Virginia Law

A. The following minimum standards and procedures are to be used for surveys determining the location of physical improvements on any parcel of land or lot containing less than two acres or equivalent (e.g., "building location survey," "house location surveys," "physical surveys," ) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The application of the professional's seal, signature, and date as required by this chapter will be evidence that the survey determining the location of physical improvements is correct to the best of the professional's knowledge, information, and belief and complies with the minimum standards and procedures set forth in this chapter.

B. The professional must determine the position of the lot or parcel of land in accordance with the intent of the original survey and must set or verify permanent monumentation at each corner of the property, consistent with the monumentation provisions of subdivision E 1 of 18VAC10-20-370. All such monumentation other than natural monumentation must, when physically feasible, be identified by temporary witness markers.

When the professional finds discrepancies of sufficient magnitude to warrant, in the professional's opinion, the performance of a land boundary survey (pursuant to the provisions of 18VAC10-20-370), the professional must inform the client or the client's agent that such land boundary survey is deemed warranted as a requisite to completion of the physical improvements survey.

The location of the following must be determined in the field:

1. Fences in near proximity to the land boundary lines and other fences that may reflect lines of occupancy or possession.

2. Other physical improvements on the property and all man-made or installed structures, including buildings, stoops, porches, chimneys, visible evidence of underground features (e.g., manholes, catch basins, telephone pedestals, power transformers), utility lines, and poles.

3. Cemeteries, if known, disclosed, or discovered in the process of performing the survey; roads or traveled ways crossing the property that serve other properties; and streams, creeks, and other defined drainage ways.

4. Other visible evidence of physical improvements on the property.

C. The plat reflecting the work product must be drawn to scale and must show the following, unless requested otherwise by the client and so noted on the plat:

1. The bearings and distances for the boundaries and the area of the lot or parcel of land must be shown in accordance with record data, unless a current, new land boundary survey has been performed in conjunction with the physical improvements survey. If needed to produce a closed polygon, the meander lines necessary to verify locations of streams, tidelands, lakes, and swamps must be shown. All bearings must be shown in a clockwise direction, unless otherwise indicated.

2. North arrow and source of meridian used for the survey.

3. Fences in the near proximity to the land boundary lines and other fences that may reflect lines of occupancy or possession.

4. Improvements and other pertinent features on the property as located in the field pursuant to subsection B of this section.

5. All physical improvements, including fences, across a property line must be identified and dimensioned with respect to the property line.

6. The closest dimension (to the nearest 0.1 foot or equivalent) from the front property line, side property line, and if pertinent, rear property line to the principal walls of each building. Also, all principal building dimensions (to the nearest 0.1 foot or equivalent).

7. Building street address numbers, as displayed on the premises, or so noted if no numbers are displayed. In absence of physical numbers, an address as shown on the locality's geographic information system.

8. Stoops, decks, porches, chimneys, balconies, floor projections, and other similar type features.

9. Street names, as posted or currently identified and as per record data if different from posted name.

10. Distance to nearest road intersection from a property corner, based upon record data. If not available from record data, distance to nearest intersection may be determined from best available data, and so qualified.

11. Building restriction or setback lines per restrictive covenants if shown or noted on the record subdivision plat.

12. The caption or title of the plat must include the type of survey performed; lot number, block number, section number, and name of subdivision, as appropriate, or if not in a subdivision, the names of the record owner; town, county, or city; date of survey; and scale of drawing.

13. Adjoining property identification.

14. Easements and other encumbrances set forth on the record subdivision plat, and those otherwise known to the professional.

15. A statement as to whether or not a current title report has been furnished to the professional.

16. Inconsistencies found in the research or field work of common boundaries between the land being surveyed and the adjoining land must be clearly noted.

17. Name, address, and contact information for the individual or entity for whom the survey is being performed.

18. Professional's seal, signature, and date.

19. Name, address, and contact information for the land surveyor or registered business.

D. In performing a physical improvements survey, a professional will not be required to set corner monumentation on any property when:

1. It is otherwise required to be set pursuant to the provisions of a local subdivision ordinance as mandated by § 15.2-2240 of the Code of Virginia or by subdivision A 7 of § 15.2-2241 of the Code of Virginia;

2. Eventual placement is covered by a surety bond, cash escrow, set-aside letter, letter of credit, or other performance guaranty; or

3. Exempt by § 54.1-407 of the Code of Virginia.

E. A professional performing a physical improvements survey when monumentation is not required as stated in subsection D of this section must clearly note on the plat "no corner markers set," the reason why it is not required, and the name of guarantors providing the performance guaranty.