What is a Land Survey Map?

It was surprising that I could not find a good definition for a Survey Map. Here are some related definitions that I could find.


Black's Law Dictionary

Survey: "The measuring of a tract of land and its boundaries and contents; a map indicating the results of such measurements."

Surveyor: "One who surveys land and buildings."

Webster's Dictionary

Surveyor: "One who surveys or measures land; one who practices the art of surveying."

A Land Survey Text

Surveying: "…measuring and collecting information… processing that information, and disseminating …to a wide range of clients."


I like to define Land Surveying as an art and profession that which uses appropriate laws and principles to determine a property's boundaries from the accumulation of both physical and record evidence. A survey map would be an instrument that both shows how those boundaries were located from said evidence and how to find those boundaries from monuments found and/or placed.

This means that before a land surveyor places an iron pin for a lot corner or certifies a Survey Map, he must first research documents, search for physical evidence of boundaries on and nearby the property. A land surveyor must keep collecting enough information till he can make a determination of where a boundary is located. All the while, the principles of surveying and relevant laws must be heeded.

Note that I have not mentioned "measuring" once in my definition or explanation of what is a land survey. That is because measuring is a tool that a professional land surveyor uses to determine and describe the location of boundaries. Measuring is not primarily what a land surveyor does. One could replace the word "measure" with "draw" to get a reasonable practice of a land surveyor. Land surveyors "draw" lots of maps in the course of their work but drawing is not the core of what land surveying is. This is more than just measuring or drawing maps. In many ways land surveying is a kin to being a "land detective". Land surveying is determining the location boundaries on the ground by accumulating evidence and proper procedure.



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