How long does a land survey take? And every other question, answered

Most residential land surveys take 5 to 10 business days from engagement to sealed drawing. Elevation certificates run 3 to 7 days, topographic surveys 1 to 2 weeks, ALTA/NSPS surveys 2 to 4 weeks, and subdivision plats 3 to 6 weeks of survey work plus county review. The fieldwork is usually hours; records research, drafting and crew scheduling take the rest.

A typical residential boundary survey costs $450 to $900. Across all types the national average is about $2,300, ranging from $170 elevation certificates to $10,000+ ALTA surveys on complex commercial sites. Acreage, terrain, records quality and corner condition move the price.

Surveyors and firms subscribe (plans from $79/mo) to receive qualified, scoped leads in their service area. Clients never pay us, and we never mark up the surveyor's quoted price.

Yes. Every professional's PLS/PS license number is verified against the state licensing board and a current certificate of professional liability insurance (typically $2M) is kept on file. Profiles with lapsed credentials are removed.

No. You see up to 3 matched quotes and choose who to talk to. Your contact details are never blasted to a list of pros, which is the standard complaint about generic lead sites.

For a boundary survey: each corner gets a set pin or recovered monument, flagged so you can find it, and the sealed drawing shows bearings and distances for every line plus encroachments and recorded easements.

Legally it depends on your jurisdiction, practically yes if you cannot prove where the line is. A fence built off a guess becomes an encroachment, and moving it later costs far more than the $450 to $900 boundary survey would have.

A plat is the recorded drawing that legally creates lots (from a subdivision); a survey is the measurement work a licensed surveyor performs on the ground. Your parcel likely appears on a recorded plat, and a new survey re-establishes its lines from that record plus field evidence.

A licensed land surveyor first, for a boundary survey that establishes the facts, and a real-estate attorney if the disagreement survives the facts. A sealed survey is the standard exhibit in line disputes. We match you with the surveyor; legal advice comes from your attorney.

Yes, when flown under FAA Part 107 by a certificated remote pilot and performed under the state's surveying laws by or under a licensed surveyor. Matched drone/LiDAR pros on Surveyors.io carry both credentials.

Matched surveyors send scoped quote ranges based on your survey type, parcel and county. The final price is confirmed by the surveyor after scope review, which is why ranges from three local pros are the honest way to see the market.

Always. You compare up to 3 matched quotes, credentials and turnarounds, and accept the one you want. Nobody is assigned to you.

You set your service area and survey types, and scoped jobs in your counties appear for you to claim with lead credits (included in Pro). Leads carry type, parcel, records status and timeline, so you can quote in minutes. See the For Surveyors page.

All 50 states plus DC. Matching is done at county level against each professional's declared service area, so rural parcels match to pros who actually travel there.