importance. For more than six decades, the professionals at Stratus Mapping have been building a reputation of trust and reliability in getting the job done right.

Stratus Mapping As-Built Survey

Topographic Surveys

In many cases, commercial and residential property development requires a detailed survey of the existing physical features on property, both natural and man-made. Stratus Mapping provides detailed, accurate commercial topographic surveys that not only meet the requirements of local zoning authorities, but also provide a clearer understanding of how the land should be developed. For a deeper understanding of the various physical features on your property, Stratus Mapping can provide an accurate and detailed topographic survey of your land. Sometimes called a “contour” survey, this type of survey is used to determine the elevations throughout a piece of property—that is, taking into account not only the horizontal boundaries of your land, but also the vertical features, both natural and man-made (e.g., trees, hills, ravines, poles, walkways, streams, etc.). A topographic survey can serve a number of vital purposes, but especially if you are planning improvements on your land that could affect the landscape.

When do You Need a Topographic Survey

A topographic survey is typically conducted for residential or commercial properties for any of the following reasons:

To identify optimal sites for building on the land
To identify water runoff patterns on the land and create drainage or grading solutions to divert drainage away from structures
To resolve current standing water issues without creating new ones
For optimal planning of additional infrastructure like roads, electrical and plumbing
To evaluate possible effects of development on the landscape
As a requirement for obtaining permits by local zoning authorities

What to Expect With a Topographic Survey

Unlike a boundary survey which marks corners and property lines, a topographic survey details the various elevations and physical features of the property. Stratus Mapping will conduct a thorough on-site analysis of your land to identify and note these features. The resulting topographical map will identify elevations drawn as contour lines showing the relative heights of the ground throughout the property (for this reason, this is often referred to as a “contour survey”). Additionally, the map will mark all physical and man-made features on-property, including trees, hills, pathways, roads, streams, poles, manholes, and so on.

Whether or not your local jurisdiction requires it, a topographic survey provides data that is absolutely essential to planning smart improvements and developments of the land that won’t cause more problems later on. For more information, contact Stratus Mapping today.

Stratus Mapping Topographic Survey