Land Survey FAQ's
How much will the land survey cost?
What are the costs included in a land survey?
What kind of land survey do I need?
When You Need a Land Survey (download pdf pamplet)
How much will the survey cost?
There is no standard fee for most types of land surveys. Estimates or proposals are prepared based on several factors, such as field time, office time, and other associated costs of doing business. Surveys in steep mountain terrain will take more time in the field, for example, than in a residential area in the city. Each project is unique in some aspects, so it is impossible to state that a survey costs a certain amount of money until the background research has been completed and the professional land surveyor has estimated the costs. Small business may have less overhead than larger businesses; however, the scope of services should be nearly identical regardless of who is proposing on the project. Be sure to ask if the professional has experience in the area for two reasons; the first is that they will likely have records and experience with the survey issues in the area, and second, there will be less travel time and related expenses to pay for.
There are three basic types of estimates or proposals:
Lump sum proposals are prepared based on the expertise of the professional and include all of the costs related to the surveying project. If the costs exceed the proposed amount and are specifically included in the scope of services; the client is not responsible for the additional fees. If the scope of services does not specifically include an item, it is the professionals’ responsibility to immediately contact the client and discuss any additional fees which may occur, before the actual work is completed.
Time and materials proposals are prepared based hourly rates. Many professionals will propose on a project based on time and materials, and give a “not to exceed” amount, similar to a lump sum proposal. The services are billed based on the hourly rates for the personnel, and materials are billed based on cost. If the project is completed for less than the “not to exceed” amount, then the client pays only for the actual billed amount. As previously mentioned above, if the costs exceed the “not to exceed” amount, then the client is not responsible for the additional fees, unless the work required is not specifically addressed in the scope of services.
The third type of proposal is an “on call” contract. This type of contract specifies hourly rates for the duration of the contract, and can be billed on a time and materials basis up to the maximum amount of the contract or the client can request proposals for each new project, based on the hourly rates specified in the contract.
All of these types of estimates or proposals require a well defined and specific scope of services to be prepared. Both the professional and the client need to agree on the scope defined and any questions or concerns need to be discussed prior to executing the contract.
What are the costs included in a survey?
Licensure: The process of licensure is arduous, to say the least. There are two difficult exams to pass; the Land Surveyor Intern exam, and the Professional Land Surveyor exam. To qualify to be able to sit for these exams, there are laws defining both a minimum number of years of experience under the direct responsible charge of a licensed professional land surveyor, some of which can be substituted through Board of Licensure approved education. Once the exam for licensure has been passed, the licensee has only met the minimum requirements to practice as a Professional Land Surveyor. This process takes many years of dedication and hard work. Following licensure it is necessary to stay abreast of new laws, new methods, new standards, new technology and new software.
Insurance: There are two basic types of insurance required in order to protect the individual professional and the public. One is general liability insurance, which is necessary to operate as a professional. At a minimum, there needs to be coverage for the crews, the vehicles, and damage which may be incurred as a result of an accident. The equipment needs to be covered, as well as the office equipment, files, vehicles, and software. Thefts of surveying equipment are increasing at an alarming rate, which is increasing the cost of insurance for all of us. In addition, a prudent professional will carry errors and omissions insurance. This insurance is necessary to cover errors in products prepared by the professional, and in some cases, it helps to cover the professional for costs related to lawsuits which name all who have been associated with a particular project. The professional may not have been at fault, but it costs them time and money to defend that fact when named in a lawsuit. A little known fact is that a professional land surveyor is liable for everything they prepare for up to ten years after it has been delivered. As a general rule, up to 20% of the cost of doing business is related to insurance.
Overhead: This includes the costs of equipment, computers, software, chairs, staples, and maintenance of all that stuff, etc. A modest survey vehicle stocked with all of the necessary equipment to complete a day of surveying work can run well over $100,000. In addition, there are costs of unemployment insurance, workman’s comp, taxes, health and other benefits for staff, and other related costs too numerous to list. Another overhead cost which is often overlooked is the cost of finding and getting work. In addition to marketing costs, are the related costs prepare proposals and estimates. This cost is rarely covered in the project proceeds, and because surveying products are “shopped around” in many instances, there is a direct cost for a professional to spend the time necessary to prepare a well written, accurate, competitive proposal, regardless of the outcome. Add the utility bills, rents and mortgages, gasoline, the occasional office party, and of course, there is the matter of bookkeeping…
Staff: The old days of 3 or 4 person crews are a thing of the past. Today, we are lucky to be able to send two people out on a project and stay within the proposed budget. Experienced staff works more efficiently, but often commands a higher wage. Staff retention is important to reduce the cost of training new staff and more importantly, to maintain trusted relationships with clients. Survey grade Global Position Systems (GPS), robotic total stations, scanners, data collectors, digital levels, and laptop computers are the norm, which requires crew members to know and understand the technology in order to get the right answers. Gone are the days of mentoring when a one person crew is more standard today than in the past. Office staff is required to be computer literate and capable of operating high end computers with software packages that cost thousands of dollars per seat. Both small and large businesses struggle to keep up with the pace of new technology. It is becoming more difficult to remain efficient when the hardware and software changes occur faster than we can train ourselves and our staff.
Now and then we do hope to make a teeny bit of profit so we can grow and offer better services to our clients. Believe me, million dollar bonuses are not part of the surveying profession. Most surveyors love the profession. If we were in this for money we would disappointed. Surveying is an honorable, historic profession; rich in the history of our land, boundary law, mathematics, professionalism, evaluation of evidence, and measurements, pretty much in that order.
What kind of survey do I need?
Land Survey Plats, more commonly known as “boundary surveys” or “pin surveys”, require strict adherence to specific laws and standards, which are specifically defined by the Colorado Revised Statutes, the State Board of Licensure, and the generally accepted standards of practice. In addition to recovering evidence in the field to support the determination of a property boundary, there must be a plat document prepared, monuments must be set, and the resulting plat must be deposited with the appropriate county official.
ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys are a national standard, which incorporate all of the laws and standards for a Land Survey Plat, together with specific requirements to meet the needs of the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) through the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS). These types of surveys are generally ordered for commercial property and require a title commitment be furnished to the professional land surveyor when the survey is requested.
Topographic surveys generally result in a contour map, and show elevation information for purposes like site design for a new structure or for road design. Boundary information can be shown on this type of survey, but if it is, it has to comply with all of the applicable laws and standards for a Land Survey Plat.
Improvement surveys or Improvement Survey Plats show both boundary information and other improvements on the property, including structures, fences, utility locations, and hard surfaces like paved areas and sidewalks. These surveys also require monuments to be set, and the resulting plat has to be deposited.
Subdivision plats are another type of document a professional land surveyor prepares for the purpose of subdividing property per the regulations of local agencies. Subdivisions are common in cities and towns and result in property descriptions which are described as ‘Lot” and “Block”.
Construction staking surveys do not result in a map or plat, but require specialized knowledge on the part of the surveyor to insure that the location and elevations of the survey marks meet or exceed the required tolerances.
Control surveys are performed for the purpose of establishing horizontal and vertical coordinate values for construction or mapping projects.
Other types of documents a surveyor may prepare are Improvement Location Certificates, which are sometimes referred to as a mortgage inspection. Even though Improvement Location Certificates are commonly referred to as “surveys” they are not surveys, and are prepared only for the specific purposes required by a lending institution. There are no monuments set and the resulting document is not deposited as are Land Survey Plats and other types of boundary surveys.
Surveyors also prepare survey reports, property descriptions (a.k.a. legal descriptions), and elevation certificates