THE SERVICES OF A
PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR
Revised Dec. 20, 1998
Published as a public service by the
Land Surveyors' Association of Washington
The Land Surveyors' Association of Washington is dedicated to the
highest standards of practice in the profession of land surveying
Insist upon a member of the LSAW for YOUR survey needs.
Table of Contents
What is Land Surveying?
Meet the Registered Professional Land Surveyor
Who Employs or Retains a Land Surveyor?
What Types of Surveys are Performed?
When is a Survey Advisable?
Why are there Conflicting Boundaries?
The Land Surveyor's Work
When and Why are Surveys Recorded?
How Much Does a Land Surveyor Charge?
Code of Ethics of Professional Land Surveyors
Did You Know?
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1. WHAT IS LAND SURVEYING?
Land surveying is the art and science of establishing or reestablishing corners,
lines, boundaries, and monuments of real property (land), based upon recorded
documents, historical evidence, and present standards of practice. Land
Surveying also includes associated services such as analysis and utilization of
survey data, subdivision planning and design, writing legal descriptions,
mapping, construction layout, and precision measurements of angle, elevation,
length, area, and volume.
2. MEET THE REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR
The laws of the State of Washington provide that only registered Professional
Land Surveyors may engage in the practice of land surveying.
The requirements for registration include four years of approved progressive
experience, four years of professional experience, good character and
reputation, and successful completion of a two-day examination administered by
the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land
Surveyors.
3. WHO EMPLOYS OR RETAINS A LAND SURVEYOR?
Architects
Attorneys
Banks and Lending Institutions
Builders and Contractors
Court Judges
Government Agencies
Home Owners
Land Developers
Planners
Professional Engineers
Realtors
Rural Land Owners
Title Companies
Utility Companies
4. WHAT TYPES OF SURVEYS ARE PERFORMED?
Boundary Surveys:
Surveys made to establish or reestablish property boundary lines upon the ground
or to obtain data for making a map showing boundary lines. These surveys include
residential lots, commercial property, and large tracts.
Condominium Surveys:
Surveys determining unit and common areas, in a three dimensional plane, to
prepare descriptions and mapping for a condominium plan.
Construction Surveys:
Survey measurements on a construction project to control position, dimensions,
and configuration. Also included are measurements to determine quantities for
payment of work and adequacy of completion.
Court Exhibit Surveys:
Surveys involving accumulation and preparation of evidence for courtroom
testimony involving boundary disputes. Traffic accident and crime scene
situation surveys are also included.
Mortgage or Title Surveys:
Surveys made for lending or insuring agencies to evaluate title problems, if
any, relating to actual occupation and possession.
Preliminary Survey:
Surveys to obtain data from which to determine the feasibility of, and/or to
prepare plans for a development or construction project.
Subdivision Surveys:
Surveys dividing undeveloped areas of land into blocks, lots, streets, parks,
etc., in conformance with governing ordinances. This procedure includes
platting, segregations, and other divisions exempt from subdivision ordinances.
Topographic Surveys:
Surveys for the purpose of determining the configuration of the earth's surface
and the location of physical objects thereon.
5. WHEN IS A SURVEY ADVISABLE?
Before a boundary dispute arises when there is uncertainty of property location
Before designing or constructing major improvements such as buildings, roads, fences, landscaping, etc.
Before land is bought, sold, segregated, or subdivided.
Before timber is cut and removed.
6. WHY ARE THERE CONFLICTING BOUNDARIES?
It is generally true that boundary disputes and overlaps are a result of legal
descriptions which were originally written and recorded without the benefit of
the services of competent land surveyors; however, in some instances actual long
established occupation on the ground will take precedence over recorded
descriptions. In such cases of "acquiescence" or "adverse possession" the land
surveyor, the attorney, and possibly the courts may be involved in finding a
solution to the problem.
7. THE LAND SURVEYOR'S WORK
Land surveying practice is a career specialization overlapping the professions
of geodessy, engineering and law.
