What Is The Cost Of A Land Survey Per Acre?

What Is The Cost Of A Land Survey Per Acre?

What Exactly Is a Land Survey?

A land survey is required to determine the location of a property’s property borders and features. They are the sole way to determine where one parcel of property ends and another begins.

While property conflicts are less common today than in the past, knowing who owns which piece is still important.

Land surveys are drawings that illustrate the borders of a property as well as the measurements and locations of site improvements and buildings.

There are numerous choices available depending on the type of property and its legal definition.

Homeowners may need one for a variety of reasons, including resolving boundary line disputes, determining property lines, obtaining title insurance, and completing the requirements of a mortgage.

They can also be used to locate utilities and easements, update outdated surveys, or build a house or other structure.

When planning a property survey, homeowners should look into local land surveyors. Every state has a professional land surveyors society.

The National Society of Professional Surveyors maintains a list of all surveyors to make it easier to find a professional.

General costs outlook

The cost of surveying property ranges between $200 and $1,000, with a $500 average.

A land surveyor costs about $500 on average, but a property survey can cost between $200 and $1,000, depending on the size and makeup of your landscape, where you reside, and the type of survey you want.

Gone are the days when your property was defined by a stone wall or an ancient oak tree. Whether you’re buying a new house, erecting a fence, or adding an additional guest bedroom, a licensed land surveyor can help you identify your legal property lines.

What Is the Cost of a Land Survey Per Acre?

While there is no national standard per-acre pricing, most professional land surveyors begin by determining their expenses per foot or per acre. A survey, on the other hand, becomes more difficult if your land has an odd shape or the surveyor must work around thick brush, stones, or trees.

The size of your grass is also important. If your home is less than an acre in size, you’ll pay between $0.50 and $0.70 per square foot.

However, if you own a large piece of land with hills and forests, land surveyors may charge between $50 and $500 per acre. Buying in bulk, like most things, can help you save money. The lower the per-acre cost, in general, the larger the property.

In both cases, the broad price range is due to a combination of factors, including:

Lot type, size, shape, and age are all important considerations.

Most lawns in the United States are around one-fifth of an acre in size. The stated costs for surveying these properties range from $400 to $700 on average.

If the lot is in a developed subdivision and has a normal rectangular or square shape, you’ll most likely pay at the lower end of the scale because it’s easier to analyze. New, undeveloped, or odd-shaped lots will be more expensive, especially if they are several acres in size.

The initial property survey on a plot will begin from the ground up and will take longer to complete. Furthermore, if the property has multiple points to establish, additional work is required to precisely identify those borders.

Geographical Area

The cost of a land survey is also affected by your location. If a land surveyor needs to travel a long distance to your property, you will almost certainly be charged extra for the associated travel fees.

The cost of a land survey is higher in metropolitan regions due to increased demand and the higher cost of living.

Accessibility and Terrain

Land survey expenses are heavily influenced by terrain and accessibility. Assume you want to buy a property that has wide property rights but hasn’t been cleared.

The land surveyor will have to traverse the entire property in order to discover and document every important artificial and natural feature as well as every boundary point.

It will take longer to work through a rocky or densely wooded area. However, if you’re having your existing property surveyed and have done various landscaping changes or built structures, it will take some time.

The surveyor will need to add any features near property lines and determine their proper location. It is usually more expensive to work around any impediments.

Time for Research and Travel

Having a property surveyed that is some distance away from the land surveyor will cost more because you will be paying for the travel fees.

To get a quote that includes travel time to your property, search for “land surveyor near me.” Furthermore, land survey expenses are higher if the land surveyor must conduct extensive research to determine the borders.

This is frequently the case with a first-time survey or an ancient property with missing paperwork. If you know where the original property markers are, make a note of them to help the surveyor.

Providing plat maps and personal property titles for surrounding properties might also assist the surveyor get started.

The Season

Hiring a land surveyor at the proper time of year might help you save money on the cost of a land survey. If your land is densely forested with deciduous trees, employ the surveyor after the leaves have fallen to provide a clearer line of sight.

If, on the other hand, your property is a large open space, spring or summer may be the best time to survey because the surveyor will be able to quickly locate any property markings that aren’t buried by snow.

Survey Types Needed

There are various types of land surveys available. You could request a mortgage, boundary, subdivision, or other type of survey, depending on what your bank, buyer, or builder requirements.

Each has its unique set of prices and objectives, but they all cost around $500.

Land surveying cost per specific acreage.

The costs are:

Cost of Surveying 1/2 Acre

The home survey pricing range for this type of service on any property up to 12 acres is from $200 to $700. Most surveyors charge a set amount up to 12 acres if you survey a standard-sized lot.

This includes defining borders and creating a standard drawing that includes buildings, driveways, and boundary markers. The cost of this survey is currently variable.

Those done in the winter, on well-kept land, and with recent documentation proving a previous record cost less than an overgrown lot that hasn’t been surveyed in decades.

1 Acre Surveying Cost

The cost of surveying one-acre ranges from $500 to $1,000. At one acre, the surveyor has more space to work with.

A well-kept lot with unambiguous boundary markings takes far less time to survey than an overgrown lot with shifting boundary markers.

