Can a Land Surveyor Resolve a Boundary Dispute?

We get this question frequently at Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC, being the fact that parcels of land in Colorado Springs often have monuments (also known as property pins) that are not easily located.

Yes, a land surveyor can often provide the information needed to help the opposing sides resolve a boundary dispute. However, a surveyor does not have the legal authority to decide ownership or rule in favor of either property owner. 

Our role is to strictly research, locate, measure, and document the boundary based on recorded evidence and established surveying principles. You then take those deliverables and seek the appropriate course of action with them.

To help our clients better understand this process, let’s explore a bit more about property boundary disputes.

What Causes Property Boundary Disputes?

Boundary disagreements commonly begin when a property owner plans to install a fence, build an addition, replace a retaining wall, or sell a parcel. A neighbor may believe an existing fence or landscaping feature represents the property line, even when the recorded boundary lies somewhere else.

Other potential causes include:

• Missing, damaged, or disturbed property monuments

• Conflicting or unclear legal descriptions

• Improvements that cross a property line

• Differences between older surveys of record and current site conditions

• Assumptions based on county assessor maps or online parcel viewers

• Questions involving access, easements, or shared driveways

County GIS and assessor maps can be useful research tools, but they are generally not precise enough to establish a legal property boundary on the ground. This is where you contact a team like Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC to establish the actual boundaries of your property.

How Does a Colorado Land Surveyor Investigate the Boundary?

A Colorado-licensed land surveyor begins by researching the available evidence of both parcels of land. Depending on the property in question, this may include deeds, subdivision plats, previous surveys, land survey plats, monument records, and adjoining property descriptions.

As Colorado surveyors, we are expected to perform appropriate preparatory research, including reviewing relevant Colorado Land Survey Monument Records when applicable. Our surveyor then conducts fieldwork to search for existing monuments and other physical and parole evidence. Measurements from the site are compared with the recorded documents and the boundaries of neighboring parcels.

The final determination is based on the complete body of available evidence rather than a single measurement, fence location, or GPS coordinate. If the survey meets the conditions requiring an additional service such as a Land Survey Plat under Colorado law, we prepare and deposit the plat as required.

Colorado’s land surveying laws and guidance establish professional responsibilities for us to follow, making sure that the deliverables are extremely precise.

Will the Survey Settle the Disagreement?

In many cases, yes. That’s what we’re trying to help with. A clearly marked and documented boundary shows both property owners where the recorded property line is located. Once the evidence is available, neighbors are able to agree on moving a fence, adjusting a construction plan, or addressing an encroachment without litigation.

But of course, as surveyors, we cannot force either owner to accept the findings of the boundary determination. 

It’s important to note that a land survey of any kind does not independently determine questions of legal title, adverse possession, prescriptive rights, or ownership created through past use. Those matters require advice from a Colorado real estate attorney and, if the parties cannot reach an agreement, an actual court decision.

We support the process by explaining the survey results, providing a professional opinion, preparing exhibits, or serving as expert witnesses. The survey supplies reliable evidence, but the parties involved, their attorneys, or the court determine the legal resolution.

When Should You Request a Boundary Survey?

A boundary dispute is a good reason to contact our team to get a boundary survey done. But as a property owner, there are plenty of other reasons to get this and any number of surveys from Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC.

Contacting us early can help prevent the disagreement from becoming more expensive. Consider requesting a survey before constructing near a suspected boundary, purchasing property with uncertain improvements, moving a fence, or responding to a neighbor’s encroachment claim.

Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC can research and document property boundaries throughout Colorado Springs and the surrounding Front Range area. Get a professional survey to have a clearer understanding of the recorded boundary and a stronger factual foundation for deciding what to do next.

If you have any questions, be sure to contact us directly today.