Types of Land Surveys

ALTA/ACSM Survey

This type of land survey is often used to fulfill the requirements of a lending institution or a purchaser. ALTA/ACSM stands for American Land Title Association / American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. It is one of the most comprehensive types of land surveys used and it covers all the features and characteristics of a property.

Boundary Survey

This is a survey of the boundaries of a property and includes physical monumentation, plats and recorded deeds. This type of land survey usually involves field work on adjoining lands to identify and verify the appropriate land boundary.

Construction Survey

This land survey is used to stake out structures, such as roads, walls, buildings and utilities. It involves slope staking, horizontal and vertical grading as well as an As-Built survey.

Location Survey

This type of land survey is similar to a boundary survey but with additional information on the location of interior improvements. It is commonly used to fulfill the requirements of a loan application or zoning permits.

Site Planning Survey

This type of survey is a combination of a boundary and a topographic survey. It is commonly used to design house lots, commercial & industrial sites, streets and highways, subdivisions, stores and playgrounds.

Subdivision Survey

This survey is used to divide a parcel of land into smaller lots, estates or tracts. This type of survey needs to be recorded by the concerned local government agency and is used to design streets, drainages and lots.

Topographic Survey

This type of survey is usually performed by a professional surveyor company, such as Pacific Land Consultants, Inc in California. This type of survey locates topographic features that include utilities, ditches, roads, water courses, embankments and contours. It can be implemented through aerial photographic methods and ground field methods.

Key Takeaway:

• A land survey is theapplication of new and conventional methods of measuring and locating existing man-made structures, natural features, elevations, angles and boundaries of a property using the principles of mathematics, geometry, and other related sciences.
• The differenttypes of land surveys include the following: ALTA/ACSM, Boundary, Construction, Location, Site Planning, Subdivision and Topographic Surveys.