Today's land surveyor has access to highly sophisticated equipment as well as
the traditional instruments for performing and processing survey work. The
surveyor takes pride in being able to use the most efficient tools to accomplish
the desired results.
Research of deeds, historical documents, various old plats, maps and right of way plans, is an integral part of any boundary survey. The internet is also used to research vertical and horizontal datums on a global scale for Global Positioning Surveys.
Keeping abreast of changing laws and practices affecing land surveying and land ownership, exchanging ideas through participation in professional associations and societies, continuing education through attendance at workshops and seminars, in the interest of providing better service, are some of the activities pursued by today's modern land surveyor.
8. WHEN AND WHY ARE SURVEYS RECORDED?
The laws of the State of Washington now mandate that a land surveyor record
prescribed documents with the appropriate county auditor whenever certain
monuments are restored and whenever boundary corners are set involving two or
more land ownerships. Other surveys may be recorded by a land surveyor when
requested by his employer or client.
The purpose of survey recording laws are to provide a systematic method of preserving evidence of land surveys and perpetuation of corners, thus reducing the duplication of effort and resulting costs for later survey work.
9. HOW MUCH DOES A LAND SURVEYOR CHARGE?
The surveyor bases the fees for some work upon the time required for him and his
staff to complete the job. Fees may also be based upon the extent of liability
assumed by the surveyor and may be related to the value of the real property or
planned improvements thereon.
Some routine survey work can be defined as to cost with a firm price quoted by
the surveyor. Some situations include so many unknowns in time required that the
surveyor will only "estimate" a fee based upon his schedule of rates.
One of the most uncertain factors relating to the cost of a survey is the time required for recovery of various types of monuments. It is important for land owners, contractors, and the general public to be aware that careless treatment and destruction of survey monuments adds greatly to the cost of later survey work. In addition, when there is no evidence of original monuments, no method of mathematics, records research, surveying procedure, court decree, etc. can establish or reestablish a property boundary as it previously existed.
Code of Ethics of Professional Land Surveyors
THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Professional Land Surveyors uphold and advance the integrity, honor, and dignity
of the land surveyors' profession by:
I. using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human
welfare;
II. being honest and impartial, and serving with fidelity the public, their
employers and clients;
III. striving to increase the competence and prestige of the land surveyors'
profession; and
IV. supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines.
THE FUNDAMENTAL CANONS
1. Professional Land Surveyors shall hold paramount the safety,
health and welfare of the public
in the performance of their professional duties.
2. Professional Land Surveyors shall perform services only in the areas of their
competence.
3. Professional Land Surveyors shall issue public statements only in an
objective and truthful manner.
4. Professional Land Surveyors shall act in professional matters for each
employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.
5. Professional Land Surveyors shall build their professional reputations on the
merit of their services.
6. Professional Land Surveyors shall act in such a manner as to uphold and
enhance the honor, integrity and
dignity of their profession.
7. Professional Land Surveyors shall continue their professional development
throughout their careers and shall
provide opportunities for the professional development of those under their
supervision.
Did You Know...
That to correctly survey a 40 acre tract such as the NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4
requires a survey of almost the entire section?Consider the steps that are
necessary
Recover original government corners 1, 2, 4, 6 & 8 (these are corners set by the General Land Office in the first surveys; beginning in 1853 in the State of Washington)
2. Establish the center of the section (Point A) which is the intersection of a straight line between points 4 & 8 and 6 & 2
3. Establish 1/16 corners B, C, D & E; for example: "B" being exactly midway between "A" & 2, etc.
4. Establish SE 1/16 corner (F) which is the intersection of straight lines between points B & D and C & E
The above steps are necessary to locate the four corners of (in this case) the NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4. Since most sections have dimensions such as in Figure 2 (exaggerated to show that the lines are not straight nor parallel, due to the difficulties encountered in the "1800" surveys) it follows that the distances around a "40" will not always be 1320 feet, nor will the sides be at right angles to each other.
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