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For property owners, buyers and agents

Property and land surveys in Texas

What each kind of survey is for, what sets its price, and how to get a quote from a licensed surveyor in Dallas–Fort Worth.

Find a surveyorSurvey types

Survey types

Which survey do you need?

  • Boundary survey

    Finds and marks the property corners and lines from the deed and the recorded plat, and shows fences, buildings and encroachments.

    When: Before building a fence, pool or addition, or when neighbours disagree about a line.

  • Mortgage or closing survey (Category 1A)

    The survey title companies and lenders in Texas usually ask for at closing: the lot, improvements, easements and the items in the title commitment.

    When: When you buy a house or refinance and no usable survey exists.

  • ALTA/NSPS land title survey

    The national standard for commercial property, with the optional Table A items the lender or buyer chooses.

    When: Buying, selling or financing commercial land and buildings.

  • Topographic survey

    Ground elevations, contours, trees, utilities and structures, used by architects, engineers and builders.

    When: Before designing a house, a driveway, drainage or a site plan.

  • FEMA elevation certificate

    The building’s elevation compared with the flood level FEMA sets for the property’s flood zone.

    When: Flood insurance, a property in or near a flood zone, or a map change request.

  • Plat and replat

    Divides land into lots or combines them, prepared for the city or county to approve and record.

    When: Splitting acreage, combining lots or creating a subdivision.

  • Construction staking

    Marks where the building, slab or utilities go, from the approved plans.

    When: Before forms are set or excavation starts.

  • Acreage and rural tract survey

    Larger or rural tracts measured from the deed calls, often with a new field-note description.

    When: Buying or selling land, a new legal description, or splitting off a tract.

Cost

What sets the price of a survey

  • The size and shape of the parcel, and how many corners and lines must be found.
  • The kind of survey and any extras the title company or lender asks for.
  • Trees, terrain, fences and access on the ground.
  • Whether the deed and plat describe the land clearly, or research is needed.
  • The flood zone, and whether an elevation certificate is needed.
  • How soon you need it: many firms offer a rush at an extra price.

See a price for your address

Surveying firms on CadVu price from the county appraisal records: type the address on the firm’s website and the parcel, acreage, legal description and flood zone are found for you. Simple lots get a price at once; larger or unusual ones get a range and the surveyor confirms it.

Choose a firm and get a quote

Where

Land surveys by county

The counties whose property records the quotes read today.

Questions

Land survey questions

How much does a property survey cost in Texas?
It depends on the parcel, the kind of survey and the firm. On a firm’s website on the platform you type the address and the price is worked out from the county appraisal records (size, shape, flood zone and property type) and the firm’s own price list, in seconds.
Who can do a land survey in Texas?
Only a Registered Professional Land Surveyor (RPLS) licensed by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS) can sign and seal a survey.
Do I need a new survey to close on a house?
The title company and the lender decide. If a recent survey exists and nothing changed, a T-47 residential real property affidavit may let you reuse it; otherwise a new Category 1A survey is ordered.
What is the difference between a boundary survey and a mortgage survey?
A boundary survey finds and marks the corners and lines. A mortgage (Category 1A) survey shows the lot, the improvements and the easements and title items the closing needs.
What do I need to order a survey?
The property address. A deed, plat or title commitment helps: on a firm’s website you can upload them and they are read into the quote.
How long does a survey take?
It depends on the firm’s schedule, the weather and the property. Ask the firm when you book; a rush is often available.

CadVu is software for surveying firms and does not perform surveys. Each firm is the surveyor of record for its own work and sets its own prices.