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Writer's pictureDanny Rodic

Land Survey Plat or Improvement Survey Plat: The Steps of a Boundary Retracement


LSP and ISP services by Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC

Every inch of a parcel of land you own and are looking to develop matters! This property is something you invested in for your own personal residence or for commercial development.


By definition, a boundary retracement is a process conducted by a licensed land surveyor to establish the exact boundaries of a property. This is based on the legal description of a parcel of land, historical records, and more. 


The purpose of boundary retracement is not to create new boundaries but to rediscover and mark the original boundary lines as accurately as possible. At Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC, we can establish the exact boundaries of your property in two different ways: Through a Land Survey Plat (LSP) or an Improvement Survey Plat (ISP).


A Brief Look into an LSP, an ISP, and a Boundary Retracement


Landscape in Colorado

You can receive a Land Survey Plat (LSP) or an Improvement Survey Plat (ISP) from Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC when needing to identify property boundaries. While both are similar in some ways, there are notable differences in the deliverables received.


A Land Survey Plat (LSP) is a map depicting the results of the boundary survey. The Land Survey Plat we provide you will show all property corners found or set, as well as improvements on or near the property line. Any easements of record impacting the property are typically shown as well.


We can also provide an Improvement Survey Plat (ISP) to our clients. This is a lot like a Land Survey Plat in that the deliverables are a map depicting the results of a boundary survey we conduct. The difference between an LSP and ISP is that an ISP also includes property improvements (buildings, driveways, sheds, permanent structures, and others within the boundaries of the property).


The Steps of Both An LSP and An ISP


Beautiful Colorado landscape.

The steps of a Land Survey Plat (LSP) or Improvement Survey Plat (ISP) are quite similar, though the deliverables differ slightly. Here is a brief look into these processes:


Step One: Research

Research must first be done when retracing the boundaries of a property. We pull the deeds for both the subject parcel and any adjoining parcels.


Discovering any previous survey-related documents helps quite a bit as well, including easements of record, adjoining deeds, any other survey related information that we deem necessary. If available, the client may provide a deed and or title commitment of the subject parcel (property). We then analyze this data and produce initial computations.


Step Two: Field Work

An assigned surveyor from Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC will arrive at the subject parcel to start the field work of your LSP or ISP. We find the existing original monument (also known as property corners) on the ground to start and go from there.


Our surveyor marks original monuments precisely to make them easy to find. If we discover that any original corners are missing, this is where they get reestablished. We typically expand our search on neighboring properties, gathering additional evidence on the ground to properly reestablish any missing monuments to precisely define the corners. Once the field work is complete, we create your deliverables.


Step Three: Drafting Deliverables

The deliverables of a LSP and an ISP are what set them apart in boundary retracement.


The deliverables of a Land Survey Plat (LSP):


  • Reveals the official boundary lines, rights-of-way, visible utilities, and easements of record on or near the boundary lines

  • Replaces lost monuments


The deliverables of an Improvement Survey Plat (ISP) include:


  • Reveals precise locations of all improvements

  • Shows easements, rights-of-way, and visible utilities

  • Exhibits any encroachments (also known as an “Area of Concern”) within the property lines


Determine Your Property Boundaries with Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC


Apex Land Surveying and Mapping doing an LSP and ISP

These processes are essential when there are real estate transactions, property owner improvements, or boundary disputes about where property lines are located. If these come up during the sale of property or when development starts, we at Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC can help!


We want to ensure accurate representation of your property size and boundaries. This helps property owners have a clear understanding of their land's limits, helping to prevent or resolve disputes with neighbors or other parties over the property boundaries.


All property owners in Colorado Springs and any of the surrounding communities can trust Apex Land Surveying and Mapping LLC to provide boundary retracement services to them. We bring professionalism to the land surveying and mapping processes.

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