Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need a land survey? It was just surveyed…

A current land survey ensures that nothing has changed in on or around your property. The properties around you are always changing; people are adding fences, driveway or buildings that could be impacting your property.  It is to your benefit to know definitely where your property lines are located.  

What does a surveyor do?

A licensed surveyor will locate or reestablish the property corners and boundary lines of a property. They will definably be able to tell you exactly where your property is located (or not) and what is impacting the property like encroachments or access issues.  This involves looking up the recorded information on the property and physically finding the property corners in the ground checking to be sure they have not been tampered with, and flagging them up. This can be an easy task to a very daunting task depending on the property.

Who is qualified to survey my property?

Only a registered land surveyor is permitted by state statue, to perform land surveys.  A realtor, engineer, or private individual is not.  Surveyors are regulated by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration and can be verified there. Click here for a current list of Registrants in your state 

What is an Encroachment?

An encroachment is when a structure intrudes on (or over) your land. Some examples of this could be a fence, driveway, or building. Encroachments are some of the more common items encountered when a survey is conducted.  Please see the images on the page for some real examples.

How does a surveyor come up with a price for my survey?

Many factors are weighed to come up with an estimate to survey your property. The locations, terrain, time of year, scope of work are combined to give you an estimate.

• Location

  • The property location in reference to the location of the surveyor influences how long it will take them to get to the site. Also depending on the property the location of the section corners might need to be located which could be a long ways away from the site.

• Existence of Property evidence

  • The absence of evidence of the property takes longer for a surveyor to complete their task of locating the boundary lines.  The more physical evidence usually the faster the survey goes. The less evidence the bigger the survey gets, since it expands into the adjoining neighbors properties.

• Shape and Size of the Property

  • A square lot is a lot easier to survey and has less property corners than an irregular shape lot with multiple jogs along the lines.

• Terrain

  • The terrain of the property greatly influences the time it takes to get from one side to the other of the property.  A mountain takes more time than a flat lot.

• Vegetation

  • The amount of vegetation effects the time it takes to survey a property. With the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) a clear view to the sky is needed. If there is tree cover a Total Station must be used to traverse the site, which takes longer to use. Multiple setups and many times a two man crew must be used to expedite the process.

• Initial Research and Records Search

  • The availability of information for the parcel or lack thereof can aid or hamper the research required to complete an accurate and timely survey of the property.

When is a record of survey needed?

A record of survey must be completed per Arizona Minimum Standards when a property corner is reestablished, creates a new parcel of land, or when the existing monument does not match the record distance within 0.25 feet, plus 100 parts per million, of the overall distance between the points.  The Record of Survey must be filed in the county in which the parcel of land is situated.  

What is a property corner?

A property corner can be many different types of objects.

• Rebar- the most popular choice for a property corner. These range in size from 3/8 inch to 5/8 inch. In the older plat areas (pre-75s or so) use 3/8 inch rebar for the corners. By far the most common rebar size is ½ inch in Yavapai County.

• Smooth steel rods- I have seen a few of these but mostly in the ½ inch sizes

• Pipes- Open ended steel pipes have been used and I see them from time to time, usually in the ¾ inch to 1 inch outside diameter sizes

• Nails- Also known as PK or Mag Nails. These are usually set in hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt.

• Brass caps- These are usually General Land Office Section Corner Monuments, but can be set by surveyors like in Chino Valley

• Chiseled X- Usually found in rocky parts of the county like Yarnell, where the rock is not moveable, but can be done in concrete also.

Per the Arizona Board of Technical Registration a valid property corner must be made of metal, at least 16 inches in length, at least ½ inch in diameter,  be magnetically detectable, and have a surveyor’s Arizona registration number affixed or clearly stamped onto it where applicable.