Islip Land Surveyor

Two fieldwork land surveyors working together to produce a land survey.

What is a land surveyor? According to Study.com, a land survey is the scientific process of measuring the Earth’s surface. Land surveyors develop property outlines that include essential dimensions, like angles, elevations, and artificial structures.

Not all land surveys are the same, but that’s where Scalice Land Surveying comes in. We are a full-service land surveyor who provides all types of surveys to Islip property owners. Call us at (631) 957-2400 or enter your contact information into our online form to get started.

When Do I Need a Land Survey?

Do I need to find a land surveyor near me if I’m buying a house, selling my home, or obtaining building permits? Yes, a Long Island land surveyor can absolutely help with all of that. Our Islip land surveying services include:

Here’s the bottom line: don’t hesitate to call a property surveying team. A professional land surveyor can assist residential and commercial property owners in many ways. From flood insurance to building permits, there is a wide range of services land surveyors supply.

Unsure of Property Lines? Hire a Land Surveyor

New home buyers and current homeowners need to know where their property lines are. If you don’t, you increase your risk of zoning conflicts and legal disputes.

New home buyers also must submit detailed property line maps to mortgage lenders and title insurance providers. Current homeowners must know where their property ends when expanding upon existing structures. If not, new additions might cross into a neighbor’s property.

Professionals use land survey equipment to define where one yard ends and another begins. They create detailed maps that homeowners can keep on file and use in the event of a dispute.

Buying or Selling a Home? Partner with Land Surveyors

New home buyers need property surveys in order to sign off on a mortgage loan. Mortgage lenders often require land title surveys to ensure the property is worth the amount of money the buyer is requesting.

Land surveyors research the property, location, deed, and any other relevant details. They also perform a title search to ensure there are no discrepancies regarding who owns the property.

Field surveyors visit the property to sketch the plot, its boundaries, and any additional elements. The final draft includes the property’s description, address, and easements. The survey informs potential buyers of any stipulations they should be aware of before signing off on the purchase.

Making External Home Adjustments? Schedule a Residential Land Survey First

Land surveyors perform site plans for building, landscaping, planning, and site design. If you are adding new structures, such as a pool, driveway, or shed, to your property, you need to get a topographic survey first.

Site plans represent how the land currently looks as well as what it will look like when construction is complete. Professionals identify potential problem areas during the surveying process, which a construction team can address before moving forward on a project.

Site plans make expanding your estate a smooth process. By evaluating the land, a surveyor can spot potential problems and reduce your risk of unforeseen costs when construction begins.

Refinancing Your Mortgage? Call Your Local Land Surveyors

Before refinancing a commercial property mortgage, schedule a land title survey. The American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) administer these types of surveys.

Title companies and mortgage lenders require surveys to reduce risk. They want to avoid issues like encroachment, easements, and boundary line disputes with neighboring landowners. A title land survey acts like insurance by protecting mortgage lenders.
ALTA/NSPS land title surveys are a vital component of a title company’s due diligence. Unfortunately, property sellers often provide prospective buyers with outdated surveys. The old documents can lead to numerous problems for the buyer down the road. Therefore, it’s best to hire a land surveyor before finalizing a transaction.

What Type of Survey Do I Need?

If this isn’t your first building permit request, you may be familiar with the various types of surveys. But if you are new to the land survey scene, deciphering between title surveys and topography surveys might be overwhelming.

That’s where Scalice Land Surveying in Islip comes in.

We understand not every property owner is a survey master, and that’s okay. Our sales team will listen to your needs, explain our surveying services, and determine the best path forward. We are in the business of supporting property owners and are happy to answer any questions.

The Scalice Property Surveyor Process

First things first, contact Scalice Land Surveying in Islip via phone or online contact form. A member of our team will get in touch to learn the specifics of your project.

Once you’re on board, our research team takes over to collect all necessary data. Our field crew gets to work gathering the precise measurements to map out your project. All data is sent to our in-house surveying experts who develop an official land survey.

Quality control members review all completed surveys. Once we are sure your survey is 100% accurate, we send it to you via email. Customers immediately receive full access to the document and can use the information as needed.

