Knowing your property’s exact boundaries is essential when planning any building project. This will help you avoid encroachments with neighbors and ensure your construction is within legal limits.
Fortunately, finding your property lines doesn’t have to be complicated. If you follow these five essential tips, you can pinpoint your property lines without much trouble.
Check the Deed
The deed is a binding legal document listing your property’s boundaries. It should include a description of the land’s dimensions and identifiers, including landmarks, which will help you locate the edges of your land.
However, some property deeds still need to include this information. When this happens, your agent or the seller will refer you to an older act comprising the property lines.
Having accurate property lines is essential to ensuring you don’t accidentally infringe on your neighbor’s property. It also helps avoid unpleasantries with your neighbors and potential legal disputes.
Check the Plat Map
The plat map is a detailed drawing describing your property’s boundaries. It includes information on structures, elevations, and distinctive bodies of water.
Often, plats are created before any land development occurs, and they’re available as public records at your local government.
You’ll likely receive a copy of your home’s plat as part of the essential paperwork for a home purchase.
Whether you’re an experienced homeowner or just starting, knowing how to read a plat map is essential. It’s a crucial document, especially in encroachment disputes or claims of ownership.
Check the Sidewalks and Street Lights
If you have a well-marked sidewalk or walkway, it can be an excellent indicator of where the property lines are. Contractors often place street lights along the line or cut sidewalk corners to match the property boundaries.
While this is not a definitive indicator, it is usually more reliable than casually following the borders of your neighbor’s yard or fence.
It is also a good idea to look for survey pins, which would have been dropped along the edge of your property when it was first surveyed. But, these can be a bit tricky to locate since they may have been moved over time by utility workers or previous homeowners.
Check Google Maps
A quick search is an excellent place to start if you want to find out where your property lines are. It can provide a lot of information for free, including roads, cities and towns, state boundaries, restaurant reviews, and satellite images.
The best way to find property lines Buford GA is to visit a local county recorder or assessor’s office and check out plat maps. These maps are drawn to scale and show property divisions about other properties on your street.
Hire a Surveyor
If you have a question about your property’s boundaries, hiring a surveyor is best. This is because a surveyor uses specialized tools and equipment to determine property lines.
They use math, law, engineering, and physics to establish the legal boundary of a property. This helps protect landowners from encroachment and lawsuits.
They also help governing bodies establish official property boundaries. They can create original legal documents describing the limits of land and water, which can be used as evidence in court.
