Average Land Survey Cost: $1,000 to $2,500
On average, the cost of a land survey in Canada typically falls between $1,000 and $2,500 for a standard residential property.
The use of land surveys is necessary in property ownership, construction, sale and purchase of property, and legal matters. A professional land survey, whether you are buying land, erecting a fence, building a house, or solving a boundary dispute, provides you with precision, legal certainty, and comfort. Does it cost a lot to have a land survey in Canada?
In this cost guide, we will simplify the cost of land surveys. We shall discuss the various kinds of surveys, the cost drivers and some unusual areas which influence the price. When seeking to employ the services of a land surveyor, this guide will give you some clues to know the cost and budget accordingly.
The land survey for homes typically found in urban or suburban areas costs from $1,000 to $2,500 and has a rather simple shape and easy accessibility. However, for more challenging properties such as those located in remote areas, with dense vegetation, hilly terrain, or unusually shaped boundaries, the cost can rise significantly, sometimes reaching $5,000 or more.
The difference in the prices is explained by numerous fluctuations in surveying a piece of land. Each site is unique, and surveyors need to consider the physical, legal, and logistical difficulties that are specific to a particular project. That is why the property owners should know what motivates these costs.
Numerous key considerations are involved where the final budget of a land survey in Canada. The most typical cost drivers are as follows:
Property Size
The overall property size is one of the most simplistic factors affecting the cost of a survey. Bigger lots take a longer period of measuring and mapping.
The bigger the land area, the more field work, documentation, and analysis are required, and that increases the cost.
Terrain and Shape of Property
A property with a certain shape and physical features significantly contributes to difficulties in the survey. A flat and rectangulated lot is easy to quantify compared to one that has curves, slopes, or sharp edges.
Briefly, the more challenges or irregular geometry your personally owned land includes, the survey price increases.
Access and Location
There is much more to the property location than people tend to think. Surveyors in big cities or in well-developed suburbs can charge at a lower rate because they have easy access, but others who would travel to remote or rural areas may charge some extra money.
Type of Survey Required
Price also depends on the particular kind of land survey that you require. There are those which are easy and rapid, and there are also others which are long and complicated.
Every survey of land has a particular purpose. A customized survey is made to suit any client who needs to construct a fence, subdivide a plot of land, or obtain approval for a mortgage. Each of the major types has something to know about it as follows:
A survey can also determine the legal definition or legal plot of a property through a boundary survey. It is also usually applied before the construction of a fence or solving a conflict with neighbours, or the construction of anything close to the boundary of the land. It is one of the most common demands of the surveys in residential quarters.
The boundary surveys can incorporate staking that involves marking the corners of the property and the provision of detailed drawings indicating property lines and other properties.
Topographic survey not only crosses boundaries but it also gives the height, the slope, the flora, and the manmade structures, including the buildings, the fence, the driveway and the drainage system. This kind of survey plays an important role in construction, landscape grading, and planning.
Prices are different and depend on the level of detail and features of the landscape. Architectural or engineering plans can usually be based on these surveys.
When you have a bigger area that you want to clear, two or more plots, you will require a subdivision survey. This is a more intricate process and it has several stages to it, including mapping, design, public hearings and local planning approvals.
Such surveys mean extensive planning and record keeping, particularly within densely populated or regulated places.
A construction or site plan survey is a survey to depict how the land is presently occupied or the land and current buildings, and planned new buildings. Before preparing renovations, additions, or building a new home, builders and architects may need such a survey.
It contains the detailed measurement of setback lines, utilities, easement, and any structures and improvements, and this is the reason this is a must in permitting and zoning compliance.
There are lenders and local governments that will demand a mortgage survey or Real Property Report (RPR) before a sale or mortgage closing. These documents verify the size of the property, the location of structures in the property and whether the area is as per the local by-laws.
They are cheaper and more often faster than full boundary surveys, but they cannot always be used where construction or legal disputes are necessary.
Agricultural lands and farm properties involve plenty of surveying because of their large size and usage demands. Surveyors have to subdivide field boundaries, areas of irrigation, barns, and silos. These surveys can cost $3,000 to $6,000 for average-sized farms and much more for large commercial operations.
When the land involved is either under logging operations, mineral exploration or extraction rights, then a specialized resource survey will be necessary. They are elaborate and time-consuming, even to include an environmental and geological evaluation. The cost can range from $4,000 to $10,000, depending on the property and purpose.
Did your property get surveyed a couple of years ago, yet there have been modifications done (while constructing new buildings or boundary changes)? This could require a second survey or an updated one. An update to an existing survey may cost $500 to $1,200, assuming the original records are still available and usable.
Historical Record Retrieval
Provided neither older survey records are available nor are they easily accessible through local authorities, the surveyor may be required to waste time by retrieving the deeds and old plans. This could add $300 to $700 to the total cost.
Legal Disputes and Court Appearances
When a boundary dispute ends up as a court battle, your land surveyor might be called on to give expert testimony or written affidavits. This service typically adds $150 to $300 per hour.
Encroachments and Obstructions
Surveys that entail encroachments by neighbouring buildings or obstructive fences can be longer and more expensive. Surveyors should give special attention to the accurate documentation of these. Expect to pay an additional $200 to $500 in such cases.
GPS and Drone Survey Tech
A newer trend of surveys includes the use of gains in accuracy and quickness due to newer technologies in GPS and drone-based survey equipment by some surveyors. While this technology can reduce time, it may involve equipment rental fees or technician charges, typically adding $300 to $800 to your invoice.
Permits and Municipal Requirements
In Canada, some municipalities will make it mandatory to be subject to the planning departments on your land survey before construction or division of land. You might need permits for these activities, with application fees ranging from $100 to $800, depending on your province and city.
Title Insurance Land Survey
Some buyers contemplate foregoing a land inspection and buying title insurance. Title insurance is an insurance policy to cover the risks of possible boundary problems, but it will not stop boundary disputes, nor will it provide the real boundary positions. A land survey gives physical facts and clarity, which is fundamental in the improvement or development of property. In many cases, when it comes to a long-term investment, it will be safer to choose a survey.
The lawns in urban places are much easier as surveyors have access to stuff in the land and to the papers as far as surveying the property is concerned. However, travel time, congestion, and higher professional fees in cities like Toronto or Vancouver can keep the average cost around $1,500 to $2,500.
Surveys in rural areas may entail fewer documented parcels and greater distances travelled. Surveying a remote property may cost $2,000 to $4,000 or more, depending on accessibility and terrain.
An appropriate method of getting the right results is by selecting a licensed and experienced land surveyor in order to prevent any controversy in the future. This is what to keep in mind:
It is important to select a proper surveyor since the outcome will affect the expenses, as well as the quality and reliability of the results.
In case you want to manage or cut down on expenditure, then these are some of the practical recommendations:
Costs of land survey vary greatly in Canada due to reasons of property size, location, purpose, and scope of survey to be conducted. While a basic boundary survey may cost around $1,000, more complex jobs like topographic mapping or subdivision planning can run into several thousand dollars. A professional survey might cost you a lot of money, but can save you on boundary conflicts, problems with the law and construction delays. Provision of a land survey is a wise move to secure your property and guarantee peace of mind concerning a business in the real estate sector.
Costs of various services and materials in this cost guide should be taken as estimates. These depend on location, preference and demands in the market.
