When a surveyor completes their education, training, and licensing requirements, they receive their Surveyor PLS (Professional Land Surveyor) number. Although the requirements vary per state, a professional land surveyor must complete training, pass certification testing, participate in years of surveying experience, and commit to ongoing education to retain their number. At Terra Services, all of our professional land surveyors are committed to delivering the best for our clients. In some cases, hiring an unlicensed surveyor could seem like a quick savings, but there are many reasons to only choose a surveyor with a current PLS number.
· Surveying Properly is a Complex Task—Although we utilize the support of technology to complete our work, every surveyor must deeply understand the work, know how to complete the marking according to state and local codes, and be capable of interpreting the data that our devices provide.
· Surveying Improperly is Too Costly—Every land survey will vary in cost based upon location, land features, terrain, etc. When clients fail to recognize the importance of land surveying, the sticker shock of dropping a decent amount of money for stakes and flags can cause them to consider cutting corners. Hiring an unlicensed surveyor may be a short-term savings, but there are many more expensive problems which could arise. For example, if the survey were completed improperly for your building project, you could violate a city code on accident and risk legal troubles. Another scenario could be a homeowner getting a boundary line survey to add a fence. If the survey were conducted improperly, the homeowner could encroach on their neighbors’ property, leading to the fence having to be torn down and started over. Cutting corners on your surveyor could lead to far greater expenses.
· Surveyors Know the Codes—Because a professional land surveyor works with respect to local codes on a regular basis, you can trust that your survey will be completed legally and properly. Professional land surveyors are required to stay up-to-date with the latest regulations and advancements in the field. An unlicensed surveyor is not required to know these things, so you are taking a gamble that the one you chose happens to be well-versed in the laws and requirements of our state and local government. Using an unlicensed surveyor is just too big of a liability for you.
· Surveyors are Meticulous—Marking carefully is important for the safety of all. If a surveyor is off on their measurements, there can be dangerous consequences. An unlicensed surveyor could fail to mark geographical data that notates that your property is in a flood zone. Every survey must be completed with the greatest eye for detail to ensure that no crucial details are left out or markers are placed even the slightest bit off.
If you are ready to hire a professional land surveyor for your job, give Terra Services a call. Our surveyors have active PLS numbers and plenty of experience.
