Boundary Survey Services in Utah
Engineer-stamped boundary land surveys for Utah residential and commercial property — fence permits, additions, sales, lot splits, and property line disputes. From $1,025.
Home› Our Services› Boundary Survey
Updated May 2026 · By the Ludlow Engineering team
A boundary survey — sometimes called a property line survey or boundary land survey — establishes the exact legal corners of a piece of property. Ludlow Engineering has been performing boundary surveys across Utah since 1975. Our crews work statewide from our Nephi office, and every survey is signed and stamped by a Utah-licensed Professional Land Surveyor. Pricing starts at $1,025 for a typical residential parcel; most jobs deliver in 1–3 weeks. Call (435) 623-0897, upload your deed for a fast quote, or contact us.
You need a boundary survey any time you need to know where your property legally begins and ends — before building a fence, addition, or shed; before buying, selling, or splitting land; or when there's a dispute with a neighbor. The deliverable is a stamped map showing the exact corners of the parcel. Pricing in Utah typically runs $1,025 to $2,500 depending on parcel size, terrain, and records quality.
When You Need a Boundary Survey
Most clients call us in one of these six situations. If yours doesn't fit cleanly, call us — 5 minutes on the phone usually tells us whether a boundary survey is the right work for your project.
Building a Fence
Most Utah cities require a boundary survey or recorded plat before they'll issue a fence permit. Avoids the worst outcome — building a fence on the wrong side of the line and being forced to tear it down.
Addition, Shed, or Garage
Structures need to comply with setback requirements. A boundary survey shows exactly where the property line is, so the structure can be sited and the permit will pass plan check.
Buying or Selling
Optional but strongly recommended for residential transactions, especially on older homes where records and physical conditions may not agree. Reveals encroachments before they become legal headaches.
Lot Split or Lot Line Adjustment
Required for any legal change to a property boundary — splitting a parcel into multiple lots, or shifting a boundary between two adjoining parcels.
Property Line Dispute
When there's disagreement with a neighbor over a fence, driveway, tree, or any feature near the line. A stamped boundary survey is admissible evidence and often resolves disputes before they go to court.
Lost or Missing Corners
When original corner pins have been removed, paved over, or never set in the first place. We research the records and re-establish the corners to the original recorded coordinates.
What's in a Boundary Survey
Every boundary land survey we deliver in Utah includes the following components — both because they're required by industry standards and because they're what county recorders, lenders, and building departments actually accept:
- Stamped survey map showing all boundary lines with bearings and distances
- Physical monumentation — newly set or recovered corner pins, capped and identified
- Reference to recorded deeds and the title's legal description
- Total parcel area in acres or square feet
- Location of permanent improvements — buildings, sheds, garages, pools, fences
- Visible easements — utility rights-of-way, access easements
- Identified encroachments — fences, structures, or driveways crossing the property line
- Survey control statement — datum, equipment, and methodology
- Professional Land Surveyor's stamp and signature
- License number for verification with Utah DOPL
If we find that the existing boundary monuments don't match the recorded deed (which happens on roughly 1 in 3 older Utah parcels), we resolve the discrepancy in the report and explain what we found, why, and how the boundary was ultimately determined.
Residential and Commercial Boundary Surveys
Residential Boundary Survey
Most Utah homeowners need a boundary survey for one of three reasons: a fence permit, a home addition, or a property line dispute with a neighbor. A typical residential boundary survey covers a lot up to 1 acre in size and runs $1,025–$1,800 depending on the parcel's complexity and records quality. Field work is usually 2–4 hours; the rest of the timeline is records research and drafting.
If the property is in a clean modern subdivision with a recorded plat from the 1990s or later and well-maintained monuments, the survey moves quickly. Older parcels — especially homes in pre-1970s subdivisions and rural acreage with metes-and-bounds descriptions — take longer and run higher.
Commercial Boundary Survey
Commercial boundary surveys are similar in concept but typically larger in scope. They often involve multiple parcels, complex easement structures, and more demanding deliverable standards from commercial title companies. If a commercial lender or title insurer is in the picture, you may actually need an ALTA/NSPS survey rather than a standard boundary survey — the ALTA includes the boundary plus many additional items lenders require.
For commercial properties under 5 acres, expect $1,800–$3,500 for a boundary-only survey. Larger commercial parcels and sites with complex records can run higher; we always quote up front with scope of work attached.
Land Boundary Surveyor Licensing
A boundary line surveyor performing work in Utah must hold an active Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) license from the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL). Every Ludlow Engineering boundary survey is signed and stamped by a Utah-licensed PLS. Unstamped surveys, no matter how accurate, are not legally binding and won't be accepted by county recorders, lenders, or title insurance companies.
Our Boundary Survey Process
Every boundary survey follows the same four-phase process. The exact timeline depends on records complexity and field conditions, but a typical residential job runs 1–3 weeks total.
Records Research
We pull the deed, any recorded plat, prior surveys (if any), neighboring deeds, and the original government land survey grid. Clean modern parcels take a few hours; pre-1970s metes-and-bounds deeds can take several days. Uploading your deed at quote request saves us 1–2 days here.
Field Work
A two-person crew visits the property with GPS equipment and a total station. They locate existing monuments, measure to verify them against the recorded distances, and set fresh pins where corners are missing or in dispute.
Computation & Drafting
Back at the office, we reconcile field measurements with deed descriptions. Any discrepancies are analyzed and the boundary is determined. The drafter produces the survey map.
Engineer Review & Stamp
The licensed Professional Land Surveyor reviews the work and signs and stamps the final map. PDF goes to you by email; paper copies by mail if needed.
