What Am I Paying For?

 Many responsible consumers have questions about the cost of land surveying.  The purpose of this example is to educate the landowner/title professional by demonstrating the time and effort involved in producing a professional product.

EXAMPLE:  Contract for Professional Survey Services has been accepted.  For this example, a 20 acres tract with house and buildings located in Dodge County will be used.  Title commitment will be ready in 10 days ( if one has not already been supplied), the survey needed in 14 days.

STEP ONE:  Research

a.)  Tax parcel information can be obtained online with the Dodge County Information site before a trip to the courthouse is actually required.  On this site, recording information for the clients parcel as well as each adjoining tract can be retrieved.  (Note: researching and analyzing the adjoining tracts boundaries is required by law)

b.  Trip to Dodge County courthouse to get all copies of deeds from item (a.) above required as well as copies of other surveys that may have been done and filed with the County Surveyors office.  Copies of  any subdivision plats that may be adjoining will be gotten also. Quickly read each deed to be certain if there is any additional deeds or maps not given from the website research. Check to see if there are any road right-of-way issues that may need to be addressed.  If so, a trip to the County Highway Department may be needed also.

STEP TWO:  Deed Sketch

Each deed and plat are read and entered in the computer by the survey technician.  Check is made for any overlaps, gaps, or other conflicts or errors.  A map of the subject property and adjoiners is prepared and a copy made ready for the field crew.

STEP THREE:  Field Work

2-man Survey crew with Total Station and Data Collector sent to site.

a.)  Survey crew searches for boundary evidence on subject tract and adjoiners: property corners, fencelines, tree rows, and rock walls, etc.

b.)  A rough sketch of the property is made by the crew chief to work off of.  They run a traverse around subject property from which ties can be made to the boundary evidence.  After a few ties are made to the found corners, the traverse can be assigned coordinates allowing the crew to look for additional corners based on deed sketch.

c.)  Other improvments tied down such as house, barn, road, overhead electric, pipelines, etc. are done.  House and barn are measured with a tape measure and noted on crew chiefs notes.

d.)  Initital field work completed and turned into office.

STEP FOUR:  Boundary Analysis - performed by the Registered Surveyor

a.)  Field work downloaded from Data Collector, field notes entered, and both checked for errors or bad entries.

b.)  Plot is made of all points tied.

c.)  Evidence found in field compared to deeds and adjoiner deeds previously entered in computer.

d.)  In some cases*, enough points check with each other to allow surveyor to locate and establish final boundary corners.

e.)  Final stake out and point sheet prepared for file and crew.

*In most cases the field crew will have to be sent back to the field to tie additional corners to confirm boundary location. 

STEP FIVE:  Stake final boundary corners

Field crew sent to site with stake-out sheet to set and record the final monuments.

STEP SIX: Drawing of Boundary Survey

After step Four (e) is completed all information is turned over to Draftsperson/Survey Technician to prepare final drawing.  Registered Surveyor or Survey Technician will prepare legal description for survey.

STEP SEVEN:  Title Comitment Received From Title Company

Surveyor or Survey Technician checks each easement received to see if it affects subject tract.  This will sometimes require obtaining copies of older deeds to clear up some of the old easements.  Notes are written that will be shown on survey.

STEP EIGHT:  Registered Surveyor checks survey

STEP NINE:  Corrections and final notes added to survey.

STEP TEN:  Registered Surveyor signs and seals survey and delivers to client and title company along with an invoice.