We provide services for private landowners, businesses, realtors, construction firms and more in Sonoma and Marin Counties
We provide services for private landowners, businesses, realtors, construction firms and more in Sonoma and Marin Counties
Topographic Surveys
A topographic survey gathers data about the natural and man-made features of the land such as trees, buildings, streets, walkways, utility poles, retaining walls, etc. Topographic maps are used to show elevations and grading features for architects, engineers, and building contractors.
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Boundary SurveysA boundary survey plots out the boundary lines of a parcel of land. This is important when buying or selling land since it provides specific information about where the property begins and ends. Having a defined boundary helps keep improvements from encroaching on other properties and ensures a fair sale.
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Construction SurveysA construction survey is used to establish or mark the desired position of building corners, roads, sidewalks, or utilities, that the engineer has designed. Particular attention is made to ensure the building does not encroach or overlap into or over the designated setbacks, easements, or property lines.
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Additional Services Include:
Land Planning / Property Consulting
A Site Plan is a landscape architectural plan that demonstrates the proposed improvements to the given lot such as a house, garage, retaining wall, etc. They are important because they verify the accuracy of the land parcel measurements and ensure that the proposed improvements are constructed according to codes and regulations.
Aerial Survey
An Aerial Survey uses aerial photography from an airplane or helicopter to form a three dimensional model of the land. A topographic map can be made from this model and a color picture can be overlaid that is true to scale anywhere on the photo.
Legal Description & Property Exhibit
A legal description is the method used to describe a particular parcel of land. Legal descriptions uniquely describe only the subject area, without ambiguity and can describe land, easements, improvements or key locations. A property exhibit accompanies and delineates the written document. Each document is prepared under the direction of a Professional Land Surveyor that stamps and signs the documents as required by State Law. Legal descriptions are vital in the process of transferring land, as well as constructing improvements on that land. Having a proper legal description will aid in the settling of land disputes and ensures that any improvements or sales are being conducted on the intended land described.
More on Property Exhibit Service
Lot Line Adjustments
A Lot Line Adjustment is the process used to change property lines by combining adjacent parcels, altering the boundary between parcels, or reconfiguring the shapes of parcels (no additional parcels are created).
Administrative Certificates of Compliance
Accessor Parcel Numbers (APN’s) are created for tax purposes only. APN’s do not necessarily represent separate legal parcels. It is possible that a property owner may own several parcels of land which are represented by one APN or own several APN's which are not separate legal parcels . We provide valuable services to help landowners prepare the application that is required by the County to obtain Administrative Certificates of Compliance (ACC) which are issued to properties that have been proven to be separate legal parcels. The ACC gives the owner the right to sell, lease or finance the parcel separately from other contiguous parcels held by the same owner.
Elevation Certificates
An Elevation Certificate documents the elevation of your building for the floodplain managers enforcing local building ordinance, and for insurance rating purposes.
A.L.T.A. Surveys
ALTA surveys are commercial surveys created pursuant to a set of minimum standards adopted jointly by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM). The surveyor depends on these detailed standards to prepare a survey that correlates with the needs of the either or both of the property purchaser and the lender and the requirements of the title insurer. An ALTA survey is more intensive than a boundary survey and will provide more comprehensive and detailed information. ALTA surveys provide information about property boundaries and easements, as well as improvements such as fences, trails, roads, rights of ways, and other features on the property that may affect ownership of the property and may require further investigation into the possibility of adverse rights. An ALTA survey will also show means of access to the property, the zoning classification for the property, and the flood zone classification for the property. The information provided on an ALTA Survey will assist in evaluating the property for potential risks and benefits of owning the property.
Litigation Surveys / Expert Witness / Court Exhibits
Litigation surveys are surveys that are used in legal proceedings.
A Land Surveyor acts as an Expert Witness to prepare expert reports, court exhibits and provide expert witness testimony in a trial.
Easements
Easements give or take away a right of usage. Easements are categorized as an easement appurtenant, a transferable real property interest, such as a driveway across an adjacent parcel, or an easement in gross, a personal right, which is usually not transferable. An example of an easement in gross could be a grazing, fishing, or hunting right on someone's property.
