An ALTA Title Survey is completed based on the “Minimum Standard Detail Requirements and Accuracy Standards For ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys.” This standard document was developed and is revised on a regular basis by a combination of Title industry and Surveying industry professionals. The latest version of this document is the 2011 revision.

An ALTA Title Survey is generally similar to a boundary or lot survey on a piece of property. But, the ALTA survey goes a little farther in the requirements on the land surveyor as he/she carries out the survey, both in the field and in the office.

ALTA Title Surveys are generally used on commercial or multi-family residential sites and also when either the lender or owner is in another state jurisdiction. The ALTA standards are somewhat of a “national standard” for surveying, intended to yield a consistent survey no matter what state the work is done in.

While most States have surveying standards, they vary widely from one state to the other. So, the ALTA standard is used to cut down on this variation.

Since ALTA Surveys take more time and effort, these surveys typically cost more than a survey done according to a particular state standard. It should be pointed out that if the state standard is more restrictive on a certain point, then the most restrictive standard is required on the survey.

I see ALTA surveys priced from 50% to 200% more than a comparable boundary survey. This depends on the items checked in “Table A – Optional Survey Responsibilities and Specifications.” This table adds additional or specific tasks to the surveyor’s scope of work. One item that is usually included with most all ALTA survey requests is Item #1, monuments placed.

Most state standards probably include this and, in my opinion, all surveys should, but the ALTA survey leaves this optional unless the item is checked on Table A.

In regard to this, one of the things I appreciate is that the client is “supposed to” not only fill out this Table A but also to furnish title documents to the surveyor BEFORE he starts the survey. In practice we rarely get the title documents until we issue the first draft of the survey.

At that time the documents are sent to us and we are asked to revise the survey and show them. While this is not the way its planned, at least we have the chance to review the documents before issuing the final version of the survey.

So, if you have a commercial parcel or a large multi-family residential complex, you should consider asking for the ALTA survey standards to be used. You should also probably do this if you are considering the purchase or development of a parcel outside your state. Most of the banks will require this if you ask for a loan on this type property, but I recommend this even if the bank doesn’t require it.

If we can help you with an ALTA Title Survey in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Pro17 Engineering at (334) 826-9540 or fill out our contact form on our Contact page.

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Most of you have probably never thought about land surveying until you needed it at some point. Many of us hear about land surveying all the time but never really give it much thought.

Since an investment in land and/or a home will likely be the largest investment you will ever make in your lifetime, knowing where your property lines are becomes very important indeed.

The art of land surveying was developed centuries ago. In fact, it’s one of the oldest professions in the world. The fact that it was used by man at such an early time and is still being used now shows how important surveying is to our survival.

Surveying land has many uses. Boundary surveying, for instance, allows you to know where your property corners or property lines are. This is especially helpful when disputes with a neighbour or with other people arise in terms of where your property ends.

If your family wants to divide a tract of land and transfer ownership to other family members, a boundary survey is the first step to do so. If you’re having a building constructed, it is very important that you have the land surveyed to make sure that you are not encroaching onto other peoples’ property.

A mistaken building location is very expensive to fix so you might as well invest in a boundary survey to prevent this.

A topographic survey, or topo survey for short, is another important type of land surveying. A topo survey is done to locate natural and man-made features on a particular parcel of land. A topographic survey is different in that the elevation of the land is surveyed which means it can show man-made underground features, retaining walls, utility lines and etc.

Before you start any kind of construction activity, it’s important to have a topo survey done in the area so they’ll have an accurate record of the land’s existing conditions. Yes, that spot with the new mall in the neighbourhood had to have a topo survey done first.

Now, a flood survey or flood determination – this is very important too. It isn’t evident just looking at a property whether you are at risk of flooding or not. And, in some cases, even looking at the flood maps doesn’t give you an accurate answer. The flood survey determines the elevation of the home and compares that to the base flood elevation.

