Welcome to Atlanta Land Surveying

Atlanta Land Surveying Posted on by

Welcome to Atlanta Land Surveying

This site is intended to provide you with information on Land Surveying in the Atlanta, GA, Fulton County, or DeKalb County areas of Georgia. If you’re looking for a Atlanta Land Surveyor, you’ve come to the right place. If you’d rather talk to someone about your land surveying needs, please call our local number at ​(404) 998-4474 today. For more information, please continue to read.

atlanta land surveyingLand Surveyors are professionals who make precise measurements to determine the size and boundaries of a piece of real estate.  While this is a simplistic definition, boundary surveying is one of the most common types of surveying related to home and land owners. If you fall into the following categories, please click on the appropriate link for more information on that subject:

Atlanta Land Surveying services:

    1. I need to know where my property corners or property lines are. (Boundary Survey)
    2. I have a loan closing or re-finance coming up on my home in a subdivision. (Lot Survey)
    3. I need a map of my property with contour lines to show elevation differences for my architect or engineer. (Topo Survey)
    4. I’ve just been told I’m in a flood zone or I’ve been told I need an elevation certificate in order to obtain flood insurance or prove I don’t need it. (Flood Survey)
    5. I’m purchasing a lot/house in a recorded subdivision. (Lot Survey – See Boundary Survey)
    6. I’m purchasing a larger tract of land, acreage, that hasn’t been subdivided in the past. (Boundary Survey)

To speak to a land surveyor, please call ​(404) 998-4474 or fill out our contact form to the right.

Land Surveying for a Retaining Wall Project

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Retaining wall project requiring land surveying in Atlanta Georgia

A retaining wall holds back a surprising amount of weight. Even a short garden wall can support several tons of soil, and a taller wall holds back far more. If the wall sits in the wrong spot or is built from bad numbers, it can lean, crack, or fail after a few heavy storms. Land surveying gives you real ground data before anyone digs. It shows where the wall can go, how much the ground drops, where the property line runs, and where water will flow.

Survey the Proposed Retaining Wall Location Before Design

The best time to survey a retaining wall site is before anyone draws the wall. A survey of the proposed location shows the existing ground, nearby structures, trees, fences, and visible utilities. That record gives the designer a true base map to work from. Designs based on guesses or old plats often need changes once crews arrive, and changes in the field cost more than changes on paper.

For most wall projects, the surveyor will run a topographic survey of the work area. A topographic survey maps the shape and height of the land using spot elevations and contour lines. Contour lines connect points of equal height, so tightly packed lines mean a steep slope. The survey usually extends past the wall footprint so the designer can see what’s uphill and downhill.

Tell your surveyor early what you’re planning. Share the rough wall length, likely height, and whether you’re adding a driveway, patio, or building pad behind it. That helps the crew decide how far to extend the survey and how much detail to collect.

Measure Grade Changes Along the Planned Wall

Grade is the height and slope of the ground surface. Along a retaining wall, grade change controls how tall each section must be. A wall that’s 3 feet tall at one end may need to be 7 feet tall at the other if the ground falls away. Accurate elevations along the wall line let the designer set step-downs, footing depths, and top-of-wall heights.

Height matters for more than looks. Many permit offices set height limits that trigger engineering review, a permit, or a guardrail. Those limits can vary by county, city, and wall type, so confirm the rules before the design is final. Good grade data tells you early whether your wall is close to one of those thresholds.

Existing Grade vs. Proposed Grade

Existing grade is the ground as it sits today. Proposed grade is where the ground will be once the wall and fill are in place. Your survey captures existing grade, and the designer uses it to plan proposed grade. Comparing the two shows how much soil you’ll cut, fill, or haul away.

Identify Nearby Boundaries and Improvements Before Excavation

Retaining walls often go near property lines because that’s where yards tend to change level. Building too close, or over the line, can lead to a neighbor dispute, a removal request, or trouble when you sell. A boundary survey locates your property corners and lines on the ground. It can also show recorded easements that may limit where you’re allowed to build.

