Can RI Land Surveyors Only Survey One Property Line?

A question that customers looking to hire a RI land surveyor often asked when contacting Foster Survey Company is: Can RI land surveyors only survey one property line? My answer to that question is this: Yes, and maybe.

There is not one straightforward answer because the customer asking whether Rhode Island land surveying companies will survey only “one” boundary or property line is really asking to cut the survey cost by only setting out “one” property line.

So sure, it is possible that a RI land surveyor performing a property survey can set monuments for only one property line, but most of the time, the entire property must first be surveyed to find any one boundary line or corner locations. There simply isn’t any large savings with the limited reduction in level of effort when only surveying one property line.

Don’t Pay Twice To Survey Your Land!

In fact, I’ve often seen where the homeowner hires a RI land surveyor to set out one property line only and then have to pay even more to have that surveyor, or another, return later to set out the remaining lines. In the long run, this always cost more than surveying and marking the entire property the first time.

The exception is if the RI land surveyor surveyed the parcel in the past or, sometimes, when your property is in a well monumented subdivision. A good example of the latter situation is when your property is a record lot in a new subdivision, the subdivision is monumented with accurately set granite bounds, and the survey and record plat result from a modern, precise, and accurate Class I survey.

Licensed Rhode Island Professional Land Surveyors Follow Accepted Procedural and Technical Standards for the Practice of Land Surveying in the State of Rhode Island

The customer should also know that licensed Rhode Island professional land surveyors follow accepted Procedural and Technical Standards for the Practice of Land Surveying in the State of Rhode Island, that require setting a minimum number of monuments calculated based on parcel size along with other considerations. The current RI Class I Survey Standard, for example says that:

“A sufficient number of control points shall be marked by physical monuments which will allow for the accurate reproduction of the survey, as follows:

(a) For surveys of residential parcels of land, one acre or less in area, a minimum of two (2) monuments on the boundary must be set or recovered. Should at the discretion of the surveyor, it be more appropriate that only markers be set on a survey of residential parcels of land, one acre or less in area, then all corners and angle points must be marked

(b) For surveys of residential parcels of land greater than one acre in area, and for all non-residential parcels of land, a sufficient number of monuments, but not less than three (3), must be set or recovered at property corners or angle points to accurately define the property and to permit reproduction of the survey.

(c) Land divisions and/or subdivisions regulated by municipalities are excepted from the monumentation requirements of these standards, and monumentation shall be as directed by the municipality. It is not the intent of these standards to require the monumentation of individual subdivision lots prior to their sale by the subdivider.”

When More Property Corners Are Needed

You can see that when conducting a residential propert survey of property less than one acre in area, setting two monuments at each end of one property line is enough.

However, for residential property larger than one acre at least one other property corner needs monumentation, so that there are three monuments in total. At this point, if you own a parcel of land larger than one acre with just four property lines, then three property corners need setting, leaving only one property corner not marked.

Protect Your Property By Knowing your Property Lines

In this scenario, I recommend setting every corner possible because there are little to no savings by not doing so. Besides, in the end, don’t you really want to protect your property and know the locations of all your property lines?

While it is possible to mark only one of your property lines, most of the time the entire parcel needs surveying and might even need setting more property corners than just one line.

If you have any questions about surveying your land, please give me a call at 401-647-9240 or contact us.

About Foster Survey Company

Foster Survey Company is a Rhode Island Professional Land Surveying Company established in March of 1993. We are Registered Licensed RI Professional Land Surveyors serving all Rhode Island. Because Trust and Experience Matter, our core beliefs are to give superior professional land surveying services that will benefit you with: Value, Experience, and Quality!