This is the only way to be sure you’re not in a flood hazard zone. If you’ve just been told that you live in a flood-prone area, having that confirmed by a professional land surveyor would let you know how to best proceed.

When getting flood insurance, insurance companies would require an elevation certificate from you. A land surveyor would be able to assist you with this.

If a company wants to invest in another state, or if there is a national lender on a commercial project, they will likely need an ALTA Land Title Survey done before anything is constructed. An ALTA Land Title Survey is a lot like a regular boundary survey except that nationally accepted ALTA Standards are used to guide the surveying effort.

Land surveying standards vary widely from state to state and an ALTA Land Title Survey is used to cut down on this variation. Also, an ALTA Land Title Survey typically is more involved than the state standards variety. Because of this, an ALTA survey can be more anywhere from 50% to 200% more expensive than using the state standards only.

If you need this type of survey, I suggest seeking an experienced land surveying company who is familiar with these additional requirements.

In summary, there are many uses for a land survey and for seeking the services of a land surveyor. If you’re unsure of your situation, consult Pro17 Engineering at (334) 826-9540 today or go to the Contact page and send us an email.

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Land surveying, simply speaking, is the art and science of establishing or re-establishing property corners, property lines and/or boundaries.

There may be different reasons why someone needs a chunk of property surveyed. Essentially the most common is to check if a piece of land is prone to flooding, to subdivide a property to sell or deed to relatives or to know if there are any encroachments.

This may happen if a neighbour disputes you are using a part of his lot or vice versa (for more on this, check this page).

If you need to have a piece of land surveyed, the first thing that will come to mind is “how much would it cost?”There are various factors determining the amount of land surveying for your land would cost.

The fact that this sort of service should be accomplished by a professional contributes a great deal to the overall cost of the service, but choosing a non-professional to survey your land is dangerous and possibly illegal for the non-professional.

For this reason you ought to take a good look around before settling with a surveying company. If you must work inside a particular budget, discuss this with the surveyor up-front. Many times he might be able to offer cost saving steps to get the work you need done within these cost limits.

The shape of the land also needs to be looked into. A square or a rectangle piece of land is somewhat quicker to survey than an odd shaped parcel, or one with many different sides. With the latter, the surveyor would need to take more time in surveying the curves and the bends meaning the cost of the service would increase. The overall measurements the land is also an important factor here.

Remember that the cost of land surveying is usually proportionate to the time and effort that a land surveyor would spend on the project. If the land that you’re having surveyed isn’t accessible, or has thick vegetation, then the total price of the survey might go higher. This is true of the weather conditions that might affect the work.

Surveying in warm weather is sort of slower to keep from putting the crew members in danger. Also, most surveying cannot be done during the rain.

When requesting an estimate, bear in mind surveyors base the estimate on expected conditions at the site. These conditions could change, bringing about additional costs. Always ask about these potential additional cost scenarios.

All that being said, competitive prices are also to be expected, which is why we recommend deciding on a surveyor based on his experience and reputation instead of on the price he writes on a piece of paper.

Mostly it is far better to shell out a good amount of money on a survey that’s well-done rather than select a company with a very “affordable” price but have the survey repeated because the results were wrong.

In summary, you should always discuss the expenses of the survey before you ask the surveyor to start his work. It’s also advisable to receive a contract that lets you understand what is expected of the land surveyor. This is one of the most important steps in getting your land surveyed.

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Despite this though, a land surveyor still has several guidelines to follow. If you’ve had an experience with a dishonest surveyor, or are wary about hiring one, this article should be able to help you out.

A surveyor should always start a project with fairness in mind. Your client as well as everybody party involved in the project is expecting you to be fair and just so make the best possible assessment with the evidences handed to you.

Before a project commences, the surveyor assigned to the project should come forward if there’s a possibility of conflict of interest. This is very important to preserve their relationship with the client. A surveyor should avoid professional impropriety by declaring involvement or any prior affiliations with any of the involved parties.

It is also the surveyor’s responsibility to keep any information regarding the project as well as the client confidential even after the project is done.

