The Different Types of Land Surveys
While a lot of people think about land surveys in the standard sense, the drawing of the boundaries of a property, in actuality there are lots of varied and different ways of surveying that service many different industries. Property surveys certainly are a large portion of the business, but additionally, there are surveys and surveyors that service the construction industry, the environmental sector, and many more. The forms of surveys which are conducted would surprise a lot of people, and some items that you might think are surveys aren't surveys at all. Rather than the standard two-dimensional measuring in one indicate another, today's surveys not only measure the land, but additionally the air and water above and below us.
The most typical and well-known surveys conducted today are boundary surveys, mortgage surveys, and topographic surveys. An ALTA survey, that is actually a shortened title for ATLA/ACSM, combines components of all three, with a set of standards help with jointly by the American Land Title Association and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. ALTA surveys are mostly useful for commercial properties; by having a universal standard, companies can assure themselves of the amount of thoroughness and be confident when the results are guaranteed by an ALTA survey.
Boundary Surveys are just what the name describes: a survey to determine the true boundaries of a given property. Through previously recorded markers and the establishment of new landmarks, a surveyor will establish the real boundaries of a house and mark the corners and lines of the plot, using markers such as iron rods, pipes or concrete monuments in the ground, or nails occur concrete or asphalt. Previously, piles of stones, trees or other, less permanent markers were used, which resulted in confusion once the markers were either destroyed or changed.
Mortgage Surveys are simple surveys that, for the most part, determine land boundaries and building locations. They're usually required by title companies and lending institutions when they provide financing to show there are no structures encroaching on the property and that any structures on the house meet current zoning and building codes. It is very important ensure that you are getting an officially licensed mortgage survey performed by way of a licensed land surveyor, rather than a mortgage inspection, which is a substandard survey which will not abide by any set standards and isn't regulated or accepted being an official land survey.
Topographic Surveys are land surveys which locate natural and man-made features. For example, buildings, improvements, fences, elevations, land contours, trees and streams. These are then measured for his or her elevation on a specific 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 assist in the design of improvements or developments on a site.
Among the largest & most rapidly growing segments of land surveys come in the construction industry. Surveys are necessary 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 as a way to conduct. All construction projects start out with the Plot Plan or Site Plan, which sets out the plan for the entire project, including all existing and proposed conditions on a given site. As-Built Surveys are conducted many times during a construction project to verify for local and state boards that the work authorized was completed to the specifications set on the plot plan. Foundation Surveys are a type of as-built survey which collects the positional data on a foundation that has been poured and is currently cured. Foundation surveys are done to ensure the foundation has both been constructed in the proper location and contains been built in the correct manner in line with the plan.
For existing structures, a Deformation Survey determines in case 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, a determination of whether a structure is moving could be made.
Although it might seem counter-intuitive, land surveyors may also be responsible for performing Hydrographic and Bathymetric Surveys. View website collect data associated with any body of water, and the data collected can include the water depth, bottom contours, the direction of the current, observing and recording high water marks and water levels, along with location of fixed objects and landmarks for navigational purposes. They are able to 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 because the Survey of the Coast. Progress on the survey moved slowly at first, as they did not even have the correct instruments to execute the survey until 1815. It still exists today as the National Geodetic Survey and its own responsibilities now are the interior lands of the United States and its coasts.
Wetlands Delineation and Location Surveys belong in a category all on their own; they're performed when construction work that is being planned on or near a site containing defined wetlands. Local, state, or federal regulations vary, but wetlands are often classified as areas which are completely inundated with water a lot more than two weeks through the growing season. Boundaries of wetlands are dependant on 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 attracted 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.
While there are many more types of land surveys, to list all of them and their attributes would create a very long article. The options presented above are simply the most common types of land surveys, and the ones that everyone is most likely to come across.