I want to know where my lot actually ends before I do any work near the edges. Where do I start?
Asked October 25, 2026
AI answer · not yet verified by a surveyor
Only a licensed land surveyor can locate your property lines on the ground. Records you already have will tell you a lot before you hire one.
- Deed: your deed describes the parcel, sometimes by reference to a recorded plat [2].
- Plat or earlier survey: if your lot is in a subdivision, the county recorder usually has the plat showing lot dimensions and corner monuments.
- County GIS maps: useful for a rough picture, but they are not surveys and can be off by many feet.
A boundary survey is how the line is actually settled. The surveyor researches the records, finds existing corner monuments in the field, and sets or replaces any missing ones [1].
Before any fence, addition or dispute, hire a licensed surveyor in your state to stake the corners and give you a signed survey.
General information only. Answers here are not a survey or legal advice, and no one here can tell you where your boundary is. For your property, hire a licensed land surveyor in your state; for legal questions, a real-estate attorney.