Types of Property Lines

Commercial and Private Construction

• There are various types of property lines determined for construction projects. These can pertain to, but are not limited by, the designation of boundaries required for building permits and recognizing public lands not owned by the parties who are seeking to use and improve their parcel of land. The most common surveys among these are boundary, used for establishing true property limits and resolving disputes; cadastral, required for surveying public land boundaries; construction, mainly used for determining the dimensions of a building project with regards to height, elevation, and proper configuration within land boundaries of a construction project; elevation, which focuses primarily on determination of flood zones, and lot, in which property lines are used to divide a parcel of land to satisfy legal designations.

Mortgage and Insurance Classifications

• Mortgage and insurance classification types of surveys are used to determine property lines on legal land titles required for lender mortgages and insurance regulations. Not all of these are standard requisites in all states but are important for meeting strict guidelines when it comes to property deeds and issuing mortgage insurance. An American Land Title Association survey provides lenders with all of the specifications of a property that is being issued a title or mortgage insurance. Everything about the location is determined, from property lines to identifying improvements made to utility positions. Mortgage inspection and location surveys often establish the compliance of properties within accepted boundaries of land and are not suitable for actual boundary determinations needed for construction permit applications or erecting fences.

Reconnaissance and Public Records

• Property lines are often established for mapping city topographies and maintaining the safety of public works projects. These types of surveys are often used in judicial court to provide legal descriptions for court exhibits and documents. Topographic surveys map natural landscapes in relation to man-made landmarks on a horizon line. A route survey stabilizes boundaries for public works projects such as roads, pipelines and railroads. Court exhibit surveys establish property boundaries to be used as exhibit evidence in legal matters.

Geographic and Hydrographic

• Property lines also can be used for determining specific aspects of mining and navigation. These fields are more specialized in their purpose and utilize more factors in their methods of survey. Subsurface surveys are designed for use in mining projects and actuate all factors and dimensions of below-ground locations. Hydrographic surveys make similar assessments for bodies of water, calculating depth and velocity of a water property in which to help with navigation. Geodetic surveys gauge Earth curvature and are often used in astronomy formulas.