What are the different types of land surveys?

• <div><p>A few different types of land surveys can help determine certain features and boundaries of your property. These include:</p><ul><li><p><b>Boundary surveys </b>describe the actual borders of a property. These are generally required when trying to get construction permits issued. </p></li><li><p><b>Location surveys</b> provide much of the same information as a boundary survey but also include in-depth information about any improvements made to your property. </p></li><li><p><b>Mortgage location surveys</b> are usually required by lenders and title companies before financing or offering an insurance policy. </p></li><li><p><b>Site-planning surveys</b> are done before applying for building permits and can be issued before any major home improvements. </p></li><li><p><b>Topographic surveys</b> provide a formal map of land elevations. It can also describe the location and size of natural features and any land improvements. </p></li></ul><p></p></div>

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Q: What is the difference between a land survey and a land appraisal?

• <div><p>A land survey defines and records the physical aspects of a property, including its boundaries, dimensions, easements, features, and sometimes topographical information. In contrast, a land appraisal determines the property's monetary value. While an appraiser will often consult a land survey to understand the property's physical specifications, the survey itself does not determine the land's value.</p></div>

Q: How long is a land survey good for?

• <div><p>Land surveys don&rsquo;t technically expire. They do serve as a point of reference and a snapshot of your property, though, so as soon as you make changes to your property (and even if your neighbor makes certain changes to theirs), your existing land survey becomes inaccurate, and a new one must be done. Even if you don&rsquo;t make any changes to your property, many states only guarantee the accuracy of a land survey for five to ten years.</p></div>

Q: Is reading blueprints hard?

• <div><p>With proper training and experience, reading blueprints is fairly straightforward and not very difficult. If you don&rsquo;t have the necessary knowledge to interpret the symbols, abbreviations, and other notations used, blueprints may not make sense. Learning to read blueprints can help you understand the construction process and keep you more involved and informed when you&rsquo;re building a house.</p></div>

Q: How do you build a road on a slope?

• <div><p>Building a road on a slope requires careful planning and will normally require a drainage system underneath to prevent flooding and damage to the road over time. Your professional may lengthen your road to create switchbacks if the slope directly to your home is too steep, as there are regulations for maximum road slope. The drainage system will help prevent runoff from the higher side of the slope from damaging the asphalt or concrete. Keep in mind that building a road on a slope isn&rsquo;t a good DIY project, as a lot can go wrong.</p></div>

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Verified Reviews for Land Surveying pros in Pacifica, CA

*The Angi rating for Land Surveying companies in Pacifica, CA is a rating based on verified reviews from our community of homeowners who have used these pros to meet their Land Surveying needs.

*The HomeAdvisor rating for Land Surveying companies in Pacifica, CA is a rating based on verified reviews from our community of homeowners who have used these pros to meet their Land Surveying needs.

Last update on March 12, 2026

Reviewed in March 2026
Highly recommend Moonraised Landscape. They were referred by a friend in the neighborhood. We wanted to update our landscaping, including removing plants, moving plants, adding new plants, add pathway and spotlighting, and upgrade our irrigation. Luis was very easy to work with. Super...
Moonraised Landscape LLC
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Reviewed in June 2022
This company comes highly recommended. Joel and his staff are very professional. Communication was excellent throughout the course of construction. They managed to complete the project in a timely manner with no long delays throughout the project milestones. Joel did not hesitate to ask...
Bloom and Lawn Landscape, Inc.
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Reviewed in October 2020
He was wonderful. His entire team was incredibly professional, kind, and helpful. I called a number of places before I landed with Carlos and I am so happy I found his company. I won't hire anyone else ever again.
Bay Area's Best Relocation Services
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Reviewed in September 2018
San Mateo Contracting & House Keeping surveyed the needs, completed the work as agreed upon in a professional manner, and did so well within the promised time frame. I plan to use their services again.
San Mateo Contracting & House Keeping
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Reviewed in March 2017
We solicited three contractors for bids. The main issue which set Joel and his brother Juan, from Pacific Hardware (PH) apart from the other contractors was when they looked at the landing, they knew exactly what needed to be done and explained how it would be repaired. PH has exceptional...
Peninsula Hardwood Floors, Inc
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Reviewed in June 2015
Pretty well and very professional. <br /> came on time and did a pretty thorough job of surveying the entire house <br />
Everlast Construction
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Reviewed in January 2015
This was done in two passes. On the first pass in the summer an inexperienced crew was assigned, which did the demolition long before the permit was in hand and did not construct to the blueprints. There were some communication issues between the architect, the engineer and myself as well. We...
GoodFellas Construction – Bay Area
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Reviewed in October 2014
He was great. When it became difficult to find the back boundary he suggested I could save money by "estimating" the boundary and he would not have to file a new claim. It was a much more reasonable cost for this survey then I suspected. <br />
Wade Hammond Land Surveyor
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Reviewed in September 2013
BGT was very prompt and professional. They completed the survey on time and on budget. They were creative in figuring a way to measure internal building floor elevation when we did not leave a door open! :-) <br /> When we had some questions, they went back out to the site and remeasured...
Bryan G. Taylor (BGT) Land Surveyors
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Reviewed in December 2012
So we had Darwin of DMM do most of our remodel, including a whole house electrical rewire a few months ago. We had completed the rest of the remodel and only needed one more item addressed to get our permit finished off. The sliding glass doors to the backyard had only one cement step down, but...
DMM Construction & Electric
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Find Land surveyors in Pacifica

