Property posts act as survey evidence and are essential to accurately determine property boundaries, clearly marking where properties begin and end. As a landowner, you should know where your property posts are to ensure you meet municipal requirements, don’t build on neighbouring property, and ensure your neighbours don’t build on yours. But how do you locate your property posts?
What is Survey Evidence?
As survey evidence, property posts are essentially proof that the land has been surveyed by a professional Alberta land surveyor. The surveyor, in turn, inserts three foot long metal posts at the corners and intersections of the property lines. The location along with measurements to adjacent posts are shown on survey plans which get registered at Land Titles, and ensure that all property boundaries are precisely marked. Property posts are also vital to people like contractors and property owners, who need to know exactly where property boundaries are.
Why Would You Need to Locate Property Pins?
There are several reasons you, as a homeowner, would need to locate your property posts. At the very least, you’ll need to find your property posts when building a boundary fence or adding structures to your property to ensure you’re not encroaching onto neighboring properties. Contractors would also need to know where your property posts are for the same reason and to ensure they don’t accidentally build over or disturb any property posts. If necessary, a contractor can also work with a land surveyor to replace any posts that need to be removed or built over.
How Land Surveyors Locate Your Property Pins
The most common way for Alberta land surveyors to locate your property posts is by reviewing the registered subdivision plans and physically searching for the posts using measurements and distances shown on the survey plans. Many property posts are countersunk or buried, so land surveyors will use a shovel and a magnetic metal detector to locate the property posts.
If the property posts are lost or missing, the process may require a bit more work. Sometimes contractors not paying attention might place fences above property posts, which could move or disturb the posts. Other construction work such as earthworks, grading, road and utility construction are common reasons why property posts may get moved or destroyed.
In these cases, the original survey post may be difficult or impossible to restore, but land surveyors can use the best available evidence to find traces of the original location or use measurements from adjacent posts to re-establish the property post location.
Arc Surveys
Specializing in commercial, residential, and construction land surveys in Calgary and the surrounding areas, Arc Surveys is here to help. We’re committed to our client’s success and take pride in the personal services we offer. If you need to find your property pins for an upcoming development or any other of our survey services, feel free to reach out to us at 403-277-1272 or contact us online for a free quote.
