Surveying

Survey


Platting
-Major/Long plat
-Short plat
A method used to take a parent parcel of land and divide it into smaller parcels of land. A subdivision plat may also create easements and right-of-ways for parcel access and space for utilities to be placed. Divisions which create a small number of resultant parcels are known as shortplats. Shortplats fall under a less stringent set of guidelines. Developments that create a larger number of parcels are known as major plats, or long plats, and have a more strict set of requirements. The distinction between major and short plats varies with municipality. Platting ground may also be required by some municipalities prior to starting any construction projects.

Boundary Line Adjustment Survey
Boundary Line Adjustment (BLA) surveys are used to move or remove existing property lines, or to correct prior survey inaccuracies. They cannot be used to create new parcels. When accomplishing a BLA survey at WPES, Inc., we do so in the form of a section control survey. We always reestablish existing boundaries before establishing a new property line. After completing the field portion, an official Record of Survey for purpose of Boundary Line Adjustment is sent to the governing agency for review.

Construction Staking
The direct application of surveying skills prior to and during the construction process. It may be necessary for projects ranging from as simple as a single home construction all the way to industrial multi-building complexes. This can include many different specific tasks all used to assist the progress and precision of a construction project. Building staking prior to the beginning of earthwork at a site is a very common need and aids the construction company in placing the project and foundation as intended by the designers and owners.

When a project involves adding several layers of fill material of specified depths, grade staking is standard method for ensuring that materials are filled to the proper levels. This process involves precisely placing stakes and hubs at final elevation of any given layer and guides construction equipment operators in moving earth material.

When projects need trenches dug for utilities, it can be very important that the trench is placed accurately. This is especially important in the case of water lines, which must intersect with other pieces of the system at proper angles, and gravity sewer lines, which rely on specific grades to function properly.

Not only is staking useful for the crews doing the construction, but it also helps people making decisions to envision the layout of project and how the final result will look. No matter your purpose, our surveyors can help your project come to life with construction staking.

Record of Survey
State law requires a submission of a Record of Survey anytime a surveyor establishes or reestablishes a monument, i.e. a survey marker or pin. This includes adjustments to property corners and intersection lines. A Record of Survey must be reviewed and stamped by a licensed professional land surveyor and then submitted to the governing agency for acceptance and recording.

Cadastral Survey
This is a term that refers to any survey that involves surveying relative to section corners. This could also be stated as any section controlled survey. These includes quarter sections and smaller divisions that reference a section corner monument. This method of referencing a parcel or lot is intended to define the place that a parcel lies on the ground. Once private parcels or lots become the points of reference, a survey is no longer of the Cadastral type.

Legal Description
A legal description is a written statement that identifies a particular piece of land. Any time boundary lines are created or adjusted, a new legal description should be produced. Once a legal description is recorded, it becomes a binding and official document. This can be produced by anyone, though they often contain errors and creating uncertainty in titles. Therefore, a Licensed P.L.S. should be utilized whenever possible.

ALTA Survey
ALTA is an acronym for American Land Title Association. This group has standards that specify what needs to be surveyed. This type of as-built survey is usually done with the purpose of a lending company being able to issue a title or lending insurance for a commercial investment. Items surveyed often include property boundary lines, building and improvement locations, and easement locations.

Topography Mapping
A survey used to measure the existing elevations and contours of an area of land. Oftentimes this is done during the very early stages of a project design. Having an accurate survey map that shows the exact pre-existing terrain and layout of a site is essential for an engineer designing improvements for any job-site.

Binding Site Plan
This is a type of land development used as an alternate to platting divisions, typically for commercial or industrial land. It allows a piece of property with one outer boundary to be segregated into smaller parcels for development at a later point in time as needed. It is a very flexible way to develop a parcel of land intended for business or industrial use. This allows the developer to cater to the needs of individual clients that may want something more flexible than can be found in a typical division. This process will require a plat to be completed and filed.
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