Roanoke Land Surveying

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Welcome to Roanoke Land Surveying

roanoke land surveying

Welcome to our site. We want to provide you with information on Land Surveying in general and specifically in the Roanoke, Randolph County area of Alabama.If you have any land surveying questions, you’ve come to the right place.

Land Surveying is a very important industry, and it has been around for ages. To know more about the basics of land surveying, you can click here.

Land Surveyors are professionals who measure and make precise measurements to determine the size and boundaries of a piece of real estate.  While this is a simplistic definition, this is one of the most common types of surveying related to home and land owners. To know more about what a land surveyor does, click here.

What to expect from Roanoke Land Surveying

If you need assistance on any land surveying services, we are the best people to help you out. We give nothing but the best service, and we have the best deals in town.

Roanoke Land Surveying offers different land surveying services. We also offer Boundary surveying, Percolation surveying, Septic System Design, Subdivision Design, Topo Surveying and House Site Plans.

How to contact Roanoke Land Surveying?

CALL Roanoke Land Surveying TODAY at 256-854-9503 to discuss your land survey needs.

What Does an ALTA Survey Show That a Boundary Survey Does Not?

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ALTA survey field work measuring property boundary with stakes and tape on a grassy lot Buying land is not simple. A boundary survey shows where your property lines sit. An ALTA survey goes much further. It shows legal risks, access issues, easements, and details lenders care about before approving a deal. 

If you plan to buy or develop commercial land, it helps to see what an ALTA survey includes before buying land so you understand the full picture early.

What Does a Boundary Survey Actually Show?

A boundary survey focuses on location. It marks where your property begins and ends. 

You will see:

  • Property lines
  • Corner markers
  • Lot size and dimensions
  • Visible issues like a fence crossing a line

That covers the basics.

For a homeowner, this may work fine. If you want to install a fence or settle a neighbor issue, a boundary survey usually works. 

Once a project involves money, lenders, or design work, this level of detail leaves gaps.

What Does an ALTA Survey Add Beyond a Boundary Survey?

An ALTA survey builds on the boundary survey. It adds legal and physical details that affect how the property works in real life.

It also connects to the title report. That means it checks if recorded documents match what exists on the ground.

You are not just looking at lines anymore. You are looking at risk.

What Easements Does an ALTA Survey Reveal?

Easements cause trouble when people ignore them.

An ALTA survey shows:

  • Utility easements
  • Access paths
  • Drainage areas
  • Shared driveways

These details affect how you build. 

An easement can cut through a building site. It can limit where you place structures. It can allow others to use part of your land.

If you find this after closing, you are already behind.

How Does an ALTA Survey Verify Access?

Access is easy to assume and easy to get wrong.

You might see a road next to a property. That does not mean you have the legal right to use it.

An ALTA survey checks:

  • If access exists
  • If it is recorded
  • If it matches the title

If access is unclear, lenders may pause or reject the deal. 

What Encroachments Can an ALTA Survey Find?

A boundary survey may show a simple issue like a fence over the line. An ALTA survey documents everything that crosses into or out of the property. 

An ALTA survey shows:

  • Buildings crossing boundaries
  • Driveways extending into other property
  • Parking areas outside legal limits
  • Utility lines running across parcels

This matters for layout.

If something crosses a line, your design may need to change. That change costs time and money.

How Does an ALTA Survey Show Utilities?

Utility placement shapes the entire site.

A basic survey usually skips this. An ALTA survey does not.

You will see visible features such as:

  • Manholes
  • Utility poles
  • Valves
  • Drainage structures

This helps with planning.

If utilities sit in the wrong place, your layout shifts. That often leads to redesign.

Aerial view of commercial property with site plan overlay showing building layout parking utilities and easements

How Does an ALTA Survey Check Title Issues?

Paper records do not always match reality.

An ALTA survey checks both.

It compares the title commitment with what is actually on the site. That process can uncover:

  • Missing easements
  • Conflicts between records and actual conditions 
  • Unrecorded activity on the land

Without this check, you rely on documents alone. That is where mistakes happen.

What details do Table A items add to an ALTA survey? 

Table A items add extra detail. They are selected based on the project.

Common choices include:

  • Parking counts
  • Building height
  • Flood zone data
  • Setback information

You do not need every item. You need the right ones.

Missing one can slow the process. That delay shows up later when you least want it.

A Real Scenario 

A buyer finds a commercial lot in a growing area of Roanoke. The plan looks solid. The numbers make sense.

A boundary survey shows clean lines.

Later, an ALTA survey reveals a utility easement running through the center of the site. The planned building cannot go where intended.

The design changes. Costs increase. The timeline shifts.

Situations like this happen more often than expected.

Why Do Lenders Require an ALTA Survey?

Lenders do not guess.

They want proof the land supports the deal.

An ALTA survey helps confirm:

  • Legal access exists
  • No major encroachments affect use
  • Easements do not block development
  • Title matches the actual site

Without this, the deal carries risk. That is why ALTA surveys are often required before closing.

When Is a Boundary Survey Not Enough?

A boundary survey works for simple cases. It falls short when more is at stake.

You need more detail for:

  • Commercial property purchases
  • Development projects
  • Land with existing structures
  • Properties with shared access
  • Deals that involve financing

These situations require a deeper look.

When Should You Order an ALTA Survey?

Timing matters more than people think.

You should order one:

  • Before closing on commercial land
  • Before submitting plans
  • When working with a lender
  • When reviewing title documents

Waiting creates problems.

