A clear land survey proposal begins with eight things: your property, your project goal, where things stand now, how you’ll use the survey, the files you already have, what you need delivered, access conditions, and your need-by date.

We scope and deliver thousands of surveys across the Pacific Northwest each year. If you don’t know which survey to request, tell us what decision, permit, or construction milestone our work is supporting. We’ll translate that need into the right scope.

Tell us about the property

Start by sending us the street address, county, and assessor parcel number. If the work covers more than one parcel, list each one and tell us whether you’re treating them as a single site or separate phases.

If you have the recorded legal description, title report, prior survey, plat, or record of survey, include it. These documents help us research your property and define the work.

Don’t delay your request just because one of these documents is missing. Send us what you have, and we’ll identify what is still needed.

If your site has an unusual address, vacant land, recently created parcels, or multiple access points, include a marked aerial image or map if possible. A simple visual helps us make sure the right parcel and project area are within scope.

Project details and objectives

A survey is never an isolated drawing. It’s always in support of a larger direction—a greater vision. The more we know, the better we can deliver.

• Acquire or finance a property.
• Test development feasibility.
• Start architectural or civil design.
• Prepare a permit application.
• Divide or reconfigure land.
• Stake construction.
• Verify completed work.
• Resolve a boundary, access, or title question.

A one-sentence project description is often enough to start. “Two new homes on one Seattle parcel.” “Commercial acquisition requiring lender and title review.” “An addition and site improvements near a steep slope.” Project details and objectives help our surveyors deliver what you need, when you need it.

Tell us where your project stands, and what happens next

The same property may require different information during acquisition, schematic design, permitting, construction, and closeout. Tell us where your project stands and who needs the survey next.

Tell us who will use the data next: your architect, civil engineer, land-use planner, title company, lender, contractor, permitting agency, or internal development team. If they have issued a survey request, base-map checklist, CAD standard, or permit correction, attach it.

That helps us prevent a common handoff problem: delivering an accurate survey that still lacks a feature, file type, datum, or extent your downstream team expected.

Since we provide both surveying and civil engineering, we can coordinate those requirements within one team. If another architect or engineer will use the survey, connect us early so we can confirm their standards before fieldwork begins.

Share what you already have

Existing information does not replace current fieldwork or professional judgment. It helps us understand your site, identify conflicts, and avoid duplicating research your team has already completed.

Useful files may include:

• Title report and supporting exception documents.
• Prior surveys, plats, legal descriptions, and recorded easements.
• Architectural plans, civil plans, concept sketches, feasibility studies, or permit comments.
• CAD files, surface models, point files, or agency base maps.
• Geotechnical, arborist, wetland, shoreline, environmental, or utility information.
• Photos, marked aerials, and notes showing the limits of proposed work.

Just remember to label old or unverified material as best you can.

Show us the area and features that matter

“Full survey” is not a dependable scope. Show us the limits of work and the conditions you expect to see. For boundary and topographic surveys, that may include property lines, structures, grades, hard surfaces, walls, stairs, trees, visible utilities, street frontage, and adjacent features that affect your design.

The correct list depends on the intended use. An architect planning an addition needs different details than a civil engineer designing drainage, a lender reviewing an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey, or a contractor requesting staking.

If you’re unsure, send us the current plan set and ask us to recommend the scope. We’re always happy to provide fast and accurate scopes to keep your project moving.

Tell us what you need delivered

Tell us how you’ll use the information after delivery. You may need a signed PDF, an AutoCAD file, a surface model, a point file, or another agreed format. Your architect or engineer may also have layer standards, units, coordinate-system requirements, a project benchmark, or a preferred drawing scale.

Ask the downstream team what it will actually use. The proposal should state the included deliverables and any assumptions regarding software, coordinates, or revisions.

Tell us what we need to know about access

Field access affects scheduling. Tell us about locked gates, occupied units, tenants, dogs, active construction, limited work hours, steep terrain, vegetation, traffic control, or anything else that may affect entry and field safety.

Provide the site contact and who can authorize access. If tenants, neighbors, a superintendent, or a property manager need advance notice, let us know before we set the field date.

Give us a deadline so we can meet it

State the date the architect, engineer, lender, permit team, or contractor needs usable information. If a permit intake, closing, mobilization, or design milestone falls after that date, let us know.

A good survey schedule accounts for research, access, fieldwork, analysis, drafting, professional review, and delivery. A clear need-by date lets us evaluate the sequence and tell you what is realistic. If timing is driving the request, see how long a land survey takes and what can affect the schedule.

What our proposal should lock down

Before you authorize the work, make sure our proposal identifies:

• The property and limits of work.
• The survey purpose and included services.
• The features, research, and fieldwork included in the scope.
• The deliverables and file formats.
• The schedule and any client-dependent dates.
• Access assumptions and known constraints.
• Items specifically excluded or supplied by others.
• The process for changes, added scope, or revisions.

If an assumption could change the price, timeline, or usefulness of the final deliverable, it should be visible before the work starts.

Want a copy-and-paste surveying brief? Here you go

Whether you’re reaching out to us or one of our peers, you can use this as your guide to getting an accurate estimate.

• Property: address, parcel number, county, and number of parcels.
• Project: what is being acquired, designed, permitted, built, divided, or verified.
• Stage: feasibility, design, permitting, construction, or closeout.
• Survey use: the next decision, submission, or handoff the survey must support.
• Files attached: title, prior survey, plans, CAD, reports, permit comments, and marked exhibits.
• Scope notes: work area and features known to matter.
• Deliverables: PDF, CAD, surface or point data, agency form, or other required output.
• Access: contact, restrictions, occupied areas, hazards, and notice requirements.
• Need-by date: the date by which usable information is required and the milestone associated with it.
• Downstream contact: architect, engineer, planner, title officer, lender, or contractor who can confirm technical requirements.

Common questions

Do I need to know which survey to order? No. Tell us about your project and the decision the survey must support. We’ll translate that information into a recommended scope.

Should I wait until the design is finished? Not usually. Survey data often supports early design. Send the current concept, known project limits, and the design team’s requirements. If the design is likely to expand, discuss that risk before fieldwork.

Is a property address enough for pricing? It may support an initial conversation, but it rarely defines a dependable scope. Parcel identity, intended use, work limits, deliverables, access, and schedule can materially change the work.

What if the jurisdiction has not confirmed its requirements? Tell us that clearly. We can scope the known requirements, identify assumptions, and coordinate with your design or permitting team. We’ll confirm current agency guidance before finalizing the work.

Ready for a scope?

Just punch the pulsing green button, fill out a few questions, and we’ll get right to work on your estimate. Because time is the measure.