Nearby improvements matter as much as the lines. The surveyor can locate fences, driveways, sheds, pools, and building corners near the work area. Digging for a wall footing can undermine a neighbor’s fence or your own patio if nobody plans for it.

Underground utilities need their own check. Call 811 before any digging so buried lines can be marked. A survey that shows visible features like manholes, meters, and valve boxes helps everyone connect those marks to the plan.

Map Drainage Features That Could Affect Wall Placement

Water is one of the most common causes of retaining wall problems. Soil gets heavier when it’s wet, and trapped water adds pressure that pushes a wall outward. That’s why drainage mapping belongs in the survey from the start. The survey should show where water comes from and where it can safely go.

A surveyor may locate swales, ditches, storm inlets, culverts, downspouts, and low spots where water ponds. Contour lines reveal flow paths even where you can’t see a channel. If the wall would block a natural flow path, the designer needs to know before the footing goes in. Otherwise, water that once crossed the yard freely may start pooling behind the wall or spilling onto a neighbor’s lot.

Ask whether any part of the site sits in a mapped flood zone or near a stream buffer. Rules for building near these areas vary by location, and some require extra review. Catching that early keeps your permit on track.

Coordinate Survey Data With Retaining Wall Design Plans

Survey data only helps if it reaches the people drawing and building the wall. Most engineers and designers want a digital CAD file along with a signed PDF. Ask your designer what format they need before the survey is delivered. That small step saves time and avoids retyping numbers.

Once the design is set, the surveyor can return for construction staking. Staking means setting marks on the ground that show the contractor exactly where the wall goes and how high it should be. Stakes may mark the wall line, corners, and footing or top-of-wall elevations. This keeps the finished wall matched to the approved plan.

Some projects also call for an as-built survey after construction. An as-built survey records what was actually built, including the final wall location and heights. Permit offices, lenders, or future buyers may ask for one, so keep a copy with your property records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a survey for a small retaining wall?

Not every small wall legally requires a survey, but many owners still benefit from one. A wall near a property line or easement carries real risk if its location is off. Even a basic boundary check can prevent a costly move later. Your permit office can tell you what it requires for your wall height and location.

What type of survey do I need for a retaining wall?

Most projects start with a topographic survey of the wall area. If the wall is near a property line, a boundary survey is usually added. Some surveyors combine both on one map. Share your plans with the surveyor so they can recommend the right scope.

How long does a retaining wall survey take?

Field work for a typical residential lot often takes a day or less. Drafting and review can add several days, depending on the surveyor’s schedule and the site. Larger or heavily wooded sites may take longer. Book early if your permit or contractor start date depends on the survey.

Can I use an old survey from when I bought the house?

An old survey may help, but it often lacks the elevations a wall design needs. Surveys done for a home purchase usually focus on lines and structures, not grade. Fences, sheds, or neighboring work may also have changed since then. A surveyor can review it and tell you what needs updating.

Should I hire the surveyor, or should my contractor?

Either approach can work, as long as someone owns the task early. Many property owners hire the surveyor directly so they keep the data for future projects. Contractors and engineers often have surveyors they already trust. Whoever makes the call, make sure the designer gets the files before design begins.

Property Line Markers for Cleared Wooded Lots

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Cleared wooded lot where property line markers may need to be checked in Atlanta Georgia

One pass with a mulcher or dozer can change a wooded lot in an afternoon. Brush disappears, stumps come out, and the ground gets torn up and pushed around. The iron pins that marked your corners for decades can vanish in the process. Many owners don’t notice until a fence crew, builder, or neighbor asks where the line actually is.

Property line markers are physical objects placed at property corners or along boundary lines to show where a parcel begins and ends. Surveyors often call them monuments. They’re usually iron rods, pipes, or concrete posts, and they’re the link between your deed and the land itself. When they go missing, you lose the easiest way to confirm your boundary on the ground.

If you’ve just cleared a lot, or you’re about to, check your markers before any building or grading starts. A missing or disturbed corner is much easier to handle now than after a driveway or foundation is in place.

