Janet MatchinskyA property survey helps you locate the land you are buying and compare its boundaries with fences, buildings, access routes and recorded rights. Read the legal description and survey notes before studying the drawing. I would not treat a colored parcel outline on a listing map as a substitute for a survey prepared for the transaction.
If a boundary affects your offer, send me the property address early. Resolving the question before an inspection deadline is easier than discovering it while scheduling the moving truck.
Begin with the document's identity
Find the property description, surveyor's name, preparation date and stated purpose. Then compare the description with the purchase agreement and title commitment. A street address is useful for finding the home, but your review should connect all the documents to the same described land. If the seller owns an adjoining lot, check whether that lot appears in all three places.
Minnesota regulates professional land surveyors, whose work can include establishing or reestablishing property lines and corners. The Minnesota licensing board also explains certification requirements. Use that distinction when ordering help: ask for the work needed to answer your actual boundary question, rather than asking vaguely for a map.
A document from an earlier transaction may still be useful. Its age alone does not tell you whether it answers today's question. Compare its depicted improvements with the property now. A newer garage, expanded driveway or replacement retaining wall deserves attention if it is absent from the drawing. Ask the surveyor what updates, fieldwork or additional records would be needed.
Read the legend before the boundary lines
Survey drawings use symbols and abbreviations. Locate the legend, scale and north arrow. A symbol for a monument found in the field may differ from a calculated corner or a monument set during the survey. Do not infer the meaning from the symbol's appearance; read the notation.
Follow the perimeter of the surveyed land. Notice dimensions and changes in direction, then compare the shape with the property you walked. A narrow extension might contain the access route. A small excluded area could be relevant to the shed you assumed was included. If the drawing and your understanding differ, make the discrepancy a written question.
Avoid measuring a phone screenshot to settle a setback. Resizing can change the displayed scale. Request the complete file and ask the surveyor to explain a dimension that matters. Your goal is to understand the certified information, not to recreate the survey with a ruler.
Separate ownership lines from use rights
An easement may permit a particular use of land without transferring ownership of that land. The survey can help you see where a described easement lies, but the recorded document supplies its language. Request the underlying instrument identified in the title commitment, including exhibits and amendments.
For a shared driveway, I would compare the route shown on the survey with the route vehicles actually use. Then I would ask the title professional to identify the recorded access rights and any unresolved exceptions. Permission to cross a strip does not answer every question about widening, maintenance, parking or snow storage. Those questions need their own document review.
The CFPB's explanation of owner's title insurance distinguishes coverage for an owner's interest from a lender's protection. Ask specifically how survey matters and listed exceptions are treated in the proposed policy. Do not assume buying a policy resolves a known encroachment or supplies a missing access right.
| Drawing item | Practical question | Follow-up material |
|---|---|---|
| Fence near a boundary | Is it located on the surveyed line? | Surveyor explanation and any boundary agreement |
| Drive crossing neighboring land | Does the legal access match the traveled route? | Recorded easement and title review |
| Garage close to a lot edge | Where is it relative to the boundary and applicable setback? | Survey dimensions and zoning records |
| Utility corridor | Does it cross the proposed addition area? | Recorded utility rights and project plans |
| Shoreline notation | What line was located, and on what basis? | Survey notes and shoreland review |
Put your intended use on the drawing
A survey is most useful when paired with a specific plan. Mark, on a separate working copy, the approximate location of your proposed garage, fence, garden, driveway expansion or lake access stairs. Label that copy as your sketch so it cannot be confused with the surveyor's work.
Then look for conflicts. Would the proposed garage occupy the only apparent route to the back lot? Would a fence cross the driveway easement? Would moving a parking area push it toward the neighboring parcel? These are questions to resolve before you spend money on design work.
For lake property, the DNR explains that local zoning administers shoreland regulations. The boundary drawing and the zoning review therefore answer different questions. Knowing where your parcel ends does not establish permission to place every improvement inside it. Our Minnesota lake home buying guide puts that review beside septic, shoreline and access questions.
A hypothetical garage problem
Imagine that a listing includes a detached garage and a gravel parking area. The survey places the garage inside the parcel, while part of the gravel extends across the line. There are several possible next steps, and none should be chosen from the photograph alone.
First, ask the surveyor to confirm what the drawing shows. Second, have the title professional identify any agreement addressing the use of neighboring land. Third, decide whether the property still works if you can use only the parking area clearly within the parcel. That last question is yours: a legally resolvable issue may still leave too little room for your vehicles.
A negotiated solution might involve changing the purchase terms or completing additional work before closing. It should describe the actual result required and how it will be verified. An assurance that the neighbor has never complained does not tell you what the next owner will accept.
Preserve the survey for the next decision
Keep the complete survey file with its notes and certification, not just a cropped image of the lot. If you later ask for a fence or addition estimate, provide the full document and explain any changes since it was prepared. Mark your own proposed work on a copy. Keeping the original intact helps the next professional distinguish surveyed facts from the ideas you are still exploring.
Decide what must be settled before closing
Keep a short survey issue list, with one issue per line. Record the drawing reference, missing document, person responsible for answering and decision deadline. Separate a question that merely needs explanation from one that could change your willingness to buy.
Your home buying plan should allow enough time for this work. If access or an encroachment remains unresolved, discuss the purchase agreement's review provisions before the relevant deadline. The surveyor explains the field evidence; a title professional or attorney addresses the legal consequences; you decide whether the property supports your intended use.
For rural property, combine this review with our land and lot guide. I can help organize the property documents and identify the unanswered questions so your offer reflects the land you expect to receive.