Permit requirements to clear land vary by municipality, so whether or not you need permits depends on where you live and what you’re removing from the land. Some building departments will require permits for any underground work or excavation, meaning grinding down tree stumps on your property would require permits. Others mandate individual permits for each tree you remove. You can contact your local building department or a land-clearing specialist near you to see if permits are necessary for your job.
Prior to excavation, you should prepare the dig site and call 311 before you sign anything.
To get your site ready for excavation, you should move anything in the area that isn’t affixed to the land. You can save money on the excavation by removing hardscaping, including walkways, decks, concrete patios, and paver patios.
Before you carry out any digging, you should call 311 to confirm that there are no utility lines running through your excavation site. Skipping this step could lead to severe injury and property damage if your excavator hits a water, sewage, or gas line.
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.
If you or your mortgage lender think your land survey needs to be more accurate, double-check the survey report and get at least a second opinion from the original surveyor and an inspector, if possible. Although it’s unlikely, even reputable surveying companies can make mistakes. An inaccurate survey can cause problems down the road in the case of any property line disputes, so it’s best to resolve any inaccuracies as quickly as possible.
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.
The Lower Brule, SD homeowners’ guide to floor sanding services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Here’s what you should expect to pay when renting an orbital, drum, vibrating, or edging floor sander—as well as where you can rent them and what else to know.
It’s impossible to keep floors damage-free over the years. Thankfully, the cost to refinish hardwood floors is far less than the price tag to replace them altogether.
Does your rough concrete need some TLC? Learn how to sand concrete to smooth out holes, chips, and other imperfections to get your concrete looking brand new.
