Land Surveying Services
Axis Land Survey provides a wide variety of services, whether you are purchasing an existing home, building your dream home on the lake, or planning a residential or commercial development.
Types of measurement reports
- Boundary Surveys: large and small
- Major/Minor Subdivisions
- Family/Annual Exempt Divisions
- Foundation and House Location Surveys
- Construction layout/staking
- Boundary Line Adjustments & Consolidations
- Flood Elevation Certificates and LOMAs
- Surveys for Building/Land Disturbance Permits
- Site plans for New Construction or Existing home additions
- Drainfield/Septic Surveys
- Shoreline permits for docks and other structures on Lake Anna
- Surveys for Developments
- Locating Wetlands & RPA limits
- ALTA/ACSM surveys
Types of Land Surveys
A Boundary Survey is recommended before buying, subdividing, improving, or building on land. The purpose of a Boundary Survey is to map and identify the location of property lines. Once the Boundary Survey is completed the surveyor then creates a “Plat of Survey” that documents all pertinent information to that property. A Boundary Survey is commonly completed prior to buying property because it legally protects against future disputes and rebuilding.
An ALTA Survey conforms to the standards set by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Land Title Survey Specifications. It is a detailed map that shows all existing improvements, utilities, major observations, and any possible areas indicating potential future use within the location of the parcel. An ALTA Survey is the most extensive survey because it combines information from the Boundary, Title, and Location Surveys. An ALTA Survey’s precise detail makes it beneficial to lenders, corporations, title companies, the public, architects, engineers, and contractors. A current title commitment is required prior to conducting an ALTA Survey.
A Subdivision Survey is a survey to split a parcel of land into two or more smaller parcels. A Subdivision Survey is done in conformance with the local government subdivision ordinance. Depending on the size of the Division a Preliminary Plat may be required prior to a Final Division Plat. Please be advised that some Counties now require a Common Plan of Development as well. For more information, give us a call at (540) 895-5011 or email us at [email protected].
A Boundary Line Adjustment, or Lot Line Adjustment, is the process used to change property lines of existing parcels. Re-arranging, combining, or change and modify the parcels can be done with a Lot Line Adjustment.
Topographic surveys serve many purposes. They are primarily used to create contours on the surveyed parcel by taking spot elevation measurements of the ground surface. In many instances, the topographic data is the key controlling element in the decision making of professional Surveyors. Topographic maps are often requested by architects, engineers, geologists, and building contractors and used as a foundational map for design of proposed improvement plans. Another purpose of a topographic survey is to collect survey data about the natural and man-made features of the land, as well as its elevations. In addition, all parcel/lot improvements will be located and shown on the final plan.
These surveys are typically used by title companies and mortgage lenders as a graphic representation of the substantial improvements on the property and to depict any visible easements. The Plat provided can help to shed light into issues of encroachments by the subject property or an adjoining lot. Only a survey provided by a licensed Land Surveyor can depict and describe the measurement between a boundary line and the dwelling/buildings on a parcel. These dwelling/buildings can include residential homes, detached structures such as a garage, or even the outer dimensions of a pool.
A plan for the proposed development of a single residential lot showing proposed grading, dwelling, accessory buildings, driveway, walkways, drainfield & any storm water management needed as required by state & county code. In some localities if the lot has wetlands or streams, a mitigation of these features may be required by local governments in order to apply for a building permit.
An Easement Survey will define, by a legal description, the right to use, cross or access another’s parcel of land without assuming ownership. Easements are limited to a particular use, such as utilities, recreation, preservation, access, etc. and can be recorded as legal documents.
This survey is required when submitting a permit to the health department to show that the lot can sustain a drainfield. The drainfield needs to be survey located and topography [contours] must be shown on a plat to be submitted to your OSE (Onsite Soil Evaluator). The OSE then prepares the paperwork to submit to the local health department for permitting.
An elevation certificate is an official document of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a program administered by FEMA which enables certain property owners to purchase flood insurance. An elevation survey for a Flood Elevation Certificate provides verification of the elevation data of a structure and the Base Flood Elevation (established on FEMA maps) on a given property relative to the ground elevation. This information is used in the flood insurance rating process and could lower insurance costs. A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is an official amendment, by letter, to an effective National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) map. A LOMA establishes a property's location in relation to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). LOMAs are usually issued because a property has been inadvertently mapped as being in the floodplain but is actually on natural high ground above the base flood elevation.