Boundary Surveys
What a Boundary Survey Establishes
A boundary survey locates and marks the legal property lines of a tract based on the recorded description, historical evidence, and applicable Texas boundary law. The boundary survey is the foundation of several other types of surveys including title surveys, family partitions, and subdivision plats. Before any of these surveys can be performed, the parcel's boundary must be located on the ground.
Retracing, Not Just Measuring
Most boundary surveys are retracement surveys: the surveyor is following the footsteps of whoever surveyed the property originally, not creating new lines from scratch. That means research comes first. Historical deeds, adjoining property descriptions, and prior subdivision plats are compiled before anyone goes to the field to search for monuments and physical evidence.
Rarely does the evidence align perfectly with the record. Deed calls conflict with adjoiners, monuments don't match called distances, and fences don't always sit on the recorded line. Resolving these conflicts is a matter of applying the legal principles of Texas boundary law, including:
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Dignity of Calls. When a description's elements conflict, certain kinds of evidence (like a called-for monument) generally outrank others (like record distance)
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Best evidence. The surveyor gives the most weight to whatever evidence most reliably reflects where the original survey was actually run.
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Junior/senior rights. When adjoining tracts were surveyed at different times, the earlier survey generally controls, though simultaneous conveyances are a common exception.
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Strips and gores. A legal doctrine that provides that small, unaccounted-for strip of land left out of the description was not intended to be retained by the grantor.
Why It Matters
Getting the boundary right protects you before a dispute arises, not after. A correctly retraced boundary is also what makes every downstream document (a title survey, a partition, a plat) legally reliable. Our team applies these legal principles on every boundary survey we perform, from a quarter acre residential lot to a four thousand acre ranch.
Why Searchers
Searchers' approach to boundary surveys and title surveys is unique. Early on, we learned that there are often problems, especially in towns like Fredericksburg, Mason, and Brady, with many of the surveys performed in the past. After realizing the problems that exist, we began approaching the surveys more thoroughly. At our expense, we have performed extensive research, field work and analysis reestablishing significant portions of the cities we frequently service. With this approach we are able to see the big picture by reconstructing multiple blocks and entire subdivisions at a time. This process enables us to perform better surveys with a quicker turnaround time.