Some surveys take weeks. If issues show up late, everything slows down.

Smart Buyers Check Early

Problems do not fix themselves.

They show up later, and they cost more.

A smart move is to order an ALTA survey before closing on commercial land. That gives you time to review the results and adjust your plans.

It keeps your project moving instead of stalling halfway through.

The Real Difference

A boundary survey shows where your land sits.

An ALTA survey shows what you can do with it.

That difference decides whether a project moves forward or stops.

In a place like Roanoke, where development keeps growing, small details can change everything.

Using GPS to Track You – Is It Real?

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gps tracking roanoke

photo courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Many have heard of “Big Brother” being able to track our movements. One of my favorite TV shows is “Person of Interest” where a secret machine keeps track of all conversations and people’s “criminal intent” in order to help the heroes stop the crimes before they happen.

While I’m SURE that there are tracking capabilities in most cell phones and different government agencies CAN track our locations, we might be a ways away them being able to determine criminal intent.  But there IS a recent application in England that I found very interesting.

Nestle (yes, the chocolate company) is placing GPS Trackers in six KIT KAT bars in their aptly named “We’ll Find You” marketing campaign in the UK. When the person opens the package it notifies KIT KAT and the prize delivery team will find them within 24 hours and present them with a check for £10,000 (about $16,000.) See the article here.

Just about all new type cell phones, all smart phones, iPads and other tablets, lots of cars (more than you think), public transportation vehicles, golf carts, and watches have GPS devices in them now days. Another place they are, and rightly so, are in ankle monitors used by law enforcement.

But, what you might not realize is that the electronic devices mentioned above can work just like the ankle monitor. Now, while it is true that you can disable the GPS tracking device in your cell phone or tablet, that doesn’t give all of us complete comfort in walking around with these devices on us.

Now, I’m not trying to be a conspiracy wonk here, but it is POSSIBLE that this could be taken advantage of by well-meaning agencies. And, as we know, law enforcement can make mistakes in identifying the correct suspect.  Of course, we WANT emergency services to be able to find us if and when we need their service, so this is a double edged sword. Most of us probably have nothing to worry about in this regard, but if you worry about this sort of thing, it could keep you up at night.

Even as a licensed land surveyor, having used GPS technology in land surveying for almost 20 years, I still trust them more than I should. One example is when I was in an unfamiliar town my GPS navigation device told me to take a “road” to the right. I slowed down and attempted to turn but it was a power line.  Not wanting to believe that Gizell was wrong (yes I named her), I went to the next street and turned and tried to find the “road” further back.

I ended up driving down the sandy power line, which turned into a bike lane until I was finally stopped by a gate. As I backed down the bike lane looking for a turn-around spot I thought, “maybe this wasn’t a road and maybe my GPS device is fallible.” Of course, I soon justified Gizell by recalling that a human had to “digitize” the roads in and she just did what they programmed her to do.

If you need to turn off your GPS tracking device in order to sleep tonight, call your device’s customer service line and stay away from KIT KAT bars. If you would like to find out how GPS surveying technology can help you in surveying your property boundary, call a Licensed Land Surveyor at Roanoke Land Surveying at 256-854-9503.

I Didn’t Know I Was Encroaching Onto My Neighbor’s Property – Help!

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Let’s say you’ve been living in your house for quite some time now. You love the place, you love the neighborhood and you just love everything about it.

For some reason, your next door neighbor decided to have his property surveyed. Alas, his surveyor concluded that part of your property is actually your neighbor’s and that you’ve been encroaching all along.

What are your options?

There are several ways to handle this, and it really depends on what you and your neighbor agree upon.

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

First, your neighbor can sell you that portion of the property. If you can afford it, this is the best solution especially when there’s a structure in the area we’re talking about. You don’t have to lose it (not to mention you also spent money having it constructed), and your neighbor wouldn’t have to spend money demolishing it. It’s a win-win situation.

Another option is to have you rent it. Some people actually agree to do this, but it can be expensive. Imagine paying monthly for a part of your neighbor’s property for years. And, then, if they move, you have a new landlord for that area.

If there’s no structure on the area, or if it’s only minor such as a fence or a flower bed, the simplest thing might be to move anything in that area. You can move your fence back so that it’s not encroaching or have your flower bed completely removed.

Now, what if the area in question is your driveway? Does your neighbor have the right to block it after finding out that it’s actually still a part of their property? Maybe.

In order for you to still be able to use the driveway, you should consult an attorney for the next steps. You should take a copy of a survey with the driveway shown on it with you. This will save the attorney time, and you money. (Attorneys charge much more than surveyors.)

This may mean you need to get your own surveyor to re-survey the area. Your neighbor’s surveyor may give you a copy of the survey, but, sometimes it pays to have this checked by your own surveyor.

Property boundaries are not like a math problem where 2+2 always equals 4. There is a certain amount of “professional opinion” and sometimes there’s a disagreement about the boundary location. If this is the case, ask your surveyor to speak to the neighbor’s surveyor to try to work things out first. If that fails, then go to the attorney.

In case your surveyor finds out that the driveway is indeed a part of your property and not your neighbor’s, you might need to take your case to court. You must also make sure that the surveyor you hire is willing and qualified to be an expert witness since he will be called into court to talk about the survey results. The surveyor should also be able to explain clearly why they placed the line where it was.

Got a problem with property encroachment in the Roanoke, Randolph County of Alabama, call Roanoke Land Surveying at (256) 854-9503 or click here to fill out our contact form.