Land Surveying Services in Fire Island Pines, NY

Whether you intend to purchase new land or plan to build onto your property, the importance of getting your Fire Island Pines’ home surveyed has never been greater. Understanding when a survey is beneficial and when a survey is required is the type of information Scalice is happy to provide.

The Surveying Services We Provide

Residential Land Surveying in Fire Island Pines, NY

There are a lot of ways having an up-to-date land survey can help you. From defining boundary lines to clarifying easements, you really never know when they’ll come in handy. But for people living in Fire Island Pines and the rest of Long Island, the most common reason they inquire about a land survey is for the add-on projects they want on their property.

Having an accurate land survey can help inform you of the approved size and depth of your planned inground pool is legal and if there are underground wires close by. An updated survey can help you decide how tall to make your gazebo or if the location of your proposed deck comes too close to a green utility box. In a nutshell, having a precise land survey in Fire Island Pines not only protects builders from harm, but it also protects you from making costly mistakes when it comes to adding new parts to your home and property.

Scalice Works with Title Companies

Land surveys are a vital component of the due diligence a title company does when looking at a property. Too often the seller of the property provides an old survey during the transaction process, which more times than not is outdated. The lack of an updated land survey can cause the buyer all sorts of headaches down the road as municipal laws are known to change over the course of a few years.

While obtaining a current land survey probably seems like one more thing to do added to a list of a hundred other things for title companies to do before closing, it is a critical document that will save you a lot of trouble later on. An updated land survey protects the lender and the property owner from boundary discrepancies, building projects encroaching onto a neighbor’s land or too close to the road, solving land disputes, and much more.

Why Choose Scalice For Your Fire Island Pines, NY Property Surveying Needs?

At Scalice, we pride ourselves on the quality of work and outstanding customer service we provide. We know how much our clients count on us to provide accurate results in a timely manner and stand by every service we deliver. Furthermore, we have the best land surveying team in the state, use only the latest technology, and will answer your call on the first or second ring.

Fire Island Pines Land Survey FAQs

Getting a land survey might be new for a lot of prospective land buyers. There are bound to be numerous questions about the process, costs, and whether it’s worth it. We hope to help you by answering as many frequently asked questions as possible about Fire Island Pines land surveys.

How Long Does It Take to Survey a Plot of Land in Fire Island Pines?

Surveying a plot of land in Fire Island Pines can take anywhere from roughly a week up to several weeks or more overall. This is because several factors must be considered. 

First, there is the surveyor’s schedule and how long it will take to research your property. Second, there is the time it takes to survey the property itself. Finally, you must account for the time it takes to get results.

  • Research: Surveyors need to review existing deeds, plats, and legal descriptions. If there are discrepancies, they must do more research and visit your property to confirm or update existing documents. It can also take extra time if they are unable to retrieve the information online and must go through the courts or County Assessor.
  • Survey: The survey itself likely won’t take more than a day. But the difference between a typical homebuyer’s report survey and a much larger area with a building can make the survey time last anywhere from 90 minutes to eight hours.
  • Results: A simple, unconflicted survey could produce results in three to five business days. A more complex survey, such as one including a building, could take about eight business days to obtain results. Your surveyor may call with a brief summary, or they may need to wait for the full result to go over with you in detail.

What Questions Should I Ask a Fire Island Pines Land Surveyor?

Whether you need a land survey for a new property as a buyer or you’re looking to make additions to your existing property and want a surveyor’s professional opinion, how do you know which surveyor to choose? Before hiring a Fire Island Pines land surveyor, you’ll want to ask them some questions to determine if they’re the right expert for the job.

  • Are you fully licensed in New York to do land surveys?
  • How long have you been doing land surveys in New York?
  • Do you have references and customer reviews?
  • What’s your crew’s experience and education level?
  • Do you have liability insurance?
  • Will the result of your work accurately reflect my property’s boundaries?
  • What is the estimated cost of the job?

How Does a Fire Island Pines Land Surveyor Help in Boundary Disputes?

Not all surveyors are of high quality. A land surveyor is supposed to research, measure, and report the facts about where a person’s property begins and ends. Unfortunately, disputes can occur if two surveyors offer different results.

In Fire Island Pines boundary disputes, a land surveyor can act as an expert witness. When property owners litigate disputes, surveyors can review boundary line descriptions and owners’ intentions to unearth as much evidence as necessary to present to the court to resolve the matter.

Why Do You Need a Land Survey in Fire Island Pines?

Determining property lines and locating a property’s features requires a land survey. Anyone buying or selling property, or anyone wanting to make additions or alterations to their property, will need one. 

