Value of a Boundary Survey Ahead of New Fence Installation

For many homeowners, one of the primary purposes for a fence installation is to help define property lines and boundaries. And whether this is your main concern or you simply want to be sure you aren’t crossing any property lines while building a fence for another purpose, one of the top tools at your disposal here is a professional land survey.

At Utah Fence Warehouse, we’re proud to offer a wide range of fence supplies and fencing materials, from our wood fence and vinyl fence options to many additional choices. We’ll also recommend land surveyors in the area if needed, plus assist you with understanding what goes into their job and how to interpret the results you receive. Here’s a general primer on property surveys and some other important details.

Property Survey Basics and Purposes

The general purpose of a property survey ahead of building a fence – or a variety of other property structures as well – is to ensure that all legal boundaries are being properly observed during the erecting process. It’s technically possible to perform your own such survey, but there are several details here that require a professional eye for full completion, and we highly recommend this route.

During a property survey, an expert technician will assess the property using their maps and tools. They will be able to give you a precise measurement on where your property ends and where a neighbor’s property begins, plus where you can and cannot build your fence. In addition, they will also inform you of other issues like borders on public land, building near pavement areas and legal rights of way. These are concerns that you would almost certainly miss otherwise, and which could cost you significant sums down the line.

Issues Surveys Prevent

Some examples of the issues a boundary survey helps prevent in advance of building a fence:

• Keeps you from accidentally building a fence on your neighbor’s property or on publicly owned land, which in many cases would require you to tear down the fence at your own cost.
• Avoids issues of building a fence using materials or styles that are prohibited in your district.
• Ensures you properly observe the margins of pathways, sidewalks and similar areas when building a fence.

Call 811

In addition to contracting a boundary survey on your property before building a fence, one other task you’ll need to perform is calling 811. This is a requirement in every state, one that speaks to work being done underground on a property – such as placing fence posts in the ground. Calling 811 will inform you of what is underneath the ground on your property, including utilities or other obstacles, plus where it’s safe for you to install new fence posts.

For more on boundary surveys and other preparation tactics for building a fence, or to learn about any of our fence contractor services, speak to the staff at Utah Fence Warehouse today.