F.A.Q.

Frequently Asked Questions (Continuously Being Updated)

We understand there are a lot of questions about Land Surveying & Septic System Designs. We felt it would be good to put together Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Q. What is a Boundary Survey, What Does it Entail?

A. A Boundary Surveys at it's most basic, is a survey to locate the actually boundary of a property or parcel. Sometimes a plan is provided to the owner, sometimes a plan is officially recorded at the Register of Deeds, and sometimes the Surveyor will set or find the property corners and set stakes along the property lines.

A more clear definition would be: A boundary survey is a process carried out to determine property lines and define true property corners of a parcel of land described in a deed. It also indicates the extent of any easements or encroachments.

Q. What is a Certified Lot Plan? Why does the Town require them?

A. A Certified Plot Plan is commonly required by the Town or City when there is new construction or permanent improvements made to your property, examples would be a new addition to your home, a swimming pool, or a new shed to name a few. The Town will want a Surveyor to Certify that the new object on the property conforms to the building setbacks. The Surveyor typically will provide a plan that shows all of the existing site features, with distances to the property lines. This lets the Town know that the property improvements are not within the setback and not violating the zoning codes.


General misconceptions about surveying that we run into;
Client - "We Only Need The One Corner Set....."
ESD- "Unfortunately, to just set one corner, we still need to do all of the work to effectively lay your entire deed on the ground, meaning we need to locate your whole property correctly to be able to set the one corner. We also need to consider abutting properties and their deeds. We have to do our best to not only make sure your deed is being considered but, also the deeds of your neighbors and the abutting parcels"

Client - "The Town Hall Said....."
ESD - "Your Town Hall is doing it's best to help you, giving you the best advice that they can. Ultimately, however, you are solely responsible and liable if you erect a fence in the wrong spot, install a pool too close to the property line, build a deck in the building setbacks, etc. Until you have a Land Surveying company come out and locate your property lines, set stakes along the property lines, maybe even draft a sketch plan so you can see the property line in relation to the other site features, you are guessing as to the location of your property lines. The Town Hall cannot give you the exact location of your property."

Client - "The Town Assessing Maps Show......"
ESD - "Town Assessing maps are very generic. The purpose of these maps if for the ease of the assessor. Your Town Assessor uses these maps to assign a Tax Map and Lot. These maps are also used by the Planning Dept. Most Assessor Maps have a note on them that states the Maps are not exact, a note that says "these are for assessing and property planning, not for subdivisions or conveyances" So it is very inaccurate to use the tax map as a resource for actually property lines on the ground."