The most common easement in California is the utility easement. This gives the right of access to public and private utility companies for maintenance, repairs, installation, or upgrades to services. These are recorded gross easements and are appurtenances, meaning they transfer with the property. This type of easement is usually set up by the land developer in the initial subdividing; it can, however be designated and recorded later. The utility company does not own an adjacent parcel or dominant tenement but maintains a right to put up power lines or poles.
A Site Plan is a landscape architectural plan that demonstrates the proposed improvements to the given lot such as a house, garage, retaining wall, etc. They are important because they verify the accuracy of the land parcel measurements and ensure that the proposed improvements are constructed according to codes and regulations.
Aerial Survey
An Aerial Survey uses aerial photography from an airplane or helicopter to form a three dimensional model of the land. A topographic map can be made from this model and a color picture can be overlaid that is true to scale anywhere on the photo.
Legal Description & Property Exhibit
A legal description is the method used to describe a particular parcel of land. Legal descriptions uniquely describe only the subject area, without ambiguity and can describe land, easements, improvements or key locations. A property exhibit accompanies and delineates the written document. Each document is prepared under the direction of a Professional Land Surveyor that stamps and signs the documents as required by State Law. Legal descriptions are vital in the process of transferring land, as well as constructing improvements on that land. Having a proper legal description will aid in the settling of land disputes and ensures that any improvements or sales are being conducted on the intended land described.
More on Property Exhibit Service
Lot Line Adjustments
A Lot Line Adjustment is the process used to change property lines by combining adjacent parcels, altering the boundary between parcels, or reconfiguring the shapes of parcels (no additional parcels are created).
Administrative Certificates of Compliance
Accessor Parcel Numbers (APN’s) are created for tax purposes only. APN’s do not necessarily represent separate legal parcels. It is possible that a property owner may own several parcels of land which are represented by one APN or own several APN's which are not separate legal parcels . We provide valuable services to help landowners prepare the application that is required by the County to obtain Administrative Certificates of Compliance (ACC) which are issued to properties that have been proven to be separate legal parcels. The ACC gives the owner the right to sell, lease or finance the parcel separately from other contiguous parcels held by the same owner.
Elevation Certificates
An Elevation Certificate documents the elevation of your building for the floodplain managers enforcing local building ordinance, and for insurance rating purposes.
A.L.T.A. Surveys
ALTA surveys are commercial surveys created pursuant to a set of minimum standards adopted jointly by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM). The surveyor depends on these detailed standards to prepare a survey that correlates with the needs of the either or both of the property purchaser and the lender and the requirements of the title insurer. An ALTA survey is more intensive than a boundary survey and will provide more comprehensive and detailed information. ALTA surveys provide information about property boundaries and easements, as well as improvements such as fences, trails, roads, rights of ways, and other features on the property that may affect ownership of the property and may require further investigation into the possibility of adverse rights. An ALTA survey will also show means of access to the property, the zoning classification for the property, and the flood zone classification for the property. The information provided on an ALTA Survey will assist in evaluating the property for potential risks and benefits of owning the property.
Litigation Surveys / Expert Witness / Court Exhibits
Litigation surveys are surveys that are used in legal proceedings.
A Land Surveyor acts as an Expert Witness to prepare expert reports, court exhibits and provide expert witness testimony in a trial.
Easements
Easements give or take away a right of usage. Easements are categorized as an easement appurtenant, a transferable real property interest, such as a driveway across an adjacent parcel, or an easement in gross, a personal right, which is usually not transferable. An example of an easement in gross could be a grazing, fishing, or hunting right on someone's property.
The most common easement in California is the utility easement. This gives the right of access to public and private utility companies for maintenance, repairs, installation, or upgrades to services. These are recorded gross easements and are appurtenances, meaning they transfer with the property. This type of easement is usually set up by the land developer in the initial subdividing; it can, however be designated and recorded later. The utility company does not own an adjacent parcel or dominant tenement but maintains a right to put up power lines or poles.
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