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Our county's GIS shows my lot, and a surveyor mapped it too. What's the difference?
Asked October 25, 2026
AI answer · not yet verified by a surveyor
Both work with location data, but for different purposes [1].
Land surveying:
- establishes legal property lines and precise positions,
- is done by licensed professionals, with legal responsibility,
- produces signed surveys used for boundaries, construction and legal documents.
GIS (geographic information systems):
- combines many map layers, such as parcels, zoning, roads, floodplains and utilities,
- is used for planning, analysis and public information,
- is often built from mixed sources of varying accuracy.
GIS is great for seeing the big picture. For anything involving where your line actually is, rely on a licensed surveyor's work.
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.