Frequently Asked Questions
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What is an Ontario Land Surveyor (O.L.S.) ?
- An O.L.S. is the only professional who’s legally qualified to survey property boundaries in Ontario. All registered O.L.S.’ are regulated by legislation, which is administered by the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS) aols.org. Anyone who is not an O.L.S. lacks the qualifications and necessary training to provide boundary location information. Anyone not an O.L.S. who undertakes boundary surveys cannot be insured against incorrect or substandard work, as they are essentially breaking the law.
- Excerpt from the Surveys Act, R.S.O. 1990 – “No survey of land for the purpose of defining, locating or describing any line, boundary or corner of a parcel of land is valid unless made by a surveyor or under the personal supervision of a surveyor”
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What does an O.L.S. do?
- Land surveying is the art and science of establishing or re-establishing corners, lines, boundaries and monuments of real property (land) based upon recorded documents, historical evidence and present standards of practice. An O.L.S. provides information that guides home owners/builders, town planners, builders, engineers, architects and developers to ensure the projects they are creating are in the right spot.
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How much does a land survey cost?
- The cost of land surveying depends on several variables such as the size of the job, location, type of land, encumbrances, easements/rights-of-way, etc. All projects are different and before an estimate is produced, we have to complete preliminary research.
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I’m selling/buying a house and the purchaser/mortgage lender says I need a survey. What are the steps?
- It isn’t mandatory to have a survey completed before buying or selling property in Ontario. It is however recommended you engage a surveyor to ensure you know exactly what you are buying/selling.
- Service Offered: An SRPR or Plan of Survey would be completed.
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Do I need a survey to build a fence?
- It isn’t mandatory to have a survey completed before building a fence, but it’s a good idea to get your property surveyed so you can be sure you are building in the correct location and not onto your neighbor's property.
- Service Offered: SRPR, Plan of Survey, Boundary Retracement Survey