Land surveying can help in a wide range of situations. However, people aren't always sure if they need to put up the money for land surveying services. If you're facing one of these five situations, it might be time to survey your property.
Geological or Hydrological Changes
One of the biggest reasons to conduct a survey is because the property has fundamentally changed. Even if the changes appear slowly over time, geological and hydrological shifts can lead to some surprising issues with property boundaries and characteristics. A shift in a river, for example, might make a previous understanding that the property ended at the water's edge no longer true.
While these issues are more common in geologically active zones or areas prone to erosion, they can happen anywhere. Rather than make assumptions based on landmarks, ask a land surveying company to take some fresh measurements.
Construction, Repair, or Renovation Work
Surveying is especially important if you're going to change the footprint of a structure. Those changes need to go into your county's property registry.
However, you may also need to conduct a survey so you can line up key points on the property. You might need to do so even if you're not changing the footprint. Checking the landmarks and placing stakes will make it easier to tell contractors where things should go relative to the plans. You may also need to identify where underground features like utility lines and hard rock formations are.
Accessing Resources
A survey can often help you determine where certain resources are on the property. For example, you might have records regarding a natural or water deposit. Land surveying will allow you to mark precisely where those resources are. Similar sorts of surveys are useful for marking timber, mineral, or agricultural resources, too.
Property Disputes
The classic reason for surveying the land is to resolve disputes between neighbors. People may have a hazy understanding of where property lines are. Especially if it has been a long time since a land surveying services contractor has been through the area, it may be a good idea to refresh everybody's memories.
Transfers
It is always prudent to be sure what the boundaries of a property are before you transfer land. Particularly, this is wise because you might have liability exposure for misrepresenting the property if someone surveys the land later and learns they've lost part of their claim to it. Land surveying is always a good choice in terms of legal due diligence.
For more information on land surveying services, contact a professional near you.