Several cases were reported where the surveyor overcharged the client. This usually happens when the client doesn’t know anything about land surveying. A land surveyor running his business with ethics will never do this. Fortunately, there are more honest land surveyors than dishonest ones.

A surveyor should charge a project according to the length of time needed to get it done as well as the level of technical complexity required for it. For the surveyor’s sake as well as the client, one should never sign plans, certificates or reports unless these are personally supervised by him.

Not only is this unfair on the client’s side, doing so could put his reputation in danger should the results get disputed and he doesn’t know anything about them.

Just like with other industries, a land surveyor should never undermine the capability of other surveyors or the people from the land surveying industry.

New technologies come up for land surveying all the time. When a surveyor knows that a project is beyond his skills, he should tell the client about it. There’s no sense accepting a project only to come up with a subpar result. It will only hurt your business and your reputation.

Surveyors should also be responsible enough to study, do a thorough research, practice and utilize his skills before offering clients a new service. If a surveyor is new to flood determination, for instance, then he needs to make sure that he knows how to perform it before offering it to his clients.

Surveyors do not work alone. They usually have a staff to support them. The land surveyor needs to be responsible for their actions at all cost, for actions or work carried out by them.

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Land surveying is fascinating. The methods used try to choose which part of land is owned by whom, hopefully ending arguments once and for all.
In short, surveying is actually a process using mathematical means to survey land.

The first accounts of surveying land goes back to ancient Egypt. Experts have discovered evidences which the ancient Egyptians used basic geometry to redraw the lines of boundary once the Nile River overflowed. An Egyptian land register dating back 3000 BC was also found.

Following the Egyptians, the Romans – also among the most powerful civilizations within the ancient world – practiced land surveying. They took it a pace further and made “land surveyor” a state position throughout the Empire. These folks called agrimensores, best known as Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum.

Whilst they used simple tools, people were very thorough with their jobs and would create straight lines and proper angles using these tools. After the lines were measured, they would create shallow ditches to mark the lines. In fact, a lot of the furrows they made exist today.

One of the recorded land surveying in the “modern” times is that of William the Conqueror who wrote the Domesday Book in 1086. This book serves as a menu of names of land owners, how many land they owned along with other information about the land.

While it was a marvelous measure of information during this period, the bits of information weren’t 100% correct. The locations weren’t accurate and the maps had not been created to scale.

One among history’s greatest icons had also been a passionate surveyor – Napoleon Bonaparte. The interest in surveying land was actually simply a product of his desire to conquer the planet.

Napoleon Bonaparte founded a registry called cadastre. This consists of a registry of properties of a county, ownership details, locations and as many details concerning the land’s value. Yes, Napoleon Bonaparte can be regarded as a land surveyor – and a very smart man.

The strategy used for land surveying also have evolved over the centuries, over time. In the past, people would use whatever may help them determine the length from one point to another. This simply means using chains with links and even ropes. Obviously, this didn’t give accurate results but they did not have the technology we’ve got in the past.

Today, land surveyors enjoy the best technologies to help them with their job. There’s GPS, or Global Positioning System, which is one of the most accurate technologies being utilized today.

Total stations are also very important to a land surveyor, which employs the utilization of an EDM or Electronic Distance Measurement device along with a theodolite which enables for further precise angle and distance measurements.

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This is the reason locating a parcel which you like and making a deal for it without performing a land survey within the area is likely to be the greatest mistake that you could make.

Here’s why it’s extremely important that you have land surveying done first:

Land surveyors can determine whether you’re actually getting what you’re gonna pay for. This determine whether or not the sidewalks, trees, driveways and even the bird bath is part of the property you’re going to buy.

Land surveying would also see whether the neighbors are encroaching into your property, which will then mean you’re likely to have problems later on with your neighbors.

Getting a land surveyor doesn’t only mean they know what you’re getting or otherwise not getting – land surveyors are the experts, and so they can help with building regulations, wetland regulations, etc.