While there are no legal expiration dates to land surveys, they’re typically good for five to 10 years in areas where not much construction has taken place. In more urban and suburban areas with lots of activity, the time frame might be shorter.

In short, most lenders want recent survey data done whenever properties change ownership. Recent surveys will help to define: 

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

How Can I Survey My Own Property in Fire Island Pines?

Think twice about trying to survey your own Fire Island Pines property. While it may seem like the more cost-effective move, you could get yourself into plenty of legal trouble. New York law only recognizes valid and signed survey maps done by licensed, registered surveyors. You could also land yourself in court with a neighbor’s boundary dispute if your calculations are off.

Saving money by deciding not to hire a professional is understandable. But it could end up costing you a lot more if you choose to forego hiring a licensed expert. Besides, doing your own property survey will require you to:

  • Acquire the deed, plat map, and other property documents
  • Read and understand the survey map, PLSS, metes and bounds, bearings, and legal description
  • Collect tools for the job, like a map, GPS, compass, levels, tripod, flag markers, and tape measure
  • Locate a known corner of your property using the survey map, Google Maps, or PLSS coordinates
  • Know how to conduct the survey

How Do You Determine Property Lines in Fire Island Pines?

The most direct way to determine your property lines in Fire Island Pines is to view the homeowner’s deed and read the legal description. You can take a tape measure and follow the lines with what’s printed on the map. 

To get the map, you can visit the Town of Brookhaven Assessor or search your property on the Suffolk County GIS. Instead, you could always hire a professional surveyor to obtain the map for you. A surveyor can confirm or update any existing records of your property lines.

Can You Claim Land After 7 Years in Fire Island Pines?

No, you cannot claim land after seven years of occupying it in Fire Island Pines. Squatting on someone else’s land in an attempt to claim ownership is tricky business and requires much more rigorous rules. 

Using land as a trespasser without the owner’s consent with the idea that you can become its eventual owner is known as adverse possession. But each state has its own requirements for the length of time it takes for a trespasser to become a property’s owner.

The state of New York requires an adverse possessor to be on the land for 10 consecutive years before they can claim ownership of the title. The statute also provides several other rules the trespasser must follow for the transfer of ownership to be legal and binding.

Can You Claim Land in Fire Island Pines if You Maintain It?

Maintaining land in Fire Island Pines for 10 consecutive years isn’t the only rule trespassers must follow for adverse possession of the land’s title to be legitimate. Their occupation of the land must be:

  • Continuous and unbroken for the statutory 10 years
  • Open and notorious with the owner’s knowledge
  • Hostile and incompatible with the owner’s claim
  • Actual and with intent to control the property
  • Exclusive and alone 

Because the burden of proof lies on the shoulders of the trespasser to establish an adverse possession claim, it might require working with a real estate lawyer to have legal representation. For each characteristic to be true, it must mean the legal owner failed to exercise their right to remove the trespasser during those 10 years. Ultimately, a judge will decide with a ruling. 

Do I Need a Permit to Put a Fence Around My Yard in Fire Island Pines?

For residential properties, you will not need a permit to put up a fence around your yard in Fire Island Pines. But according to zoning laws for the Town of Brookhaven, no fence may be erected higher than four feet from the ground. Exceptions include:

  • Where a residence has been erected: You can put up a six-foot fence in the rear yard and along the side lot lines.
  • On a corner lot: You can put up a six-foot fence in the rear yard and along the secondary front lot lines, so long as it doesn’t project into the front yard.
  • On a through lot: You can put up a six-foot fence in the rear yard and along the side lot lines and the secondary front lot line.

You will need a permit if you intend to put up a six-foot fence in secondary front yards on corner lots and through lots. There are other fencing regulations you need to pay attention to if you’re trying to build a fence on a non-residential lot or want to use a specific kind of material.

How Much Does a Survey Cost in Fire Island Pines?

According to HomeAdvisor’s updated 2022 national estimates, land surveys can vary between $338 and $670, with an average of $504. Other types of surveys have different average costs. For example:

  • Boundary surveys range from $100 to $600
  • Topographic surveys range from $500 to $1,200
  • ALTA surveys range from $2,000 to $3,000
  • Mortgage survey costs for buying a house are typically $500
  • Surveys for new construction range between $1,000 to $2,000
  • Surveys for fences range from $250 to $1,000

Naturally, survey costs will vary depending on several factors, which include:

  • Type of survey required
  • Lot type, shape, size, and age
  • Research and travel time
  • Geographic location
  • Terrain and accessibility
  • Time of year

Once your land surveyor has more information, they can review your project and calculate an estimate.