Types of Property Surveys: A DMV Homebuyer and Closing Guide

A property survey answers a different question than a title search. The title search examines recorded ownership, liens, easements, restrictions, and other documents. A survey examines the land itself: where the record boundary is, where improvements sit, and whether visible conditions conflict with the recorded picture.

That distinction matters before closing. A clean title search does not prove that a fence follows the property line, that a garage stays inside a setback, or that a driveway lies entirely on the parcel. The right property survey can reveal those issues while there is still time to investigate, negotiate, or obtain underwriting guidance.

This guide explains what a title survey is, how it differs from a boundary survey, and how survey terminology differs across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

What is a title survey

A title survey is a survey prepared so a title insurance company can decide what it will insure about the land's physical condition. It ties the records the title company found to what exists on the ground. It generally shows:

• The parcel boundary and corners.
• Buildings and improvements, and their distance from the lines.
• Recorded easements, rights of way, and setback lines from the title commitment, plotted on the land.
• Evidence of access to a street.
• Possible encroachments in either direction, and physical signs of unrecorded uses such as drives or utility lines.

How the title company uses it

Title insurance is mostly about the public records. A fence off the line or a shed over an easement is not in those records, so policies commonly carry an exception for matters a survey would show. First American's homebuyer guide notes that many such exceptions can be removed under the right conditions, for example when the title company receives a survey. Old Republic's endorsement guide calls this the difference between "record" and "off record" coverage.

With an acceptable, current survey, the underwriter may remove the general survey exception, or replace it with specific exceptions for the problems the survey shows, such as a fence over the line. Without one, the exception usually stays. What counts as acceptable is the underwriter's call: Stewart Title's published guidance, for example, does not require a survey for extended survey coverage on loan policies for completed one-to-four family homes, while other underwriters and policy types may require more. Ask your settlement agent early what is needed for the owner's policy.

Title surveys and the ALTA/NSPS standard

The formal title survey is the ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey, built on national standards from the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors. Their stated purpose is to give title insurers what they need to insure title free of survey matters, other than those the survey discloses. The current edition took effect February 23, 2026, replacing the 2021 standards (see section 3).

In residential closings here, "title survey" is often used loosely for a smaller product: a Maryland location drawing or a Virginia house location survey. Lenders and title companies frequently accept that for a house closing, but it is neither an ALTA/NSPS survey nor a boundary survey.

Title survey vs boundary survey

The two overlap, and a full ALTA/NSPS survey includes boundary work. The difference is who the survey serves and what question it answers.

"Can the title company insure over this?" is a title-survey question. "Where can I put the fence?" needs a boundary survey. A location drawing answers neither fully.

Property survey types at a glance

The labels are not interchangeable. Before ordering, describe the decision you need to make, not only the document name you think you need.

1. Location drawing or physical-improvements survey

This is the limited residential product buyers most often confuse with a boundary survey.

Maryland calls it a location drawing, and the state's surveying regulations are blunt about it. A location drawing locates buildings and other visible improvements. It is not a boundary survey and cannot be relied on to show where the boundaries are. Its only purpose is to give a lender or insurer some assurance that the improvements are on the property.

Maryland also requires a signed consumer approval form: the buyer either approves a location drawing or requests a boundary survey that marks the corners. The form says a boundary survey costs more, and that absent a problem the location drawing is all lenders and title companies require for settlement. The drawing itself must warn against using it to place fences, garages, or other improvements. See the Maryland Minimum Standards of Practice for Land Surveyors (COMAR 09.13.06.06).

Virginia uses terms such as building location survey, house location survey, or physical survey. Under 18VAC10-20-380, the plat shows buildings, fences near the lines, and other improvements, and anything crossing a property line must be identified and dimensioned. Boundary bearings and distances may come from the record unless a new boundary survey is done. If the plat does not include set corners, it must say "no corner markers set." If the surveyor finds large enough discrepancies, the surveyor must tell the client a boundary survey is warranted.

A location-type product can flag an apparent encroachment, setback concern, or mismatch that deserves more work. It should not be used to decide exactly where to install a fence or claim a strip of land.

2. Boundary survey

A boundary survey, sometimes called a property line survey, is the right starting point when the actual lines or corners matter. The surveyor researches record descriptions and adjoining parcels, evaluates field evidence, retraces or establishes the boundary, and documents the result.

Common reasons to request one include:

• You plan to install a fence, addition, pool, garage, or other improvement near a property line.
• A neighbor's fence, shed, retaining wall, or driveway may cross the line.
• The deed description, tax map, subdivision plat, and physical occupation do not appear to agree.
• Corners or monuments cannot be found.
• Acreage, access, or the shape of the parcel is important to the purchase decision.
• The title commitment lists survey exceptions that require field information to evaluate.

Virginia's boundary-survey standards require the surveyor to compare evidence from all known sources, including the field, and to note inconsistencies with adjoining parcels. Corners must be monumented with permanent markers. The same rule states it does not require the surveyor to research title or encumbrances. See 18VAC10-20-370.

That is why the title examiner and surveyor do complementary work. One interprets the public-record chain and exceptions; the other evaluates boundary evidence and physical conditions.

3. ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey

An ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey is most common in commercial transactions, development deals, and lender-driven due diligence.

The 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards took effect February 23, 2026, superseding the 2021 edition. A complete survey includes the fieldwork, a plat or map relating the results to the title documents, any requested Table A items, and the surveyor's certification. The plat must show, among other things, plottable easements, evidence of access, buildings, and potential encroachments. Where a state's standards are stricter, the stricter one applies.

