A land survey is a map of a parcel of land that is drawn by a licensed surveyor. There are two different general types of land surveys: public and private plans.
While private plans show detailed information like boundaries of properties, buildings, structures, and other physical features, public plans only show property boundaries.
A land survey plan is an important document that shows the legal borders of a property. If you just bought a home, you can ask to include a copy of the most recent land survey as part of the purchase and sale agreement. Talk to your real estate agent about negotiating this as part of the sales contract.
Obtaining this piece of paper can help you save on property taxes and can be useful when planning a renovation or in determining where property ownership lines exist — so don’t hesitate to ask for it!
Public Plans vs Private Plans
Public plans can be found at the Registry Office and typically only show property boundaries. These plans include:
- Registered plans
- Reference plans
- Condo plans
- Subdivisions
Private plans show more detailed information and are the more valuable types of plans in real estate. They indicate the property boundaries, structures, buildings and features like fences, pools, decks, driveways, etc. These plans include:
- Surveyors Real Property Reports (SRPR)
- Building Location Surveys (BLS)
- Plan of survey
What Is on a Land Survey?
While a land survey plan is not part of the standard formal agreement of purchasing or selling a property, we recommend requesting one with the purchase agreement. It will show:
- Parcel size
- Relative location to nearby lands, roads or geographical features
- Relative location to the property boundaries of public and private improvements (e.g. buildings, pools, fences)
- Physical features of the property
Having this information means you can verify exactly where your property lines begin and end and what easements (right to cross or use someone’s land) or other factors are attached to the land.
Who Needs a Land Survey?
Builders must obtain and reference a land survey before starting construction on a house. That’s because all municipal building departments require plans and surveys identifying exactly what currently exists on the property and what renovation plans are proposed.
Another use for a land survey is to assess and fight property tax assessments. It may be necessary to fight the city’s current assessed value of your home if you believe your property was unfairly or inaccurately assessed based on neighbourhood comparisons.
Every year you will receive an assessed value statement from your municipality, council or district used to determine your property tax. Some of the factors that influence the assessed value of your property are:
- Location
- Lot size
- Lot use
- Age and condition of the building(s)
Municipalities use these surveys to assess your property by the location, lot size and shape.
Sometimes land surveys aren’t up-to-date anymore. In that case, you can hire a licensed surveyor to conduct a new survey of your property and submit the corrections to your provincial property registry’s office.
Where Can I Find Land Survey Plans?
Most plans are publicly available. You can search the land records in your province or territory’s land registry. Find the link to your land registry below:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
- Yukon
How to Read a Land Survey
Reading the land survey that describes your property can seem a bit overwhelming. If you know what you’re looking for, reading your land survey becomes a lot easier.
The most important information to look for is the boundaries of the property, which are the thick lines around your lot, easements and any natural features like rivers or large trees. Land surveys generally include a legend that explains the map further.
You can ask your real estate lawyer or surveyor to help you read your property survey if you have any specific questions.
It’s important to remember that a survey is only a snapshot of the property at that time and may not be an accurate representation of what the property looks like today.
Below are three pieces of information that you can learn from your land survey before purchasing a property.
Property Size and Boundaries
A land survey depicts the current precise boundaries and size of your property. These stats are important to know for two reasons: property tax disputes and boundary disputes with your neighbours.
For example, when you’re considering building a fence, the land survey will help you determine whether or not you’re crossing property lines so you can avoid fighting with your neighbours. The same applies when your neighbour is building or growing something that you believe is invading your property.
Easements
Suppose there are legacy issues with the use of your property. Things like a neighbour being allowed to use your driveway to access their property or the city’s right to dig up the first three feet of your front yard to access a municipal water pipe. These legal rights will be reflected in the property title as an easement. An easement allows others to access or use of your property while allowing you to retain ownership and rights of the property. The survey of your property will indicate any easements and rights of way.
Orientation
A land survey always includes a compass so you can easily find out how the area is oriented. For example, this can be helpful when you’re buying an empty lot and plan to build a house with solar panels. In this case, the land survey will help you determine which way the house should face to get maximum sun exposure.
As a future or current homeowner, it’s helpful to know what a land survey is, how to read it and when to reference it. Whether you want to make sure that there aren’t any easements on the property you’re interested in, or you want to fight a tax adjustment after your property assessment, it’s better to be in the know.
