If you want to clarify your property lines, are starting new construction, have a property dispute with neighbors, or want to identify the location of easements on your land, hiring a land surveyor will provide you with legal proof of the physical facts of your property. Land surveyors’ costs are often quoted by the foot, and can vary depending on terrain (hilly and rocky land is harder to survey than flat land), density of vegetation (thick trees make access as well as GPS difficult), the quality of the title information available, and more.
For example, a land surveyor’s cost could range from 50 cents to 70 cents per foot on average for surveying large boundary areas. This price can increase if you want your land surveyed to outline where a future fence will go, as it requires the land surveyor to stake out the property line at set intervals. This increases the amount of time and labor for the job. Land surveyors may also charge a minimum service fee. If you have a small parcel of land, the surveyor will need to recoup their business expenses for travel to the site, their specialized equipment, and their time and effort. For example, one land surveyor’s minimum cost is $650. This includes surveying a lot under one acre in a platted (mapped) subdivision. The surveyor will set property lines, mark property corners as needed with survey flags, perform limited courthouse research, and provide a certified, stamped survey drawing at the end.