Residential Land Surveying in the Town of Islip

There are countless ways that an updated land survey can help you. From defining boundary lines to clarifying easements, you never know when the documents will come in handy. But for people living in the Islip and the rest of Long Island, the most common reason for a land survey is adding construction to their property.

An accurate land survey can inform you of the approved size and depth of your planned structures. For example, it can help you determine how tall to make a gazebo or ensure your inground pool complies with municipality codes. 

Having a land survey does not only protect your construction workers from harm but also protects you from making costly mistakes when it comes to adding new components to your home and property. 

Islip Land Surveyors, At Your Service

Scalice Land Surveying is your local Islip land surveyor team that can provide a full range of surveying options. Our process is simple, our customer service is top-notch, and our work is high-quality. Land surveying can be a headache, but not when you work with Scalice.

Call us now at (631) 957-2400 or enter your information into our online contact form. The sooner we hear from you, the faster we can process your land survey request, and you can continue with your project.

Town of Islip Land Survey FAQs

Buying or selling land? Want to make additions to your property? Involved in a boundary dispute? You may need a land survey for any of these reasons. Let us answer a few frequently asked questions about getting a land survey in the Town of Islip.

How Does an Islip Land Surveyor Help in Boundary Disputes?

When your neighbor takes you to court over a boundary dispute in the Town of Islip, a third-party land survey can be called in as an expert witness to help settle the matter. No two surveyors and survey map results are the same, which is often how disputes end up happening.

The job of a highly qualified, experienced surveyor called in to settle a boundary dispute is to conduct deep research, measure the land, and report the facts to the court. They’ll uncover as much evidence as possible, going as far back as the original boundary line descriptions, and even investigate owners’ intentions.

What Questions Should I Ask an Islip Land Surveyor?

To avoid potential boundary disputes, ensure you’re legally able to make additions or remove structures on your property, or complete the sale or purchase of land, you’ll want to know that the surveyor you hire is qualified and experienced to do the job. Before settling on the first surveyor you find, ask these questions to get a better idea of their credentials:

  • Are you fully licensed by New York to conduct land surveys?
  • Do you have references and customer reviews I can see?
  • Will you be able to provide a close estimate of the survey cost?
  • Will your survey results accurately reflect my property’s boundaries?
  • How long have you been doing land surveys in New York?
  • What’s your crew’s experience and education level?
  • Do you carry liability insurance in case something goes wrong?

How Much Does a Survey Cost in Islip?

According to recent 2022 data from HomeAdvisor, national averages of land survey costs range from $338 and $670 with an average of $504. 

Most often, the cost of a survey in Islip will depend on the survey type you want. You could be looking at spending $100 to $600 for a boundary survey, $500 to $1,200 for a topographic survey, or between $2,000 to $3,000 for a more in-depth ALTA survey.

Other factors that can influence the cost of your survey include:

  • Your lot’s size, type, age, and shape
  • Your lot’s geographic location
  • Your lot’s terrain and accessibility
  • The time of year
  • The time involved for research and travel

The best way to determine how much your survey will cost is to get a consultation with a professional surveyor. They will visit your property and calculate an estimate based on your needs.

How Can I Survey My Own Property in Islip?

If you’re curious about how the process works and want to learn how to survey your own property in Islip, you’ll need to:

  • Acquire property documents, including the deed and plat map
  • Read and understand the legal description, survey map, PLSS coordinates, metes and bounds, bearings, and other relevant terms
  • Collect tools for the job, which can include a compass, map, GPS, levels, tripod, theodolite, flag markers, tape measure, and likely several other devices
  • Locate a known corner of your property using the survey map, PLSS coordinates, or even Google Maps
  • Know how to conduct the survey starting from your known corner

Note: Keep in mind that attempting to conduct a property survey on your own to save money might end up costing you much more in the end. Being off by a slight miscalculation can result in a boundary dispute with a neighbor, which could lead to settling the matter in court.

Furthermore, you could have much more serious legal trouble if you attempt to pass your survey map off for official records. By law, the state of New York only recognizes valid surveys completed and signed by licensed, registered surveyors. 

How Do You Determine Property Lines in Islip?