Hogan Land Services, Inc.

4.0(

)

Land Surveyor

Serving Pacifica, CA and surrounding areas

Approved

In business since 2003

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"Very Professional Survey. I would hire them again"

Response time4 days

16 neighbors recently requested a quote

Recommended by78%of homeowners

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Transit Land Surveying Inc.

2.3(

)

Land Surveyor

Serving Pacifica, CA and surrounding areas

In business since 2005

Free estimates

Credit card accepted

Transit Land Surveying Inc. is a premier land surveying company serving San Francisco and the Bay Area. Our #1 goal as a company is having complete customer satisfaction. There is no job that is too big or too small. If you want the job done right, call Emily today!

Response time10 mins

Response rate100%

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ROYALTY BUILDERS , INC

5.0(

)

Land Surveyor

Serving Pacifica, CA and surrounding areas

In business since 2000

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"I have done a lot of work in my house and I have dealt with different contractors in the past, but this time I found a real gem. Liroy of the Royalty Builders took care of the renovation of our additional family room, electrical re-wiring of the entire house, installation of our vinyl floors, relocation of the tank-less water heater, and the creation of a walkway that could accommodate handicaps in a span of 9 weeks. Liroy treated us like a family yet he exudes professionalism and utmost dedication. Whenever problems arise during the construction, he was flexible to deal with them and patient enough to accommodate our needs and requests as well. He was present in all the aspects of the renovation projects and attends all the meetings as much as he can, and being punctual at that! What I specifically like about him is his transparency in everything he does by always updating us on the progress of the work they’re doing. He truly understands the goal of our project and helped us with the functionality even on a budget. As it comes with his professionalism is his keenness to cleanliness. He made sure that his staff removed the debris and dirt at the end of every workday. Most importantly, I am very pleased with the quality of his workmanship. He truly delivers! I would not hesitate to refer or recommend him to everyone I know as I want them to experience as well the satisfaction my family and I had with his work!"

+17

Recommended by100%of homeowners

Serving Pacifica, CA and surrounding areas

We guarantee your satisfaction and we won’t leave until the job is done right. We pride ourselves on the quality work we provide, while delivering great customer service! Check out our services offered and call or click to schedule a free estimate today. \n

Recommended by100%of homeowners

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Land Surveying questions, answered by experts

A land survey defines and records the physical aspects of a property, including its boundaries, dimensions, easements, features, and sometimes topographical information. In contrast, a land appraisal determines the property's monetary value. While an appraiser will often consult a land survey to understand the property's physical specifications, the survey itself does not determine the land's value.

A few different types of land surveys can help determine certain features and boundaries of your property. These include:

Boundary surveys describe the actual borders of a property. These are generally required when trying to get construction permits issued.
Location surveys provide much of the same information as a boundary survey but also include in-depth information about any improvements made to your property.
Mortgage location surveys are usually required by lenders and title companies before financing or offering an insurance policy.
Site-planning surveys are done before applying for building permits and can be issued before any major home improvements.
Topographic surveys provide a formal map of land elevations. It can also describe the location and size of natural features and any land improvements.

Land surveys don’t technically expire. They do serve as a point of reference and a snapshot of your property, though, so as soon as you make changes to your property (and even if your neighbor makes certain changes to theirs), your existing land survey becomes inaccurate, and a new one must be done. Even if you don’t make any changes to your property, many states only guarantee the accuracy of a land survey for five to ten years.

With proper training and experience, reading blueprints is fairly straightforward and not very difficult. If you don’t have the necessary knowledge to interpret the symbols, abbreviations, and other notations used, blueprints may not make sense. Learning to read blueprints can help you understand the construction process and keep you more involved and informed when you’re building a house.

Building a road on a slope requires careful planning and will normally require a drainage system underneath to prevent flooding and damage to the road over time. Your professional may lengthen your road to create switchbacks if the slope directly to your home is too steep, as there are regulations for maximum road slope. The drainage system will help prevent runoff from the higher side of the slope from damaging the asphalt or concrete. Keep in mind that building a road on a slope isn’t a good DIY project, as a lot can go wrong.

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