A property survey is a legally prepared document prepared by a licensed land surveyor that establishes the precise boundaries of a parcel of land, identifies the location of structures on the property, and reveals any easements, encroachments, or other conditions that affect ownership rights. Surveys come in several types, but the two most relevant for home buyers are the boundary survey, which focuses on the perimeter of the lot, and the improvement location certificate or ILC, which shows where structures sit in relation to the boundaries. The most comprehensive option is the ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey, which is required by many lenders on commercial transactions and is increasingly requested for high-value residential purchases because of its detailed treatment of easements and title exceptions.
In many real estate transactions, the buyer relies on the title company and the title insurance policy to protect against boundary problems, leading many to forgo ordering their own survey as a cost-saving measure. This approach carries real risk. Title insurance protects against title defects that exist in the public record, but many boundary issues — such as a neighbor fence that encroaches onto your property, a driveway that crosses onto the adjacent parcel, or a detached garage that sits partially in a setback — do not appear in the public record and therefore may be excluded from standard title insurance coverage. A survey commissioned by the buyer at closing surfaces these conditions before funds change hands, when you still have leverage to negotiate a resolution, request a price adjustment, or walk away.
Experienced real estate attorneys report that surveys on residential properties uncover notable issues in a significant percentage of transactions. The most common findings include fences that are not on the surveyed property line, often by several feet in either direction. Accessory structures such as sheds, detached garages, and decks sometimes encroach on utility easements or onto neighboring parcels. Driveways shared between neighbors sometimes lack the formal easement agreements necessary to protect continued access. Additions made to homes over the years occasionally violate setback requirements, which can create complications for financing or resale. In areas with older neighborhoods, lot lines established decades ago sometimes conflict with the current understanding of property boundaries. Identifying any of these issues before closing gives you options that disappear the moment the deed transfers.
A survey plat is the drawing prepared by the surveyor that shows the property and its measured dimensions. Understanding the basic components helps you evaluate what you are buying with confidence. The boundary lines are shown as solid lines around the perimeter of the lot, with bearing and distance notations that describe the direction and length of each line. Structures on the property, including the house, garage, and any other improvements, are shown with their setback distances from each boundary line. Easements are typically shown as dotted or dashed lines, often with a notation indicating who holds the easement and for what purpose. Common easements include utility easements for buried power, gas, and water lines, and drainage easements along low-lying areas. The survey legend explains the symbols used, and a north arrow and scale help you orient the drawing to the physical property.
The cost of a residential property survey varies considerably depending on your location, the size of the lot, terrain complexity, and how much existing survey data is available in the area. In 2026, a typical boundary survey on a suburban residential lot ranges from three hundred fifty to eight hundred dollars. An ALTA survey, which requires more extensive research and carries higher liability standards, typically costs between one thousand and three thousand dollars for a residential lot. Surveys in rural areas with large acreage, complex terrain, or limited prior survey history can cost significantly more. While these costs feel like an added burden on top of other closing expenses, they are small relative to the price of a home purchase and even smaller relative to the cost of resolving a boundary dispute or easement problem after closing.
Lender survey requirements vary by institution and loan type. Many conventional mortgage lenders allow borrowers to rely on an existing survey from a prior transaction, particularly if it was recently completed and no changes to structures or boundaries have occurred since it was done. Other lenders require a new survey as a condition of financing. FHA and VA loans have specific requirements that vary by state. Even when a lender does not require a new survey, ordering one is often in the buyer interest for the reasons described above. If a seller provides an existing survey, review the date carefully — a survey from fifteen or twenty years ago may not reflect additions, fences, or structures built in the intervening years.
To order a property survey, contact a licensed land surveyor in the county where the property is located. Your real estate agent or title company can typically provide referrals to surveyors they have worked with successfully. Provide the surveyor with the property address, the legal description from the purchase agreement or title commitment, and any existing survey documents the seller has provided. Confirm the survey type you need and discuss the expected turnaround time, which typically ranges from one to three weeks depending on the surveyor workload and the complexity of the lot. Order the survey early in your due diligence period so you have time to review the results and address any issues before your closing date.
When a survey uncovers an encroachment or other issue, the next steps depend on the nature and severity of the problem. Minor encroachments such as a garden bed that crosses a property line by a few inches are often handled with a boundary line agreement between neighbors. A fence that encroaches significantly onto your lot is a more serious matter that may require the seller to negotiate its removal with the neighbor before closing. An easement that you were unaware of may be acceptable to you or may fundamentally change whether the property meets your needs, depending on where it runs and what activities it restricts. Your real estate attorney is your best guide for evaluating the legal and practical significance of any issue a survey reveals and for negotiating an appropriate remedy before you close.
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