Services
Land Surveying
Property lines, elevations, and site features surveyed in the field and mapped, so buyers, lenders, designers, and builders work from measured facts.
What is land surveying?
Land surveying is the licensed practice of measuring land and the features on it, then mapping the results: locating property lines and corners, setting monuments, mapping ground contours and improvements, and staking where new construction goes.
People often ask for “a survey” without knowing which kind they need; each service below answers a different question about a property. When land is divided or lot lines move, survey work also supports a parcel or subdivision map or a lot line adjustment.
The licensee in responsible charge signs and seals each final map. State law requires some surveys to be filed with the county surveyor, where owners, title officers, and later surveyors can find them.
Land Surveying services
Order one service, or combine several on the same survey control (shared reference points).
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Topographic Surveying
Contours, spot elevations, utilities, and site features on one sealed base map, ready for grading, drainage, and site design.
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Boundary Surveying
Your property lines and corners located and marked before you build, fence, buy, or divide land, with a sealed map and any required county filing.
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ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys
Boundary, easements, potential encroachments, and your chosen Table A items on a plat made to the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards for lenders and title insurers.
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Record of Survey & Corner Records
Boundary research, monuments set and tagged, and a sealed map or corner record filed with the county surveyor when state law requires it.
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Legal Descriptions & Easements
Sealed legal descriptions and plat exhibits for deeds, dedications, and new easements, math-checked and tied to the record.
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Construction Staking
Grade, building, utility, and curb stakes set from your approved plans, with cut and fill sheets so crews build to the design.
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Elevation Certificates
Surveyed floor, equipment, and grade elevations on FEMA's form, signed and sealed for floodplain permits, insurance rating, or a Letter of Map Amendment.
Related projects
Process
How surveys fit into a project
Most projects use several surveys in sequence, all tied to the same survey control.
Before you buy
A boundary survey, or an ALTA/NSPS survey for a commercial loan, shows lines, record easements, and potential encroachments while terms can still change.
Before design
A topographic survey maps grades, utilities, and site features, giving architects and engineers one base map.
During approvals
Legal descriptions and plats define new easements and dedications; a record of survey or corner record is filed when state law requires.
During and after construction
Construction staking sets approved lines and grades for each phase; in flood zones, an Elevation Certificate records the finished building's elevations.
Land Surveying FAQs
Which land survey do I need?
The land survey you need depends on the question you are answering. A boundary survey (often called a property survey) shows where property lines and corners are; a topographic survey maps elevations and features for design; an ALTA/NSPS survey meets a lender's or title insurer's requirements; construction staking marks approved plans on the ground; an Elevation Certificate records a building's elevations for comparison with the base flood elevation. Many projects need two or more.
Who can perform land surveying in California?
Land surveying in California must be performed by, or under the responsible charge of, a licensed land surveyor or a civil engineer registered before January 1, 1982 (Business and Professions Code §8731). Any licensed civil engineer may also do topographic mapping and construction staking (§6731.1), but property-line work needs land surveying authority. The licensee in responsible charge signs and seals the final map.
Does every land survey get filed with the county?
A land survey must be filed with the county surveyor only when state law requires it; otherwise filing a record of survey is optional (Business and Professions Code §8762(a)). A record of survey is mandatory when fieldwork meets a condition in §8762(b), such as finding a material discrepancy with a recorded map or setting points no recorded map shows, and is due within 90 days after monuments are set or fieldwork is completed, whichever comes first (§8762(c)). A retracement that matches the record may need only a corner record (§8765(d)).
What affects the cost and schedule of a land survey?
The cost and schedule of a land survey depend on the type of survey, the parcel's size and terrain, vegetation and access, the quality of deeds and recorded maps, how many corners must be found or set, and whether a county filing is required. Share the address or parcel number, why you need the survey, and any lender or agency requirements; the proposal then sets scope and timing.
Sources & references
- Business and Professions Code §8731, who may practice land surveying (California Legislative Information)
- Business and Professions Code §6731.1, civil engineers, topographic mapping and staking (California Legislative Information)
- Business and Professions Code §8762, when a record of survey is required (California Legislative Information)
Further reading
Last reviewed .