The Different Types Of Land Surveys and lending institutions when they provide financing to show that there
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July 4, 2016
While most people think of land surveys in the most basic sense—that is, the
drawing of the boundaries of a property—there are actually many different ways
of surveying that service many different industries. Property surveys are a large
part of the business, but there are also surveys and surveyors that help the
construction industry, the environmental sector, and many others. The kinds of
surveys that are conducted would surprise most people, and some things that you
might think are surveys aren’t surveys at all. Instead of the standard two-
dimensional measuring from one point to another, today’s surveys not only
measure the land, but also the air and water above and below us. Let’s take a
quick look at a sampling of different types of land surveys available.
Common Surveys
The most common and well-known surveys conducted today are boundary
surveys, mortgage surveys, and topographic surveys. An ALTA survey, which is
actually a shortened title for ATLA/ACSM, combines elements of all three with
a set of standards put forth jointly by the American Land Title Association and
the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. ALTA surveys are most
commonly used for commercial properties; by having a universal standard,
companies can assure themselves of the level of thoroughness and be confident
when the results are guaranteed by an ALTA survey.
Boundary Surveys are exactly what the name describes: a survey to establish the
true boundaries of a given property. Through previously recorded markers and
the establishment of new landmarks, a surveyor will establish the true boundaries
of a property and then mark the corners and lines of the plot, using markers such
as iron rods, pipes or concrete monuments in the ground, or nails set in concrete
or asphalt. In the past, trees, piles of stones other less permanent markers were
used, which led to confusion when the markers were either destroyed or changed.
Mortgage Surveys are simple surveys that for the most part determine land
boundaries and building locations. They are usually required by title companies
structures encroaching on the property and that any structures on the property
meet current zoning and building codes. It is important to ensure that you are
getting an officially licensed mortgage survey performed by a licensed land
surveyor, and not a mortgage inspection, which is a substandard survey that does
not adhere to any set standards and is not regulated or accepted as an official land
survey.
Topographic Surveys are land surveys that locate natural and man-made features
on a piece of property—for example, buildings, improvements, fences,
elevations, land contours, trees and streams. These are measured for their
elevation on a particular piece of land and presented as contour lines on a plot.
Topographical surveys are sometimes required by the government. Engineers and
architects also use topographical surveys to aid in the design of improvements or
developments on a site.
Construction Surveys
One of the largest and most rapidly growing areas of land surveying is in the
construction industry. Surveys are crucial tools from inception and planning to
actual construction and maintenance afterwards. Most construction surveys fall
under the discipline of civil engineering, which may require additional degrees
and certifications in order to conduct. All construction projects begin with the
Plot Plan or Site Plan, which set out the plan for the entire project including all
existing and proposed conditions on a given site. As-Built Surveys are conducted
several times during a construction project to verify for local and state boards that
the work authorized is being completed to the specifications set on the plot plan.
A Foundation Survey is a type of as-built survey that collects the positional data
on a foundation that has been poured and is now cured. Foundation surveys are
done to ensure that the foundation has both been constructed in the proper
location and has been built in the proper manner according to the plan.
For existing structures, a Deformation Survey determines if a structure or object
is changing shape or moving. By the taking of three-dimensional positions on
specific points on an object, then letting a period of time pass before retaking and
measuring the points, it can be determined whether a structure is shifting or
moving, and by how much.

Other Surveys
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, land surveyors are also responsible for
performing Hydrographic and Bathymetric Surveys. Hydrographic surveys collect
data relating to any body of water, and the data collected may include the water depth,
bottom contours, the direction of the current, observing and recording high water
marks and water levels, as well as location of fixed objects and landmarks for
navigational purposes. They can also be conducted to gather information for
engineering or resource management purposes, such as hydro power plants.
Bathymetric surveys deal exclusively underwater, and map the seabed profile.
Geodetic Surveys fall under both the land and water category, as they map out the
shoreline. Thomas Jefferson commissioned a geodetic survey in 1807 as the Survey of
the Coast. Progress on the survey moved slowly at first as they did not even have the
proper instruments to perform the survey until 1815. It still exists today as the National
Geodetic Survey, and its responsibilities now include the interior lands of the United
States as well as its coasts.
Wetlands Delineation and Location Surveys belong in a category all on their
own; they are performed when construction work is being planned on or near a
site containing defined wetlands. Local, state, or federal regulations vary, but
wetlands are usually classified as areas that are completely inundated with water
for more than two weeks during the growing season. Boundaries of wetlands are
determined by observing the soil colors, vegetation, erosion patterns or scour
marks, hydrology, and morphology of the land in question. Data is then
collected on the locations of the placed flags and a plan is drawn to reference
the boundary of the wetlands and compare it to the proposed boundaries of the
surrounding plots or parcels of land and the construction work proposed within.
There are many other types of land surveys, but the examples presented above
are the most common forms of land surveys that the general public is most likely
to encounter.
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