Residential Mortgage Surveys
“Do I need a Residential Mortgage Survey in Florida?” While a mortgage survey is not required by the state, many mortgage companies do in fact require one. In most cases where a survey is not required, exceptions are added that place you at risk as the buyer. In addition to providing legal support for boundary and easement issues, the survey will be useful for any future property improvements. Most construction companies and handymen will request one to make sure they are building on your property and not that of your neighbor’s.
Construction Surveys
“When do I need a construction survey?” Construction surveys are used to ensure your property development is on the correct property parcel and in accordance with local statutes. If you have a recent Residential Mortgage survey, that may suffice in lieu of a new Construction Survey. Types of construction that benefit from a survey include, but are not limited to, new pools and decks, driveways, commercial buildings, industrial and airport facilities, and home construction. Please check with your city and county ordinances for any requirements specific to your location in Florida.
Commercial Property Surveys
Boundary surveys often lack the level of detail required for a commercial real estate purchaser or lender to properly evaluate the property. A commercial property survey is completed with the sole purpose of providing the extra details requested to ensure all parties have the information necessary to make an educated evaluation.
Boundary & Acreage Surveys
Is your property line in dispute with your neighbor? The purpose of a boundary survey in Florida is to establish new, or reestablish existing boundary lines for a parcel of land. Once we have surveyed your land, we will mark the boundary lines physically and document any encroachments to them. The final report is delivered via a Survey Drawing depicting the parcel boundaries as a graphical display. The drawing identifies the exact acreage of the report which is why this is type of survey is also known as an Acreage Survey. The survey drawing contains the legal description of the parcel and is then signed by our certified, licensed land surveyor.
Surveys for Permits
“What do I need a Survey for Permits to build?” This depends on your locale so please check with city and county ordinances to find out. A quick Google search shows ‘need to have survey for permit from city to put up fence’, ‘need survey for permit to build shed in backyard’, ‘TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY FOR PERMIT APPL TO CONSTRUCT & OPER CONSTRUCTION’, and so on. A quick search on the Internet for ‘Survey for Permit to build {what you are building} in {city, state}’ will help. For example, a search on “Survey for Permit to build shed in Winter Springs, Florida” resulted in Chapter 6 of the Building regulations; or contact your local building department to ask if you need a survey for your building permit.
Sketch and Description
Sketch and Descriptions are critical for an accurate land parcel legal definition. The survey description describes the property and sketch is the depiction of the described property.. A sketch is not a survey and can be completed without a site visit. Sketch and descriptions can be used to prepare new legal descriptions for property conveyance, easements and divisions, to name a few. The property description is standard English verbiage detailing the property in a manner recognizable by law. Building layout, number and location is not necessarily included on a sketch and description survey.
Topographic Surveys
How is a topographic survey different from other surveys? Most geographic surveys are focused solely on horizontal measurements such as the exact depiction of a parcel boundary. Topographic surveys, on the other hand, focus on natural and manmade objects in the vertical dimension, both the positive (trees) and negative (manhole) axis. Changes in the contour of the ground level itself are also depicted on a topographic survey. Contour changes are based on a specific control area of land or standard sea level and depicted as positive or negative in reference to the control area. Contours changes covering a significant portion of the survey are identified graphically through the use of dashed, dotted or a combination of both, lines with associated distance measurements annotated.
As-built Surveys
Upon completion of a project an As-built survey is usually required. It is used to show progress, or final completion of a construction project.
ALTA Surveys (American Land Title Association)
The ALTA survey is the most detailed property survey available. These surveys are regulated by a National Standard, rather than state standards. The person requesting the survey must select from a Table of options to be included in the survey.
For more information on ALTA Surveys, please visit their website http://www.alta.org/about/
Wetland Surveys
Conservation of our wetlands is critical to ensure the central Florida habitat flourishes for future generations. A wetland survey is a group effort including trained biologists, local and state government agencies, and a properly trained, professional surveyor. H & H Survey works hand in hand with local environmentalist, who flag the wetlands, to provide the most accurate wetland survey available. We are proud to be included in this elite group and looks forward to any opportunity to serve our community through our wetland survey efforts.
Elevation Certificates for Flood Insurance
Passed in July of 2012, the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/31946 ) significantly altered how the National Flood Insurance Program (https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program) is run. Who needs an elevation Survey? Elevation certificates are primary used by insurance agencies, local communities, and residential/commercial building companies to ensure floodplain ordinance compliance.
Specific Purpose Surveys
Specific purpose surveys are basically a catch-all survey which covers all surveys that do not fit nicely in the categories listed above. Examples of a specific purpose survey include Tree Surveys.
Tree Survey
As a state, Florida takes the preservation of the natural habitat very seriously. Before any trees can be removed from a parcel, they must be thoroughly catalogued. The catalog will include the species of tree, size using diameter and location on the parcel. Once the Tree Survey is complete, it is then used as part of the local tree removal permit application. Our tree surveys are accomplished in accordance with the local governing authority to ensure all pertinent permit application information is addressed.
Title Review
Title reviews are impossible to complete accurately without a current survey of the property. For all intents and purposes, the Residential Property Survey and the ALTA survey adequately cover all possible Title Review requirements.