Why Clearing Can Make Property Line Markers Harder to Find

Clearing removes the very features people use to guess where a line is. Old fences, tree rows, and brush lines often grow near a boundary for years. Once they’re gone, the lot can look like one open field with no clear edges. That makes it tempting to eyeball a line that may be several feet off.

Heavy equipment also damages the markers themselves. A tracked machine can bend an iron rod flat or snap off its plastic cap. Mulched material and pushed soil can bury a pin under several inches of debris. In some cases, a marker gets pulled out entirely and dropped somewhere else on the lot.

Wooded lots often have older markers to begin with. Some corners may be marked with stones, old pipes, or trees that were blazed or tagged by an earlier surveyor. These can be hard to recognize even before clearing. After clearing, they may be gone or impossible to tell apart from debris.

Checking Existing Monuments After Trees and Brush Are Removed

Start by gathering what you already have. Look for a recorded plat, a prior boundary survey, or the survey from when you bought the property. These documents often describe what kind of marker was set at each corner and how far it sits from nearby features. That information gives you a starting point before you walk the site.

When you go looking, focus on the corners shown on your survey. Many markers stick up only slightly or sit just below the surface. A metal detector can help locate an iron pin that’s been buried. Look for plastic or aluminum caps, which often carry the surveyor’s license number.

Finding a marker doesn’t always mean it’s in the right place. Watch for signs that it’s been disturbed:

  • The rod is bent, leaning, or loose in the ground
  • The cap is broken off or missing
  • The marker sits in a pile of pushed soil or mulch
  • Its distance to another corner doesn’t match your survey
  • Two markers appear near the same corner

If anything looks off, don’t reset it yourself or pound it back in. Moving a boundary marker can create confusion and even legal trouble. Leave it where it is, mark the area with a flag, and let a licensed surveyor check it.

When Missing Markers Call for a Boundary Survey

A boundary survey is the right step when markers are missing, damaged, or in doubt. During this survey, a licensed surveyor researches your deed, the recorded plat, and neighboring records. The crew then searches for existing evidence in the field and measures its position. From that work, the surveyor determines where your lines are and sets new markers where needed.

This matters most when you’re planning to build, fence, sell, or split the lot. Setbacks, driveway locations, and fence lines all depend on accurate boundaries. A lender or buyer may also want current survey information. Requirements vary by lender, county, and project type, so ask what’s needed before you schedule work.

A boundary survey also protects your relationship with the neighbors. Clearing near a line can raise questions about trees, runoff, or access. Clear, verified corners give everyone the same answer. That’s far better than trading guesses over the fence.

Protecting Property Lines Before Grading or Site Work Begins

Once your markers are confirmed, protect them before more equipment arrives. Grading and site work can destroy markers just as easily as clearing did. It’s much cheaper to protect a pin than to pay to have it reset. A few simple steps can make a big difference.

Ask your surveyor to flag each corner with bright ribbon or a tall wooden lath. The lath is a thin stake that’s easy to see from an equipment cab. Some surveyors also set witness markers, which are placed a known distance from the corner in a safer spot. If the corner is disturbed, the surveyor can use the witness marker to restore it.

Walk the site with your contractor before work starts. Point out each marker and explain that the crew must work around it. Put the same instruction in writing so new workers get the message. If a marker gets hit anyway, stop work nearby and call the surveyor before building anything that depends on that line.

Using Verified Boundaries for Future Lot Improvements

Verified boundaries give you a reliable base for every improvement that follows. A builder can place a house within the setbacks with confidence. A fence company can install along the true line. A driveway can be located without crossing onto the neighbor’s land.

If you plan to build, your surveyor can often use the boundary work as the starting point for other services. Confirmed property lines provide a reliable base for a topographic survey, construction staking, or other site work 

Keep your survey drawing and any new records in a safe place. Share them with your builder, fence contractor, and anyone else doing work on the lot. If you sell the property later, current survey information can also help the buyer, their lender, and the title company.

Find Property Lines for Backyard Parking Plans

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Backyard parking area in Atlanta, Georgia where homeowners may need to find property lines before planning paving or vehicle access.

