In Detail: Boundary Surveys
If you need one or more of your existing property boundaries marked, Browne Johnson can do a Boundary Survey on your property. Unlike other legal surveys, a Boundary Survey retraces an existing boundary, but doesn't create any new boundaries. Since nothing is being changed, you don't need local government approval to do the work.
Only a practicing British Columbia Land Surveyor (BCLS) can perform a boundary survey in British Columbia.
What's involved
The time and cost required to survey a boundary varies from job to job, depending on a number of factors:
- The age of the legal survey fabric (boundary markers) in the area
- The size of the subject property, location and terrain
- Whether critical boundary monuments have been damaged or removed
If all the required boundary monuments are in place, the survey crew can mark them, verify their locations, and stake the boundary between the monuments.
If a monument has been damaged or removed, a BCLS needs to replace it with an official pin, not a temporary marker. Once this is done, the Land Surveyor needs to file a Posting Plan with the Land Title Office under Section 68 of the Land Title Act as a permanent record of your survey. Because of the rigorous requirements for all legal surveys and plans, this adds time and cost to the job.
The best way to budget for a Boundary Survey is to get one of our professional land surveyors to help. Contact us to get an estimate for your boundary survey now.
Records and survey results
Sample Posting Plan
If the required monuments are undamaged, the results of the survey are very simple — the crew will expose the monuments and mark the boundaries between the monuments. In this case, we don't need to prepare a survey plan, but we can provide a copy of your existing registered plan if you'd like to see it.
If some monuments need to be replaced, we'll prepare and file a Posting Plan within 60 days of completing the field survey. This plan is filed by a BCLS, so you won't need to hire a lawyer or a notary.
A Posting Plan is a record of the official boundary markers set by a Land Surveyor, not a subdivision. This means that the size, area and legal description of your title don't change. However, the posting plan number will be noted on your title so the plan can easily be found in the future.
When to get a Boundary Survey
Boundary Surveys are best used when the position of the boundary is in question, or when improvements (like fencing) are being placed on or near the boundary.
If you're constructing a building which will be set back from the boundary, it's OK to get a Boundary Survey, but a Building Layout will probably be a more direct and cost-effective option.
A Boundary Survey won't show buildings or features on your property. A Building Location Certificate or a Site Plan would be a better choice for mortgage, building, or planning purposes.
Contact us to get an estimate for your Boundary Survey now.
