When is a land survey needed?

A current survey is needed when buying property and is highly recommended when refinancing, because in older areas survey monumentation may have been disturbed or destroyed and needs to be replaced by a licensed land surveyor. A survey before construction is also advisable, since local setback, height and bulk, easement, and right-of-way requirements must be met, and many jurisdictions require a survey even to pull a fence permit.

What is a FEMA elevation certificate?

An elevation certificate is a FEMA document completed by a land surveyor that records the property's flood zone designation, the base flood elevation, and the elevation of the structure and the surrounding ground. Insurers use it to price flood insurance, and most lenders require one before lending on a property in a special flood hazard area.

Surveyors

American Surveying & Mapping

The firm provides land surveying for real estate transactions and development, including ALTA/ACSM land title surveys, boundary surveys, and FEMA elevation certificates. Its site describes it as one of a small number of Florida providers of multiple-county, multi-site surveying services, able to respond on a county, state, and national basis, and says its clients are companies engaged in new purchases, refinancing, development, and other transactions that require surveying.

Work is taken on for individual sites and for multiple-site projects. Surveys are completed either by the firm's own crews or by its Surveyor Associates, who follow the same procedures and must meet the same requirements of the firm, ALTA, or the appropriate state board. All work is reviewed and corrected in one location under the direction of a registered surveyor.

Surveys are performed in accordance with the Minimum Technical Standards set out in Chapter 61G17-6 of the Florida Administrative Code, pursuant to Florida Statute Chapter 472.027, and, where required, to ALTA/ACSM land title survey standards. The site states that the company's corporate foundation was laid more than 20 years ago and that many employees have been with it since its early years. Its published address is 4847 North Florida Avenue, Tampa, Florida, with contact at 813.234.0103.

The site does not publish fees or turnaround times, and coverage outside Florida depends on associate crews, so scope, schedule, and who will sign the survey are worth confirming before ordering.

Best for

Buyers, lenders, and developers ordering ALTA/ACSM land title or boundary surveys on Florida property, including portfolios of sites across several counties that need to be ordered and reviewed in one place.

What they do

ALTA/ACSM land title surveys
Boundary surveys
Residential (Minimum Technical Standards) boundary surveys
FEMA elevation certificates
Multi-site and multi-county survey coordination
Support on title and possession conflicts

Details

Attribute	Value
Other offices	Tampa, FL

What stands out

Surveys follow the Florida Minimum Technical Standards in Chapter 61G17-6 and, where required, ALTA/ACSM land title survey standards.
Surveys are performed by in-house crews or by Surveyor Associates held to the same requirements, then reviewed and corrected in one location under a registered surveyor.
The site states the company's corporate foundation was laid more than 20 years ago.

Common questions

When is a land survey needed?: A current survey is needed when buying property and is highly recommended when refinancing, because in older areas survey monumentation may have been disturbed or destroyed and needs to be replaced by a licensed land surveyor. A survey before construction is also advisable, since local setback, height and bulk, easement, and right-of-way requirements must be met, and many jurisdictions require a survey even to pull a fence permit.
What is a FEMA elevation certificate?: An elevation certificate is a FEMA document completed by a land surveyor that records the property's flood zone designation, the base flood elevation, and the elevation of the structure and the surrounding ground. Insurers use it to price flood insurance, and most lenders require one before lending on a property in a special flood hazard area.