Backyard parking pads are popping up all over homeowners adding space for extra vehicles, trailers, or short-term rentals. It seems like a simple project. Pour some gravel or concrete and you are done. But if you skip the step to find property lines first, you risk building on land that is not yours, or worse, blocking access you did not know existed.

A parking area sits close to the ground and close to the edges of a lot, which means small measurement mistakes turn into real problems fast. Before you call a paving contractor, find out exactly where your property lines sit and what limits apply near them.

Finding your property lines means locating the legal boundary of your lot, not just the fence, hedge, or tree line that looks like a boundary. Fences move. Hedges grow. Old markers get buried under years of yard work. A licensed survey is the only way to know your true property lines with confidence.

Confirm Property Limits Before Designing Backyard Parking

Start any backyard parking project by confirming your actual property limits, not your assumed ones. Many lots, especially in older intown neighborhoods, have irregular shapes, angled rear lines, or boundaries that do not match what a fence suggests.

A boundary survey or a property line location gives you accurate measurements from your recorded plat. This tells you exactly how much usable space you have before you design anything.

  • Confirm the shape and dimensions of your backyard
  • Identify any portion of the yard that belongs to a neighbor or the city
  • Get a clear starting point for parking pad design

Skipping this one of the most common reasons backyard projects run into trouble later, especially when a neighbor raises a concern after the concrete is already poured.

Check How Close Parking Can Sit to Property Lines

Once you know where your lines are, you need to know how close you can build to them. Setback rules control how near a structure or paved surface can sit to a property line, and these rules vary by zoning district, lot type, and jurisdiction.

Some parking areas also require permeable surfaces or drainage controls depending on local stormwater rules. Atlanta and surrounding counties have been paying closer attention to impervious surface coverage as infill development increases.

Confirm setback and surface requirements with your local zoning or planning department before finalizing your design. Requirements can vary by property type, lot size, and whether the parking area is considered accessory to the home.

Account for Easements Across the Proposed Parking Area

An easement gives another party a legal right to use part of your property, even though you own it. Utility companies, drainage systems, and sometimes neighbors can hold easement rights across a backyard.

Building a parking pad over an active easement can create real problems. A utility company may need to dig up your new pavement to access a line, and you may have little recourse if the easement was recorded before you designed your project.

Check your title report or recent survey for recorded easements before finalizing your parking layout. If you do not have a current survey, a surveyor can research and map any easements affecting the proposed area.

Plan Vehicle Access Without Crossing Neighboring Property

Getting a vehicle into a backyard parking area often means crossing part of the yard, a side strip, or a shared driveway. If that access path crosses onto a neighbor’s property, even briefly, it can create a property line dispute or require a formal agreement.

Map your intended access route against your confirmed property lines before construction. Pay close attention to:

  • Narrow side yards where vehicles may need to cross the line to turn
  • Shared driveways with unclear ownership or use rights
  • Existing fences or landscaping that may not match the actual boundary

If your access route does cross a neighboring property, you may need a written easement or license agreement before moving forward. This protects both you and future owners of the home.

Use Survey Data Before Paving or Grading Begins

Once your property lines, setbacks, easements, and access route are confirmed, use that survey data to guide your contractor. Grading and paving crews work faster and more accurately when they have a clear site plan instead of a verbal description of the yard.

A survey-based site plan also protects you if a dispute comes up later. You have documented proof of where the lines were and how the parking area was designed to respect them.

Confirm your survey needs early, especially if your timeline depends on a permit application or a closing date. Waiting until the week before construction can cause delays if fieldwork or research takes longer than expected.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find my property lines without hiring a surveyor? 

You can check your property plat, deed, or county GIS map for a general idea, but these sources are not always precise. For anything involving construction, a licensed survey is the only reliable way to confirm exact boundaries.

Can I build a parking pad right up to my property line? 

Usually not. Most jurisdictions require a setback distance between a paved surface and the property line. Requirements vary by zoning district and lot type, so check with your local planning department before designing your layout.

What if there is an easement running through my backyard? 

You may still be able to build near or around it, but building directly over an active easement can create access problems later. A surveyor can map the easement so you can design around it.