Name the document before relying on the lines
Buyers often receive several map-like records: an assessor parcel map, GIS layer, subdivision plat, site plan, mortgage-location sketch, old survey, or current boundary survey. They can look similar while answering different questions. Preserve the title, recording reference, preparer, date, scale, certification, and stated purpose instead of calling all of them “the survey.”
Start with the exact property identity. Record the address, parcel number, lot and block or other legal-description reference, municipality, county, and every parcel expected to transfer. If a sale includes a separate driveway, parking, waterfront, access, or vacant parcel, confirm that each interest appears in the title and survey file. The evidence-source directory can help locate the official recorder, register of deeds, county surveyor, assessor, and planning office.
1. Collect the record chain
Ask the seller and title or settlement professional for any prior surveys and the title evidence that accompanied them. Search official land records for the deed, recorded plat, boundary-line adjustment, lot-line elimination, easement, right-of-way, condominium map, and later survey references. Some counties publish images online; others require an index search, archives request, or paid copy.
Do not assume every standalone residential survey was recorded. Conversely, a recorded subdivision plat may define lots but not locate today's fence, shed, driveway, addition, or neighboring improvement. A tax parcel map can help identify the likely parcel but may be generalized for assessment and mapping. Record what each source says it is.
2. Audit the survey's identity and scope
On the survey or plat, locate the property description, survey date, surveyor's name and license, north reference, scale, legend, notes, certification, recording information, revision dates, and the parties for whom it was prepared. Check whether the title commitment or other record documents used by the surveyor are identified and current for the transaction.
An older survey can still contain useful evidence, but later fences, additions, driveways, utilities, grading, easements, lot-line changes, or neighboring work may not appear. A document certified to a prior owner, lender, or title company may not satisfy the current participants' requirements. Ask the licensed surveyor, lender, and title professional whether an update, recertification, different survey type, or new fieldwork is appropriate.
The 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards are authoritative for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys and useful for understanding survey concepts such as boundaries, easements, access, and encroachments. They are commonly associated with commercial and title-driven work; they do not mean every residential buyer needs an ALTA/NSPS survey. Survey types and standards are governed by state law, professional practice, and the transaction's actual needs.
What the records can and cannot prove
| Record | What it can support | What it does not prove by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Deed and legal description | The recorded description used in a conveyance | Field location of every corner, current occupation, or freedom from conflicts |
| Recorded subdivision plat | Created lots, dimensions, streets, and stated easements within its scope | Location of every current improvement or a current boundary field survey |
| Assessor/GIS parcel map | Parcel indexing, general spatial context, and tax mapping | A legal boundary, ownership opinion, survey accuracy, or right to use land |
| Prior survey | Conditions, measurements, monuments, and records within its date and scope | That later conditions are unchanged or that current parties may rely on it |
| Current boundary survey | A licensed surveyor's boundary work and mapped findings within the engagement | A legal opinion on ownership or every off-record right or condition |
| Title commitment | Proposed policy terms, property description, requirements, and exceptions | Physical location of every matter or present condition of the land |
| Fence, hedge, pin, or app line | A visible or mapped clue worth investigating | The boundary's legal location or permission to build or occupy |
3. Read boundaries, monuments, and dimensions together
Trace the property perimeter using the bearings, distances, curves, lot lines, and corner monuments shown. Record missing, disturbed, conflicting, or inaccessible monuments noted by the surveyor. Compare the stated area and dimensions with the legal description and recorded plat, but do not attempt to resolve discrepancies with a phone compass, consumer GPS, tape measure, or satellite image.
The role of a licensed surveyor is not merely to draw coordinates. Boundary work can require analysis of records, monuments, occupation, measurements, and applicable law and standards. Send a discrepancy to the surveyor with the actual documents rather than selecting the line that produces the preferred yard size.
4. Reconcile improvements and occupation
Locate the house, garage, deck, porch, pool, retaining wall, shed, fence, driveway, walk, and other material improvements shown. Compare them with current listing photos, inspection evidence, and permit records. Look for a building or fence crossing a boundary, setback, easement, or right-of-way; a shared drive without clearly matched access evidence; or use of neighboring land by either property.
A survey can depict an apparent encroachment without deciding ownership, permission, enforcement, insurance coverage, or remedy. Ask the surveyor what the drawing reports, the title professional how a mapped matter relates to policy terms, and an appropriate local attorney about legal effect. Permit and setback questions also belong with the local authority using the permit guide.
5. Match easements and access to title evidence
Use the title-commitment guide to list the recorded exceptions and obtain the underlying documents. For each easement or right-of-way, record the benefited and burdened land if the documents and professionals confirm it, stated purpose, location, dimensions, recording reference, maintenance terms when shown, and whether the survey plots it.
Do not assume an easement disappears because it is not visible, or exists because a path is used. Do not infer legal access from a driveway reaching a public-looking road. Private roads, shared drives, alleys, utilities, drainage, conservation restrictions, and shore access can involve documents and obligations that a simple parcel map will not explain.
A printable boundary-evidence reconciliation ledger
| Question or feature | Deed / recorded document | Survey or plat evidence | Current visible condition | Title exception / access term | Conflict or missing fact | Surveyor / title / legal owner and deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property identity and parcels | ||||||
| Corners, dimensions, and area | ||||||
| Buildings, fences, drives, and walls | ||||||
| Easements and rights-of-way | ||||||
| Access and private-road evidence | ||||||
| Setback or apparent encroachment |
Keep document numbers, recording books/pages where applicable, dates, preparers, and retrieval sources. Add unresolved survey rows to the home-offer evidence worksheet and buyer due-diligence checklist. Link physical condition to the inspection guide and seller statements to the disclosure guide.
The sample report and methodology demonstrate why a mapped conflict should remain an owned question rather than become an automated “clear” or “problem” label. Twellie provides research organization, not surveying, title, or legal services.