Residential vs Commercial Land Surveys: What's the Difference?
A clear guide to help homeowners, developers, and property professionals understand when to hire which survey.
Quick summary
In short: residential surveys are typically smaller in scope, focused on a single-family parcel and boundary matters (think fences, decks, and septic), while commercial surveys are broader and more complex — they support development, financing, code compliance, and site design for non-residential properties (think multi-tenant buildings, parking, easements, utilities and zoning). Costs, turnaround times, required deliverables, and regulatory scrutiny are all usually higher for commercial work.
What a residential land survey typically includes
- Boundary survey: Pins property lines and monuments, dimensioned on a plat or drawing.
- Plot/lot plan: Shows the house, driveway, setbacks, easements, and improvements.
- Mortgage/loan inspection survey: A simplified plan for lenders (may not be a full boundary survey).
- Topographic features (limited): Basic grades, spot elevations, and important site features when requested.
- Turnaround & cost: Quicker and lower cost than commercial surveys — typically for single parcels.
What a commercial land survey typically includes
- ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey: Often required for commercial transactions — extensive title-related items, improvements, utility locations, and easements.
- Topographic survey: Detailed contours, utility elevations, curbs, sidewalks, and drainage features across the site.
- Site plan & as-built surveys: Precise positions for structures, paving, mechanical equipment, and ADA accessibility elements.
- Right-of-way, easement & boundary resolution: Complex legal descriptions and often research into historic records.
- Coordination with engineers and architects: Deliverables must fit civil design, grading, stormwater, and permitting workflows.
- Higher cost and longer schedule: Because of scale, precision, coordination, and the potential need for specialized equipment (e.g., GPS base stations, total station control networks, LiDAR).
Side-by-side comparison
| Category | Residential | Commercial |
|---|---|---|
| Typical client | Homeowner, small contractor, lender | Developer, bank, municipality, commercial owner |
| Purpose | Fence lines, additions, permits, property disputes | Site design, financing, code compliance, construction |
| Deliverables | Plat, sketch, boundary description | Detailed survey plan, ALTA, topographic maps, control network |
| Research needed | Limited (title search sometimes) | Extensive title & historical research, deed/easement review |
| Typical timeframe | Days to 2 weeks | Weeks to months (depending on scope) |
| Typical cost range | Lower — often hundreds to a few thousand USD | Higher — can be several thousand to tens of thousands USD |
When you should choose one over the other
Choose a residential survey if you are dealing with single-lot issues: fence disputes, small additions, septic placement, or simple lender requests. Choose a commercial survey if you are buying, selling, financing, developing, or substantially altering a non-residential site — especially when an ALTA/NSPS survey is requested by a lender or title company.
Practical tips for hiring a surveyor
- Check licensure: Always hire a licensed professional land surveyor (PLS) in your state.
- Ask for references & sample plans: Especially for commercial projects, request previous ALTA or topographic examples.
- Clarify deliverables: What datum/coordinate system, scale, file formats (DWG, PDF, geodetic), and turnaround time will you get?
- Know the extras: Staking, flood elevation certificates, utility locates, and record research often add cost.
- Get an itemized proposal: That helps compare apples-to-apples between bidders.
Printable checklist
Check the items visually, then either click Download full checklist to get the complete checklist as a text file, or use your browser's Print (Ctrl/Cmd+P) or copy/paste to save only the selected items.