FAQ

Question: When and why should property be surveyed?
Property should be surveyed in the following situations:
• When property is to be sold, purchased or mortgaged
• When property improvements, such as buildings or fences are planned
• When the location of property boundaries are uncertain or in dispute
• When property is to be divided into parcels for sale or development
• When government regulations require a survey and map of your property
• When property trespass or encroachment is evidenced or suspected

Question: What is the cost of a survey?
The cost of a survey is affected by several factors that are involved in the development of a boundary survey.
Factors that affect the cost of a survey include:
• Type of legal description
• Location of the property
• Use of the property
• Size of the property
• Lay of the land
• Use of the survey
• Survey history of the area.

If you would like a proposal, we will perform the required research of records and prepare a proposal.

Question: Can you use GPS to survey my property?
We routinely use high precision Global Positioning equipment in our work. High precision GPS is quite different from the hand held receivers or phone units that are common today. High precision is required for land surveying and needs some clear horizons available to attain contact with the satellites. It does not work well in trees and there is a loss of quality. GPS is another tool in our tool bag and we use it when it fits the needs for a particular job and we can get the high quality results that we need.

Question: I don’t want a survey. All I want is to have my corners located. Can’t you do it with a metal detector?
In Wisconsin, the standards for a property survey are defined in Chapter A-E 7 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code. While someone might be able to find some pipe monuments with a metal detector, those monuments need to be verified by precise measurements and analysis by a Licensed Professional Land Surveyor to insure that they are correct. A-E 7 requires proper research, measurements, analysis, staking, and preparation of a map for all boundary surveys. The map is certified by the surveyor, creates a record that the survey was done properly, and is something that can be relied on for planning or construction in the future.