Many residences on one-acre lots may not have the entire lot cleared or fenced in, making the surveyor’s job more challenging.

The same characteristics apply to smaller lots. Surveying in the winter, on a well-kept lot, or on a lot that has just been surveyed is often less expensive.

Cost of Surveying 5 Acres

The hourly pay for tasks of this size is often $300 to $400 per acre, or $1,500 to $2,000 for the entire operation. Larger properties of five acres or more frequently have a cheaper survey cost per acre than a single acre.

At this size, it is simple to locate the borders, documents, and current paperwork. This is taken into account when estimating the cost of the job. The physical work, on the other hand, requires time.

Cost of Surveying 10 Acres

At this stage, the prices are around $250 to $300 per acre. The job will cost between $2,500 and $3,000 as a result of this. Costs reduce again at ten acres for the same reasons.

Finding the borders and retrieving the existing papers and deeds takes the same amount of time for 10 acres as it does for one acre. The only thing left is the physical task of locating the boundary markers.

Cost of Surveying 40 Acres

The average cost of surveying 40 acres is $6,000 to $8,000, with charges beginning at $150 per acre. A “Forty” is an assumed 40-acre parcel, or 1/16 of a “section.”

This is a standard size for dividing big tracts of land. If the 40 acres has never been surveyed before, surveying gets more difficult.

Most forties are preliminary estimates, which might be 38 or 42 acres. There is still a per acre saving, but it is not as significant.

Cost of Surveying 80 Acres

The cost of surveying 80 acres ranges from $6,000 to $8,000, with prices starting at $75 per acre. At 80 acres, costs drop significantly, with prices almost equaling those of 40 acres. Parcels of this size often have two “forties.”

They have most likely been polled in order to be sold together. While it is not impossible that your 80 acres are actually 78, it is most likely accurate.

Cost of Surveying 100 Acres

The cost of 100 acres begins about $65 per acre. The overall cost of the project is between $6,500 and $9,500.

At 100 acres, the cost per acre for the job is significantly reduced. While the borders are greater, all of the early work, such as extracting the current deeds and previous boundaries, takes the same amount of time and costs the same as for smaller properties.

So, all that remains is to locate the boundary markers and sight the lines.

FAQs

How Much Does a Land Survey Cost?

The nationwide average cost of purchasing a land survey is between $380 and $540, with most homeowners spending around $425. The final price is determined by elements such as terrain complexity, plot size and shape, kind of land survey, and property location.

What is a Land Survey?

A “land survey” is an officially measured, plotted and documented statement which provides the exact location of all property lines, buildings and other markers.

The plot size is defined by the Continental Survey System (CSS), which ranges from 1/2 mile to 200 miles in increments of 100 feet.

What Do I Need to Get a Land Survey?

In order to get a land survey, you’ll need: The surveyor’s name, his license number and address. If you’re working with a real estate agent, you should ask for the name, license number and address of the land surveyor that your agent is referring.

Why Do You Need a Land Survey?

A land survey is required for a number of reasons, including determining the exact size and boundaries of a property.

If you’re planning on buying or selling property, or any other major building project, it is recommended that you have the land surveyed prior to making important decisions related to your land.

How Long Does It Take to Survey an Acre?

The time needed to survey an acre varies depending on the type of survey being done and the terrain. If the land is flat, cleared and has no trees or other obstructions, it can be completed in half the time of a typical survey.

On well-kept property, you’ll complete most of the work in one day. In most cases, however, you’ll need two days to finish an acre.

What is included in a land survey?

A land survey is a detailed drawing of the boundaries and measurements of the property.

Can I buy a property without a survey?

Mortgage lenders typically demand a survey before lending on a buying deal. If you are paying cash and not taking a loan, you can select whether or not to obtain a survey.

What are the advantages of hiring a professional land surveyor?

A professional land surveyor will be able to give you an exact measurement of your property and help you determine the exact location of boundaries, property lines and holes.  

A professional land surveyor can also recommend which land survey is right for your project and tell you if there are any local laws that affect the process.

A professional land surveyor has access to up-to-date global positioning systems (GPS), can do boundary surveys in remote areas, and is familiar with local zoning laws.

What if my survey is wrong?

You can contact the seller and request that the fence or other infringing structure be removed. This can be a simple remedy at times, but it can also be highly hard.

To make the alteration, the seller may need to contact neighbors. If the problem is a utility easement, you can request a variance.

How much does an acre of land cost?

The cost of a property varies by location, but the average price range is between $20,000 and $100,000.

A “lot” is defined as 0.1 of a square-miles or 10 acres.

If you have a small lot and it is located in an expensive part of the city, you might have to pay up to $100,000 in order to purchase the land.

To find the current market value of your acre, check the real estate listings in your area.

How do I find a land surveyor?

You can contact a local land surveyor and ask to be shown the work that has been done on his company’s projects in the past.

But you will probably pay more than you need to. A search on Google should turn up a local business that offers real estate services, too.

Cost of land survey for fence?

To determine whether a fence is in the proper location, a land surveyor will look for property lines, plat maps, and original markings.

The original stakes are normally present in a new construction project, but it’s worth double-checking if there’s any doubt. A fence survey typically costs between $250 and $1,000.