Frequently Asked Questions

Generally, an updated survey will be required by the bank when a plot of land is sold or refinanced. If you are subdividing, you will need a survey to submit to the town planning board for approval. You may also need a survey if you are building new improvements on your property, such as a house or a fence. Getting a survey done ensures that all parties involved have an accurate understanding of the size and extents of the property in question and help to avoid unwanted conflict and confusion.

Survey costs vary widely depending on the size and characteristics of the property and on the scope of the survey. The best and quickest way to determine the cost of a survey is to request a quote on the home page of this website.

The time it takes to complete a survey depends on the complexity of the survey and how busy we are. If you request a quote, we will also give you a time estimate. Please let us know if you have a hard deadline such as a closing date, and we will give your survey rush status to ensure that it is completed on time.

Unless the survey was done very recently, we will still need to visit the property to locate your corners and note any changes to the site. Updating a survey that we have done in the past is simpler than completing a survey for the first time and is priced accordingly.

Typically, we will give you four hard copies of the survey map. If you need more, let us know. We will also provide a digital pdf version of the map upon request. If you are working with an engineer who needs a CAD file, we will be glad to provide that as well.

If you are local, we will deliver the maps personally to your house, office, or another address agreed upon. We can also meet you by appointment at our office at 41 Port Watson St. in Cortland. Otherwise, we will mail you the maps.

We accept cash, check, and credit card purchases. If you are planning to pay via credit card, let us know so that we can have the card reader ready for you. Checks should be made out to Denkenberger Surveying, P.C. and may be mailed to P.O. Box 5008, Cortland, NY 13045.

It is not usually necessary for you to be at home when we do the survey. If there is something that you want to show us or if you are doing a subdivision, we will make an appointment to meet you at the property.

Yes. Section 9-105 of the New York State General Obligations Law grants surveyors, their agents and employees authority to enter upon any land in the course of making a survey. The surveyor must operate during reasonable hours and within a reasonable distance from the property line of the land being surveyed. At all times, the surveyor and/or employee must carry, and upon request, show proper identification as to registration or employment. It may be necessary for us to find and locate pins on neighboring properties as evidence in order to establish the boundary. This ensures that all everyone gets what belongs to them.

No. Unless the map shows otherwise, the property corners we set will be iron rods with a Denkenberger Surveying cap. Any nails placed by the surveyor are control points that we set up equipment on. It is important not to remove these nails until the survey is complete, as we may need to set up on them again.

Certifications are essentially a list of people who are legally authorized to use the survey. It may include the buyer, seller, attorneys, title insurance company, lending institution, etc. Consult your attorney if you are unsure what the certifications should be. It is possible for us to deliver the map and add certifications when they are ready.

Yes, we will be happy to walk you around the property. However, if the survey was completed recently, it is also possible that we have not yet set the pins. This is generally the last step of the survey process.

Send us an email at mail@denkenberger.com and let us know. We will be happy to discuss the issue with you further and make any corrections, if needed.

Consult your attorney regarding legal issues. It may be necessary to pursue a boundary line agreement with your neighbor.