Utah Boundary Survey Pricing
Pricing depends on parcel size, terrain, records quality, and what we find on site. These are typical Ludlow Engineering ranges:
| Project Type | Typical Scope | Typical Price |
|---|---|---|
| Residential lot, modern subdivision | Lot under 1 acre with clean recorded plat | $1,025 – $1,500 |
| Residential lot, older or rural | Lot 1–5 acres or older metes-and-bounds description | $1,500 – $2,500 |
| Commercial parcel | Commercial property under 5 acres | $1,800 – $3,500 |
| Rural acreage | 5–40 acres rural parcel | $2,500 – $6,000 |
| Large tract | 40+ acres or complex multi-deed parcels | Quoted on scope |
| Lot line adjustment | Boundary survey plus recorded adjustment document | + $600 – $1,500 |
| Re-monumentation only | Re-setting corners from an existing recent survey | $600 – $1,200 |
All quotes are fixed-fee in writing, with scope of work attached. For a complete cost breakdown across all survey types and Utah counties, see our Utah land survey cost guide.
Counties & Cities We Serve
From our Nephi office, our boundary survey crews work statewide. Most-served areas:
We also serve Juab, Millard, Wasatch, Carbon, Iron, and Washington counties, plus rural areas across the state. Travel costs to outlying Utah counties are disclosed in every quote up front.
Request a Boundary Survey Quote
The fastest path to an accurate boundary survey quote: tell us about the property and upload your deed. We'll review the legal description, pull the recorded plat, and send a fixed-fee proposal within 1–2 business days. No fee for the quote, and your information is never shared.
Thanks — your request is on its way.
We've received your boundary survey request, including any documents you uploaded. Travis or one of our PLS staff will review your deed and the recorded plat for the property, then send a fixed-fee proposal to your email within 1–2 business days. If your timeline is tighter than that, call (435) 623-0897 and we'll get to you the same day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a boundary survey cost in Utah?
Most residential boundary surveys in Utah cost between $1,025 and $2,500. Modern subdivision lots under 1 acre run $1,025–$1,500; older or rural lots run $1,500–$2,500. Commercial parcels start around $1,800. Rural acreage and large tracts are quoted based on scope. See our pricing table above for the full breakdown.
How long does a boundary survey take?
Most residential boundary surveys take 1–3 weeks from contract to delivered map. Field work itself is usually a single half-day visit; the rest of the timeline is records research, computation, and drafting. Uploading your deed with the quote request typically saves 1–2 days. Rural parcels with old deeds or missing monuments can take longer.
Why do you ask for the deed when quoting?
The deed contains the legal description of your property — the metes and bounds (or recorded plat reference) that define the boundary. Reading the deed before quoting lets us identify whether the property is in a clean modern subdivision (faster, cheaper) or has an older metes-and-bounds description (more records research). It also lets us flag potential issues — gaps with neighbors, ambiguous bearings, missing monuments — before we commit to a fixed price. If you don't have your deed handy, we can pull it from the county recorder, but it adds time.
Who can legally perform a boundary survey in Utah?
Only a licensed Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) can legally perform a boundary survey in Utah. The license is issued by the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL). An unstamped survey, no matter how technically accurate, is not legally binding and won't be accepted by county recorders, lenders, or title companies.
What's the difference between a boundary survey and a property line survey?
These are different names for the same thing. "Boundary survey," "property line survey," "property survey," and "boundary land survey" all refer to the legal establishment of the corners and lines of a property. The terms are used interchangeably by surveyors, lenders, and clients.
Do I need a boundary survey before building a fence?
Most Utah cities and counties require a boundary survey or a recorded plat before issuing a fence permit. Even where it isn't required, a survey is strongly recommended — building a fence on the wrong side of a property line is one of the most common boundary disputes, and the legal cost of resolving it later far exceeds the cost of the survey up front.
What if there's already an old survey on my property?
An older survey can save time and money. If we can find and verify the prior surveyor's work — and the monuments are still in place — we may be able to do a re-monumentation only (recovering and re-marking corners from the existing survey) for $600–$1,200. If the prior survey is too old, was unsealed, or doesn't match field conditions, we'd need to do a full boundary survey. Upload your prior survey with the quote form so we can review it.
What's the difference between a boundary survey and an ALTA survey?
A boundary survey establishes property corners. An ALTA/NSPS survey includes the boundary work plus a long list of additional items from the ALTA Table A — utilities, easements, encroachments, parking spaces, flood zones, building setbacks, and more. Commercial lenders and title insurers typically require an ALTA survey, not a standard boundary survey. ALTA surveys start at around $3,000.
Can a boundary survey resolve a property line dispute with my neighbor?
Often, yes. A stamped boundary survey is admissible evidence, and seeing the actual recorded line on the ground frequently resolves disputes that would otherwise go to court. If the dispute proceeds to litigation, the survey is the foundation of the case. If the dispute can be resolved by mutual agreement, the survey is often paired with a recorded boundary line agreement.
Do you set physical corner markers?
Yes. Every boundary survey we perform includes physical monumentation — either recovering and verifying existing corner pins, or setting new pins where corners are missing. New pins are capped and identified with our firm's license information so they're legally defensible going forward.
Is the document upload secure?
Yes. Files uploaded through the quote form are transmitted over a secure HTTPS connection to our intake system and routed directly to our internal team. We don't share, sell, or publish your documents, and they aren't stored on the public website. If you'd prefer to send sensitive documents by email after we've spoken, that's fine too — just call (435) 623-0897.
Do you serve property outside central Utah?
Yes — we serve the entire state from our Nephi office. We regularly perform boundary surveys across the Wasatch Front, central Utah, southern Utah, and rural areas statewide. Travel costs to outlying counties are reflected in the quote up front, so there are no surprises on the invoice.