Yeah, there are some survey outfits that make a habit of showing all the improvements on their boundary surveys,
That’s the legal requirement (all improvements located thereon) of a boundary survey in FL. including subsurface and aerial encroachments. Our liability is 2-4 years subsequent discovery, which could be interpreted as forever.
So if your clients only want to know where their exterior boundary is, you have to survey all the improvements? I find it ironic that people are arguing that recording requirements are government overreach, but not a word about these forced services.
I just looked through the Florida standards of practice for boundary surveys and don't see anything like that. Where is this legal requirement coming from?
@aliquot In 44 years of surveying in Florida, I have prepared two Boundary Surveys 'without improvements at the request of the client'. Both showed all of the improvements around perimeter. It would have been easier to show all of the improvements and the cost was the same.
you commented earlier...
"I am not very interested in surveying buildings, but when do, there would be a separate survey with the improvements, for my client only that wouldn't have boundary details. The boundary survey would not have improvements and would be available to the public."
If I'm understanding that correctly, you'd possibly end up with two maps of the same property, one showing just the boundary details and another survey/map showing the improvements ONLY?
I'm confused by the whole concept. maybe you just work with large tracts of land that isn't developed?
If there are no scale issues there would be no reason to take the boundary information off the plat that shows the improvements.
But yes, two plats would be produced,.one for recording that only shows boundaries and easments, and one that shows whatever impovments the client needs. It is often as simple as turning off some layers and hitting the plot button again.
Usualy it will be too cluttered with all the information pertaining to boundary determination and the improvements shown on the same plat anyway.
In a case where nothing reargding the boundary has substantially changed since a previous survey of record, the separate boundary plat could be dispensed with. Where the client has no need of a plat of the improvements their would only be a boundary plat.
ALL improvements...roads, rockeries, flower beds? How far does this requirement reach?
And...why would a boundary survey require locating improvements that are no where near the boundary?
Just curious.
I just requested $500 & signature acknowledging the old survey is old...& got this response (he has a point):
Do you really anticipate it costing $500.00 to get me an electronic copy of a survey you already did?
Just say, yes - you're charging him for the value of the product, not your time. Or tell him that you bill out at $500/hr, with a 1 hour minimum
So if your clients only want to know where their exterior boundary is, you have to survey all the improvements
No, that's why it's called a specific purpose survey as Andy J has previously described.
Florida standards of practice for boundary surveys
5J-17.052
Our Board of Land Surveyors interprets this rule to include interior improvements. Period.
You can look up all the changes made by the Board for the past 30 years on their site for further verification.
I read through that. The only requirement that I see is a note that states improvement are not shown. Am I missing something?
@aliquot I am going to stop locating improvement in Florida. When I no longer get any work and get called before the Board, I'll be sure to tell then Mr. Ali Quot said "I dinit have to."
Huh? If your clients want improvements l, by all means provide them with that service. My only point is that there doesn't appear to be legal requirement to force that service on your clients if they don't want it.
Florida is clearly not my area of expertise though, and if there is some regulation or rulling that I am unaware of, I will thank you for educating me if you provide it.
@aliquot You just don't get it, 99.9% of the surveys I prepare, ARE NOT because the client just wants to have a survey for no reason. If they are having the Survey prepared for buying, selling, borrowing money, permits, the county, the city, the state, subdividing or commercial development; Improvements will be located. As far as 'you don't see the rule', do you drive 55mph in a 20 if no speed limit signs are visible? BUT YOU ARE CORRECT, that, if a lady calls up and wants to fence her residential lot, YES, then I can prepare a Survey that only shows near boundary improvements and states that "improvements were not located".
@oldpacer bingo!
I suppose their name is the hint that the majority of his/her work is pure section breakdowns. I guess it's one way to not be busy. just survey "boundary only"
This comes down to simply being the difference in the standard for a certain area. Here the standard is a boundary survey that is focused on the boundary only. Adding improvements is very rare. In your area the standard is different. That is fine. Neither standard is right or wrong.
As a hint to show that your assumption is wrong, I am licenced in two States that are not part of the PLSS.
I feel like I am on Facebook here. What am I not getting? As I said, if your clients want their improvements surveyed, of course you should survey the improvements. I was questioning the existence of a law or regulation that required surveying improvements. There is no such regulation. There is only a requirement to add a note saying impovments aren't included. That doesn't sound unreasonable to me.
99.9% of surveys everywhere are not done for no reason, but a significant percentage of surveys done all around the world, including Florida, are for the reason of determining where a client's boundaries are. Just becasue that is not your bread and butter, doesnt mean they don't exist.
@aliquot You STILL don't get it. It has NOTHING to do with the client wanting (or not wanting) their improvements located.
What doesn't?
If I was a FL surveyor and my client didn't need their improvements surveyed. I would survey their boundary and put a note on the plat that said improvements were not included.
I understand that your clientele usually want you to survey their improvements.
Am I missing something?
Recording your survey doesn't necessarily mean giving away future work. If I am asked to do a survey and find a record of survey on the site by Brand A or B then I refer the client to them. Just did that last month on a commercial site. The client had no idea there was a previous survey and was most grateful, as was Brand A.
I've done this for a long time, and it's usually reciprocated well, along with developing professional relationships along the way.
This is the little paragraph in our minimum standards that is applied very far and wide.
"Any data which is excluded from the survey by agreement with the client, such as
easements, setbacks, or other encumbrances shall be noted on the survey as “not shown
by agreement with client.”
This opens the door to focusing on the boundaries only. And, with the exception of ALTA surveys, this describes 99.5 percent of all surveys I have viewed in the past more than four decades. Some list every exception they can think of, such as the presence or absence of underground utilities, overhead lines, etc., etc., etc.
Normally the statement of what has been excluded is left off the drawing because it is clearly evident that only the boundaries were to be found or established.
