Site Surveyor

Topographic surveys describe the contours and elevations, or “topography” present on a site. These elevations are a very important factor for a slew of reasons. One of these reasons is drainage. To understand where water is running to and from on a site, low and high points must be identified and understood. A topographic survey is required for new development and for most additions and expansions to existing buildings and homes.

Looking to determine where your property lines end, limit, or “bounds” of your property are located? Concerned someone is encroaching on your property? With the use of written record research, instrumentation, and field investigation, a surveyor locates the markers which frame property boundaries. They are also able to determine the location of any “improvements” in relation to property lines, such as buildings, walkways, pads, fencing, etc.

The cost of a survey can vary greatly depending on the lot that is being surveyed. For instance, the time spent in the field and drafting a survey of a 14-acre wooded lot will be much greater than the time spent surveying a one-acre suburban lot. If there are two one-acre lots, one being from a large development in the 1990s, the other being divided from farmland in the 1890s, the research and fieldwork required for the farm lot may be much greater. For this reason it is hard to list a flat rate for a survey. We ask you to fill out our survey inquiry form. It will give us an understanding of your site’s size, terrain, and allow us to research its history. This will give us the ability to understand and estimate the difficulty of the survey on our end, and send you a proposal with a fair rate.

Boundary lines are often not physical boundaries. This can make them hard to determine and understand. Each property has a deed which describes its point of beginning, the length and angle of the outline of the property, and if all is right, this outline returns back to the point of beginning. Surveyors follow the written descriptions of a lot and those adjacent to it. Using written records and physical evidence, they search for the markers which are often set at the intersecting corners of properties. These markers vary based on who set them and when. Monuments are large concrete posts encasing a line of rebar. Surveyors are often required to set them as a boundary of new development. Iron pins and pipes are also used to mark corners. As some properties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are more than 300 years old, there are situations where deeds describe river banks, stones, and even notches in trees as property corners! This all goes to say that if you see us poking around in your front yard with a metal detector and a shovel, there is no reason to be concerned. We are simply in search of the important markers that lay below the soil’s surface.

Homeowners could require the services of a professional engineer or land surveyor for many reasons. One of these is that they are hoping to add an improvement to their lot. This may come in the form of a fence or pool, which would require a boundary survey conducted by a licensed professional. They may be looking to expand their home, which would require a boundary and topographic survey conducted by a licensed professional. As a final example, the homeowner could be having problems with their septic system, and need it to be redone. This would require a boundary and topographic survey as well as a septic plan designed and signed by a licensed engineer.

Builders and developers are typically more familiar with the role that engineers and surveyors play in construction. Have an idea for a site, but unsure how the local governing body will feel about it? An engineer can draft a concept sketch that you can bring to an official or board member to discuss. Hoping to subdivide a property and build on it? The subdivision must be prepared by a licensed surveyor, and an engineer must be on board to work out a site plan, handle utility design, etc. Furthermore, as a developer brings their plans to the required approval boards, they need a licensed engineer at meetings to testify and advocate for the project.

Determined by three key factors, a wetland is most easily described as an area of land in which water congregates at shallow depths below or above the surface of land. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, wetlands are protected by both state and local law. The aforementioned three factors used in determining a wetland are presence of visible water, saturation of soil, and vegetation. If there is standing or moving water, said area is a wetland. If there is evidence of water standing at less than 18 inches from the surface, said area is a wetland. If there are species of plants which are more prone to growth in hydric soils, said area is likely a wetland, though this factor is a bit more subjective than the others. Wetlands are protected areas, which means no construction, clearing, or disturbance of any kind is allowed within them unless a permit is obtained from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Wetlands are further restricted from any use by the additive of a buffer which varies from 50 to 150 feet, which is determined by the presence of certain plant and animal species.

Not all soil is the same. The gravelly loam of New Jersey’s Highlands is vastly different from the sand of New Jersey’s pinelands. This is true in terms of appearance, but even more so in terms of properties. Not all soil is suitable for a foundation, septic system, or stormwater basin. Often important to the work is the rate at which fluid moves through the soil. This is called permeability. For example, a medium rate of permeability is suitable for a septic system because it ensures that the treated waste released from the system moves slow enough that it is broken down prior to entering groundwater, but does not move so slow that waste concentrates underground. An investigation of soil in the form of logs, borings, or bearings is required for most new construction. It can also be required for expansions of existing structures.

Towns and municipalities have a number of zoning requirements and ordinances for development on private property. If your project does not comply with any of these requirements you will likely have to seek a variance or alter your project to conform.

• Middlesex County
• Somerset County
• Mercer County
• Hunterdon County
• Monmouth County
• Burlington County
• Bucks County (Pennsylvania)
• Other areas on a case-by-case basis