What type of survey do I need?

I seem to get questions all the time about what type of survey an engineer or architect should specify to get what their client will really need. While there are many different items that can be included in each type of survey, I'm only going to touch on three and try to give a basic description of each starting with the easiest (and probably the least expensive) and progressing to the most complex.

The most basic survey would include topographic and planimetric information only. Topographic information is elevations of features while planimetric information would be any visible items within the survey limits needed. With this type of work, the surveyor does not conduct any research to determine the location of any corners or lines of deeds or easements. Therefore, if the design consultant is not concerned about the location of property lines or easements, this may be the one you need.

The next highest level of survey would be a retracement survey. The minimum requirements for a retracement survey are defined in Title 865 of the Indiana Administrative Code found at http://www.in.gov/legislative/iac/title865.html. In short, the Indiana Administrative Code defines how research, field work and publication of the survey are to be conducted. Easement or setback lines associated with the recording of a previous plat are shown; however, any other easements, setback lines or zoning restrictions are only shown when they are provided by the client. This type of survey is normally specified if an improvement is contingent on the property line or an easement line. It may also be needed if there is transfer of realy property without a title insurance requirement.

The final type of survey is an ALTA/ACSM Land Title Survey. The minimum requirements for an ALTA survey are defined by the current 2005 standards found at http://www.alta.org/industry/ALTA2005_Standards.pdf. The ALTA survey is normally specified by either a title company or a lender for the project due to the need for title insurance. With this type of survey, the deed, adjoiners' deeds and easements affecting the property being surveyed are provided by the title insurance company and shown on the survey by the surveyor.

A client can specify that they'd like to see topographic and planimetric information in addition to either a retracement or an ALTA survey. However, there can be no "mix and match" between retracement and ALTA surveys - they're mutually exclusive animals.

In the next few weeks, I'll be talking about these different types of surveys in depth so that they are more easily understood by our clients. Please feel free to ask any questions by leaving a comment and I'll try to cover them in upcoming posts.