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Frequently asked questions: 1. How much does it cost to have my property surveyed? 2. How long will it take to get my survey done? 4. What is a “Legal Description?” 5. What is the difference between a “lot in a subdivision” and a “metes and bounds” description? 6. Do I need to be present when the Surveyor is here? 7. When would I need to have my property surveyed? 8. Didn’t they have the property surveyed when I bought it? 10. Don’t I own to the middle of the road?
Q: How much does it cost to have my property surveyed? A: That depends on how long it will take to complete the survey. Since most surveyors charge by the hour and even those that do not charge by the hour still have to figure cost on an hourly basis, the cost of surveying your property will always depend, in one way or another, on how long it will take to do it. Most surveyors charge anywhere from $75/hr to $150/hr. A survey of a building lot in a town or city may take as little as two hours to complete; or, to survey a larger tract such as a farm or a large industrial lot may take as long as one or, even, two weeks. Most surveyors will bid a job if you ask them. Many routinely give estimates. If you get an estimate, then the final cost of the survey will depend on the actual time spend doing the survey. I prefer bidding jobs and rarely do anything by the hour. Bids are free. Have your legal description ready when you ask. Q: How long will it take to get my survey done? A: The actual time involved in doing the survey depends on the size of the property, how it is described, and how much control is available. You’re probably going to spend longer waiting for the surveyor to get to you than you will spend waiting for him to complete the survey. Most surveyors (all that I know of) have a back log of jobs waiting to be done that can vary anywhere from two weeks to two months . Q: When do I pay? A: I can’t speak for everyone; but, for me, I send out a bill along with the plat. A plat is a “picture” of your property that is drawn up by the surveyor to show what work he has done. You should receive your plat and bill within a week or so of the completion of the field work. Q: What is a “Legal Description?” A: A legal description is a verbal representation of the property that you own. There is a “short-hand” version of it on your tax statement and receipt; but, this will not be sufficient for a land surveyor. Your actual description, in it’s entirety, is recorded at the Court House for the county in which you reside. You probably also have a copy of it among the papers they gave you for your house. Q: What is the difference between a “lot in a subdivision” and a “metes and bounds” description? A: A lot in a subdivision is just that. Most property in a larger town or city are described this way. If your property falls in this category, your description will read something like: lot 4, block 2, “Smith’s Addition.” That’s all there is. The recorded plat of “Smith’s Addition” at the courthouse tell the surveyor all he needs to know to determine your boundaries. A metes and bounds description would read something like: “Beginning at the Northwest corner of section 17, Township 57 North, Range 35 West, Buchanan county, Missouri; thence East 150 feet to the True Point of Beginning; thence east 60 feet; thence south 130 feet; thence west 60 feet; thence north 130 feet to the point of beginning.” It would probably be more complicated and involved than that; but, that’s the gist of it. It’s up to the surveyor to determine where the Northwest corner of section 17 is and what, exactly, is meant by “East” etc. Q: Do I need to be present when the Surveyor is here? A: Probably not. In most cases the surveyor doesn’t require anything from you at the time that he is performing the field work. Exceptions to this would be: 1) If he might need a gate unlocked to get access to some control point or corner of your property. 2) If you are dividing your property and need to show the surveyor the particular fence, ditch or tree that you want to become part of the “new” boundary. 3) If you are getting an Elevation certificate done, the surveyor will need access to the inside of your house so that he can determine the vertical location of your household “machinery.” (i.e.: furnace, water heater, water softener etc.) 4) If you have a large dog that needs to be restrained. Q: When would I need to have my property surveyed? A: There are a number of reasons why people choose to have their property surveyed. The most common among them, in my experience, is when they are dividing their property. At that time, it is a good idea to be sure that your are getting an accurate description of the property that you are about to sell off. Most lending institutions require it. And many local authorities also require it. Also, if you are about to construct a fence or any other structure that will either define your property or be very near the limits of your property. Again, this is often required for financing or permits. Q: Didn’t they have the property surveyed when I bought it? A: Probably not. There’s no requirement under Missouri law for property to be surveyed at the time of sale. Many lenders will require a “mortgage Inspection” at the time that they approve the loan; but, that isn’t really a survey. (Basically, all that tells them is that there is a house located on the property described on the deed and that a precursory inspection doesn’t show any obvious encroachments.) Since local regulations didn’t require a boundary survey at the time of granting a building permit (and many still don’t), no survey was performed then either. Most subdivisions had all the lots staked at the time they were first laid out; but, subsequent construction soon obliterates most of them. Many subdivisions only had the outside corners of the subdivision itself staked at the time of platting. Even property described by “metes and bounds” and not part of a subdivision where probably merely “walked off” by the seller. The licensing of Land Surveyors didn’t begin until the 1970's. Prior to that it was a skill that many pursued as a “hobby” and very few showed any real skill at it. There were professional surveyors. But, then, as now, they were often seen as an “un-necessary” expense. It wasn’t until Missouri began licensing it’s Land Surveyors that it became illegal to survey without a license and some level of competency began to emerge with the elimination of the “amateurs.” Q: Don’t I own to the fence? A: Probably not. Fences are built by land owners - not by surveyors. They are usually supposed to be marking someone’s boundary and are probably represented as such when the property is sold. However, if the fence is built without benefit of a boundary survey, it has little real chance of actually being on the boundary. Even if the fence was built with the benefit of a boundary survey, it is probably on one property or the other. It may be close; but, it’s not “the line.” Q: Don’t I own to the middle of the road ? A: If you live in the county and your property is described as a fractional part of a section or described by metes and bounds and goes to the section line then there is a good chance that you do own to the middle of the road. But, there’s nothing special about the “middle of the road” as far as your property line is concerned. Because it was there first. Back when we first took this land away from the Indians the United States Government sent in surveyors to divide the land so that it could be sold. (They were the first land speculators in our history). The lines of the sectional division of the land became the property lines of the new owners and that’s where they built their fences (as close as they could get them.) Then they needed roadways to get their goods to town so they moved their fences back a little, each giving up an equal share of land, to create a passageway for their wagons and livestock. This was the roadway. Later, local authorities improved the travel ways with grading, gravel and, later, pavement. So, if you’re asking this question, the answer is probably yes. But, don’t count on it. There are a number of other ways that road ways are created and, until you know, don’t make any assumptions. Q: How big is an acre ? A: Simply put — 43,560 square feet. An acre was originally intended to be the amount of land that an ox could plow before it needed to stop for a rest. This was later quantified as 1 rod (16 ½ feet) by 160 rods (1/2 mile). The most common expression of it is a square acre (208.71 feet by 208.71 feet) but, it can take any shape you want - even a circle.
Kansas Land Surveyor | Kansas Boundary Surveyor | KS Survey | Kansas Property Line Surveyor | KS Fence Line Survey Company |
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