There are generally four ways to determine property lines in the Town of Islip:

  1. Visit the Town of Islip Assessor’s Office and request the necessary documents if you don’t have them already.
  2. Search your property’s address on the Suffolk County GIS map.
  3. View your existing homeowner’s deed, read the legal description, and follow along the described property lines with a tape measure.
  4. Hire an experienced land surveyor to conduct a new survey and reevaluate the property, which can also be used to confirm or update existing records.

Can You Claim Land After 7 Years in Islip?

No, you cannot claim land in the Town of Islip after seven years of occupying it. While the doctrine of adverse possession is legitimate, misconceptions likely dating back to old English common law have misled people to believe the legality of this time frame.

Each state has its own span of time before a squatter can obtain a land’s title. Some time frames are as short as five years, while others can be up to 30 years. Under New York law, a trespasser can only make an adverse possession claim after occupying land for 10 years.

Furthermore, a trespasser must prove several other factors are true before a judge can hand over land ownership under the adverse possession laws in New York.

Can You Claim Land in Islip if You Maintain It?

Claiming land in Islip by maintaining it won’t cut it. There are much more rigorous factors that must be true before a judge can turn over land ownership to a trespasser. 

The statute of limitations for adverse possession claims in New York is 10 years. That means the trespasser must be using the land for 10 consecutive years and that the rightful owner failed to exercise their right to remove them within that time period.

N.Y. Real Prop. Acts. Law § 501 also provides more insight into the burden of proof the trespasser must show before they can legally obtain land ownership. Their occupation of the land must be:

  • Continuous – It cannot be broken or intermittent during the statutory 10 years
  • Hostile – Incompatible with the owner’s claim and intentions
  • Open and notorious – Publicly acting as owner with or without the owner’s knowledge
  • Actual – Exercising control over the property
  • Exclusive – Acting alone as trespasser
  • Under claim of right – The trespasser reasonably believes the property belongs to them

Do I Need a Permit to Put a Fence Around My Yard in Islip?

You do not need a permit to put a fence around your yard in the Town of Islip, provided that it complies with town regulations. You can view more information by referring to the Zoning Code of the Town of Islip § 68-406.

In general, fences for front yards:

  • Cannot be higher than four feet when placed on or less than 15 feet from the property line
  • Cannot be higher than three feet when located on a corner or adjacent to a driveway
  • Cannot be higher than eight feet when set back 15 feet or more from the property line 
  • That are over six feet high must be chain-link or otherwise does not restrict light or visibility through more than 15% of its surface

In general, fences for rear and side yards:

  • Cannot be higher than six feet if erected for privacy
  • Cannot be higher than eight feet if it’s chain-link or doesn’t restrict light or visibility through more than 15% of its surface

How Long Does It Take to Survey a Plot of Land in Islip?

How long it takes to survey a plot of land in Islip depends on several factors. A simple survey for a homebuyer’s report or a small plot of land could take about a week overall, while more in-depth surveys and building reports could take up to several weeks.

Determining the length of time it takes to complete a survey requires:

  • Researching the existing legal description, deed, and plat map. Discrepancies will require further research, which could take more time. Having to obtain all this information through the assessor might even take a few days.
  • Conducting the survey itself, which could take as few as 90 minutes for a typical homebuyer’s report or up to eight hours for a full building report or land with plenty of acreage.
  • Waiting for results. If the survey was simple enough and there are no conflicts, you could receive the results within three to five business days. Your surveyor might also briefly summarize the results over the phone. More extensive surveys could take longer. If you require detailed results for your intentions, expect to wait about eight business days.

Depending on the type of survey you need and your intentions, your surveyor can estimate the time frame from beginning to end for how long it will take to complete.

Why Do You Need a Land Survey in Islip?

You will need a land survey in the Town of Islip if you intend to buy or sell property. Mortgage lenders will have one done, but they’ll request you get an independent one to confirm their findings.

You’ll also need a land survey if you intend to erect or remove structures, such as fencing or walls, or make additions to a building on the property. Also, any time there is a boundary dispute with a neighbor, a survey must be done to help settle the matter.

A land survey on your property will help to define:

  • Boundary lines
  • Zoning classification
  • Water/gas/electricity
  • Surface water (wells, ponds, creeks, etc.)
  • Ingress/egress
  • Existing improvements
  • Rights-of-way
  • Encroachments
  • Easements
  • Joint driveways
  • Party walls