The wrong survey is the expensive mistake, not the wrong surveyor.

“I want to build a fence and not annoy my neighbour”

You need the corners marked on the ground, and you want them marked before the posts go in rather than after.

Not this · Not an ALTA. It costs several times more and shows you things a fence does not care about.

Timing

1 day in the field, 1–2 weeks in the office

“I am buying a commercial building and my lender sent a list”

That list is the ALTA optional table. It is the one survey written for lenders and title companies rather than for owners.

Not this · Not a boundary survey — it will be rejected, and you will pay twice.

Timing

2–4 days in the field, 3–5 weeks in the office

“My architect says they need the site before they can draw”

They need contours and a CAD file, not corners. Ask them for the contour interval and the format before you ring us.

Not this · Not a boundary survey, though the two are often bought together.

Timing

1–3 days in the field, 1–2 weeks in the office

“I want to split five acres off for my daughter”

A county will not record a split without a plat, and the plat is the long pole — reviews take months, not weeks.

Not this · Not a quick boundary survey with a line drawn on it. That is not a legal division of anything.

Timing

Weeks in the field, months through review

“The excavator is on site Monday and needs corners”

Staking puts the approved design on the ground. It assumes there is an approved design.

Not this · If there is no design yet, what you need is a topographic survey and an engineer.

Timing

Booked in visits, usually 3–6 across a job

“My flood insurance premium jumped and they want a form”

Specifically the FEMA elevation certificate. It is a form, not a drawing, and it is a smaller job than anything else here.

Not this · You do not need a boundary survey to get one, whatever the insurer's letter implies.

Timing

Half a day in the field, under a week in the office