Optional Table A items are not automatic. Depending on the deal, the parties may request items such as flood zone classification, zoning setback information, building dimensions, or evidence of recent earthwork. The request must name the 2026 standards and list the Table A items wanted, so coordinate the order early among the buyer, lender, title company, attorney, and surveyor.

4. Topographic survey

A topographic survey maps elevations, contours, slopes, drainage features, and other surface conditions. Engineers and designers use it for grading, stormwater, site planning, additions, and development.

It answers questions such as:

• How does water move across the site?
• Where are the major elevation changes?
• What existing features affect a proposed design?
• Does the project need additional grading or drainage analysis?

A topographic survey does not establish the boundary unless boundary work is expressly in the scope. Virginia keeps separate standards for topographic surveys under 18VAC10-20-382, a reminder that "topographic" and "boundary" describe different professional work.

5. Subdivision plat, record plat, and DC building plat

A recorded subdivision plat documents how a larger tract was divided into lots, streets, easements, and other areas. It is an important record source, but it is not a current field survey of a specific improved property.

In Washington DC, record plats and building plats come from the Office of the Surveyor, covered in the next section.

Boundary surveys and plats in Washington, DC

The DC Office of the Surveyor, part of the DC Department of Buildings, maintains the District's legal records of land plats and subdivisions. According to its FAQs and services page:

• A record lot is a lot recorded on a subdivision plat in the Office of the Surveyor.
• A tax lot is created by the Office of Tax and Revenue for billing and does not change a record lot.
• A building plat is a scaled drawing of a lot showing lot lines and record dimensions, certified by the DC Surveyor. It is required with a building permit application for exterior work such as an addition or a deck, with existing and proposed improvements drawn on it.
• A wall check is a survey locating new construction on the lot. A building inspector may require one during construction to confirm setbacks, lot coverage, and no encroachments.
• SurDocs is the office's online search tool for its digital survey records and plats.

Two limits matter for buyers. The office does not do field surveys, so for a boundary survey in Washington DC you hire a licensed survey company. And it does not record or keep private surveys such as location drawings or ALTA surveys, so a prior owner's survey may not be available from the District.

When this guide was checked in September 2026, the office listed building plat fees of $60.50 for standard service (emailed within 3 to 5 business days) and $88.00 for expedited service (emailed by 2 p.m. the next business day). Confirm current fees on the DOB site before ordering.

A building plat shows record dimensions, not measured field conditions. Do not treat it as proof that an existing fence, wall, or addition matches the boundary.

6. Construction layout, wall check, and as-built survey

Construction-related surveys occur at different stages:

• Layout or stakeout transfers design positions to the ground before construction.
• Foundation or wall checks document the position of work after a critical stage, so problems are caught before the project advances. In DC, failing to meet wall check requirements can lead the Department of Buildings to stop work.
• As-built surveys document completed conditions for permitting, lender, owner, or design records.

For a new home or addition, these products can keep a small placement error from becoming a setback or encroachment problem. Ask the builder, lender, title company, and local permitting authority which deliverable is required and at what construction milestone.

What a survey can reveal before closing

The survey's value is the decision it makes possible. Common findings include:

• A fence or retaining wall that does not follow the record boundary.
• A driveway, walkway, shed, deck, or garage crossing a property line.
• A structure extending into a utility easement or building-restriction area.
• No apparent legal or physical access to part of the property.
• Improvements that do not match the record description or prior plat.
• Occupation lines that suggest a possible boundary or possession question.
• Recorded easements whose field location affects the buyer's intended use.
• Missing, disturbed, or conflicting corner monuments.

Not every discrepancy prevents closing. The right response may be clarification, a revised survey, a recorded easement, a boundary-line agreement, corrective documents, an endorsement decision, a holdback, or a change to the contract. The facts, jurisdiction, lender requirements, and title underwriter all matter.

Choosing which property survey to order

Use this decision sequence:

1. Identify the planned use. A buyer who only needs lender and title screening has a different need than an owner planning a fence or addition.
2. Ask the lender and your settlement agent what they require. Do not assume the product one lender or underwriter accepts will satisfy another.
3. Share the title commitment and relevant exception documents. The surveyor needs the correct record material to show applicable easements and other matters.
4. Tell the surveyor about known concerns. Point out disputed fences, shared driveways, additions, access questions, or missing corners.
5. Confirm what will be marked and delivered. Ask whether corners will be set, which improvements will be located, and what format the plat will come in.
6. Order early. If the survey uncovers a problem, the parties need time to investigate before financing and settlement deadlines.

For commercial property, development, acreage, or a complex easement picture, coordinate the order with the title company and lender before fieldwork begins. A narrow residential product cannot simply be "upgraded" later without more research or site work.

Property survey versus title insurance

A survey and an owner's title insurance policy solve different problems. The survey supplies evidence about boundaries and visible improvements. The title commitment and policy cover title risks subject to their terms, exclusions, exceptions, and endorsements.

A current survey may let the underwriter remove or narrow the survey exception, as described above, but the result depends on the policy, the underwriter, the jurisdiction, and the facts. Never assume a survey automatically creates coverage, or that title insurance removes the need to investigate a physical discrepancy.

If you are buying, refinancing, developing, or improving property in DC, Maryland, or Virginia, contact Will before ordering. Will can help you sort out the title and closing questions, and when you're ready to close, Will and the Pruitt Title team handle your title and settlement.