Definition of "What does a land surveyor do?"

Kim Bergland real estate agent

Written by

Kim Berglandelite badge icon

Red Horse Real Estate

Any structure that was ever built on land had to first be evaluated by a land surveyor through a survey. If you are wondering, what is surveying, then you should know that surveying is a technique used to record characteristics of a land area.

Surveying is also a profession and the person certified to do a land survey is called a land surveyor. While the overall idea of a survey is to provide information regarding the land area that is going to be relevant for builders or setting boundaries, you may be wondering what does a land surveyor do?

There are multiple types of surveys, some more common than others, but overall a land surveyor is making the same measurements. A land surveyor is determining the position of objects by measuring angles and distances and factors that might affect the measurements that are also taken into account.

The data collected is then used to create bearings, coordinates, vectors, elevations, areas, volumes, maps, and planes. Land surveyors used different tools for the job and some of the main tools are theodolite, total station, 3D scanners, measuring tape, GPS/GNSS, level and rod. Most of these tools screw on a tripod so they are easy to use.

Land surveyors help determine the placement for railways, roads, reservoirs, pipelines, bridges, buildings, and many more. They also help establish boundaries of political divisions and legal descriptions. To become a licensed surveyor you have to receive a degree in surveying, and this is followed by an examination of their knowledge along with some on-the-job training that would build up their portfolio until they are awarded a license to practice.

Some of the best communities in the USA have undergone land surveying and if you want to be part of one you can start by finding a real estate agent to help you pinpoint those locations. 

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Questions

Popular Real Estate Glossary Terms

Conifer wood, such as pine and redwood. ...

The time period a real estate investment is held. The return is tied to the time period of the investment. The period is used for income tax purpose to determine whether a profit earned or ...

Defect in the tax law that either may provide a loophole to minimize the tax payment or result in higher taxes than there should be. ...

The process of changing, updating, and altering the appearance and structural characteristics of a building. For example, John remodels the kitchen in his home by replacing the cabinets, ...

Limited partnership in which limited partners rely on the general partner to choose specific properties after the funds are available. ...

Claude in a contract, title, or mortgage that is subject to being annulled, repealed, or revoked upon the satisfaction of a claim or completion of a future event. ...

person's behavior partly genetic and partly learned through experience over time. Some people have good personal traits while others have poor ones. ...

Same as term government rectangular survey: Way in which the U.S. government uses to subdivide public land. Land is designated as either a base line (East-West) or principal meridian line ...

Initial user of real estate property, such as the first tenant in a newly constructed apartment building or office building ...