What is Land Surveying?
Surveying is the technique and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional space position of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually, but not exclusively, associated with positions on the surface of the Earth, and are often used to establish land maps and boundaries for ownership or governmental purposes. In order to accomplish their objective, surveyors use elements of geometry (Greek: measuring the Earth), engineering, trigonometry, mathematics, physics, and law.
Surveying has been an essential element in the development of the human environment since the beginning of recorded history (ca. 5000 years ago) and it is a requirement in the planning and execution of nearly every form of construction. Its most familiar modern uses are in the fields of transport, building and construction, communications, mapping, and the definition of legal boundaries for land ownership.
- As-Built Survey: a survey conducted at the completion of a construction project to verify, for local and state boards, that the work authorized was completed to the specifications set on the Plot Plan or Site Plan. This usually entails and complete survey of the site to confirm that the structures, utilities, and roadways proposed were built in the proper locations authorized in the Plot Plan or Site Plan.
- Boundary Survey: the actual physical extent of property ownership, typically witnessed by monuments or markers, such as (typically iron rods, pipes or concrete monuments in the ground, but also tacks or blazes in trees, piled stone corners, fenceposts, or other types of monuments) are measured, and a map, or plat, is drawn from the data. NOTE: The willful destruction and or removal of above said monuments is illegal in the United States. These acts will always result in fining and possible jailtime.
- Construction surveying (otherwise "lay-out" or "setting-out"): the process of establishing and marking the position and detailed layout of new structures such as roads or buildings for subsequent construction. In this sense, surveying may be regarded as a sub-discipline of civil engineering.
- Engineering Surveys: those surveys associated with the engineering design (topographic, layout and as-built) often requiring geodetic computations beyond normal civil engineering practice.
- Foundation Survey: a survey done to collect the positional data on a foundation that has been poured and is cured. This is done to ensure that the foundation was constructed in the location authorized in the Plot Plan, Site Plan, or Subdivision Plan. When the location of the finished foundation is checked and approved the building of the remainder of the structure can commence. This should not be confused with an As-Built Survey which is not to be done until all work on the site is completed.
- Mortgage Survey, Title Survey, or Physical Survey: a simple survey that generally determines land boundaries and building locations. Mortgage surveys are required by title companies and lending institutions when they provide financing to show that there are no structures encroaching on the property and that the position of structures is generally within zoning and building code requirements.
- Subdivision Plat a plot or map based on a survey of a parcel of land. Boundary lines are drawn inside the larger parcel to indicated the creation of new boundary lines and roads. Various requirements by local governments must be complied with before filing a subdividion plat.
- Topographic Survey: a survey that measures the elevation of points on a particular piece of land, and presents them as contours on a plot.