Please note that these regulations may change anytime, but land surveyors ought to be updated on these regulations, or they’ll refer you to somebody who is.

Let’s say the present landowner (the one selling the land) supply you with old land survey documents? You should still hire your personal land surveyor to find out if the boundary monuments remain in position.

Also, land surveying done a couple of years back might not show recent changes to the land. When the existing survey is older than about 10 years, you need to get the latest survey. Technology and surveying standards are much better now and could give you more confidence in the survey work.

Second, that survey was completed for that owner. He might have instructed the surveyor not to show some things on the drawing. At least have a land surveyor get out there and evaluate the parcel using this survey in hand. We have witnessed numerous cases when a whole new land survey would save the customer thousands so don’t be a victim.

I’ve heard many say getting a land surveyor is nothing but unnecessary expense. I’ll let you know what’s unnecessary: the worries brought on by paying 1000s of dollars for something and finding yourself not receiving whatever you were expecting.

If you’re smart, you’d hire a professional land surveyor prior to making any land purchases.

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Article by Glen Tanner, Professional Land Surveyor, Copyright 2011, Used by Permission

The next question is how low will you go to find a property corner, in other words how deep will you dig before you give up and set a property corner?

The following pictures were taken 3-16-11 but the work was done about a week before. (That is why you will see a post in the picture.) I re-dug the hole to get the photo of this rare find. The first item I found was the bottom of a coke bottle. (center of the photo)

How many of your crew members would quit here thinking this is garbage? Would they keep digging and discover the property corner UNDER the bottle?

One open-top iron pipe found – the original property corner on this subdivision lot.

How deep does your crew dig to find a property corner? I personally go until I’m absolutely sure.
The deepest I have ever had to dig to locate an iron is 3 feet. I have found old irons that a tree has grown over or around as much as a foot in the tree. This lot was a 100 by 200 according to the plat, but on the ground along the road it measured 98 feet, along the rear of lot, 96 feet and 198 feet in depth.

Boy, this one sure matched the plat. This lot originally was an Autauga county gully that has been filled. The plat was recorded in 1969 and all lots shown on the plat along the south line were shown to be 160 feet plus or minus. Do you believe the rest of the subdivision is going to match the plat?

If you need help locating your property lines in the Auburn area, please call the land surveyors at (334) 826-9540. Our field crew strives to live up to the high standards Glen talks about in this article.

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If you’re looking for a land surveyor, here’s a few things that you’d like to remember.
You’d need to choose from a pool of land surveyors in order for you to find the best. Looking for land surveying companies in your area would be a very good start.

Aside from the yellow pages, you can also check the newspaper and the internet. Compile a list of the companies’ contact information which includes their phone number, email address and website.

Make sure that the person you’ll be working with is a licensed surveyor. Ask for a copy of their license so you could check its authenticity. You can also check with the Better Business Bureau for any complaints against the company.

Another important thing to remember is to hire someone whom you’ll be comfortable working with. In order to determine this, meet with the land surveyor you’re planning to hire.

You’ll be able to decide by the way he talks to you or answers your questions. Aside from seeing if you’ll be comfortable around him, you’d also be able to measure how knowledgeable he is.

Make sure that you thoroughly read and understand the contract before signing it. Read everything, especially the fine print. Also make sure that you’ll get the services that you’ll pay for, and that there are no hidden charges.

Signing a contract makes you legally bounded to its terms, so make sure that you fully understand what you’re signing up for.

It’s not really that hard hiring a land surveyor. Just remember to hire someone who is honest when it comes to doing the job so that you get the best bang for your buck.

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While we here in Alabama may not have to worry TOO much about snow melt, this does affect our flooding potential, especially in the northern counties of the state.

   It’s kind of hard with this much on the ground to start talking about flooding and planning and thinking flooding, but when you’ve got this much snow and we’re coming into the time of year we’re coming into, if you’re wise you’ll start planning for flooding, said Marion County Emergency Management Director John Hark.

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