Before building a fence or putting up a garage, you need to know exactly where your property ends and your neighbor’s begins. Getting this wrong can lead to expensive problems, including having to move a structure you just paid to build. Finding your property lines before construction starts protects your time, your money, and your relationship with the people next door.

Using Existing Survey Records and Property Documents as a Starting Point

A good first step is to look through the paperwork that came with your home. When you bought the property, you likely received a package of closing documents. Inside that package, there may be a copy of a prior survey, a plat map, or a legal description of the land.

A plat map shows how a subdivision was divided into individual lots. It includes lot dimensions, boundary lines, and the layout of streets and common areas. Reviewing the plat for your neighborhood can give you a general idea of your lot’s shape and size.

Deeds often include a written legal description of the property boundaries. This description uses measurements and reference points to define where the lot begins and ends. Reading a legal description without survey training can be difficult. The measurements in older documents may also not be precise enough to rely on alone.

These records are useful as background information. They can help you understand the general layout of your property. They are not a substitute for physical verification on the ground, especially when building close to a boundary line.

Locating Property Corner Markers and Boundary Monuments on the Ground

One direct way to find property lines is to look for physical markers placed when the lot was first surveyed. These markers are called property corner monuments. They are usually iron pins or rods driven into the ground at lot corners.

Iron pins are small metal stakes, typically half an inch to one inch in diameter, that surveyors install at boundary corners. Over time, they can get buried under soil, covered by grass, or hidden by landscaping. A metal detector can help locate pins that are not immediately visible.

When you find a corner marker, do not move it or disturb it. These monuments have legal significance. Moving a survey monument is illegal in most states and can create serious boundary disputes. If a marker appears to be missing or damaged, a licensed surveyor should be contacted to assess the situation.

Finding all four corners and measuring between them can help you trace the boundary lines. Irregular lots may have more than four corners. This works best when the corners are clearly marked and the lot is a simple shape. On lots with multiple corners or unclear markers, this method has real limitations.

Understanding Why Fences, Landscaping, and Driveways Do Not Always Follow Property Lines

Many homeowners assume that a fence between two properties marks the legal boundary. This is one of the most common misconceptions about property lines, and it causes a lot of problems.

Fences are often built without a survey. The person who installed the fence may have placed it a few feet inside their property. Or they may have simply guessed where the line was. Over time, that fence becomes a visual reference for the whole neighborhood, even if it does not reflect the actual legal boundary.

The same applies to driveways, hedgerows, tree lines, and retaining walls. These features follow the decisions made by whoever installed them, not the recorded legal boundaries. A driveway that appears to end at the property line may actually cross onto a neighboring lot. A row of bushes that seems to separate two yards may sit entirely on one person’s property.

Relying on these visible features when planning a fence or garage is risky. If your new structure ends up on a neighbor’s land, you are responsible for relocating it, regardless of what fence you followed.

When a Boundary Survey Becomes the Most Reliable Option

When records and markers are not clear enough to build with confidence, a boundary survey is the most reliable next step.

A licensed surveyor researches the recorded documents for your property and the surrounding lots. They locate existing corner monuments, take precise measurements, and calculate the legal boundary locations using current survey methods and equipment. The result is a survey document that shows the verified boundary lines and the location of any improvements relative to those lines.

According to the National Society of Professional Surveyors, boundary disputes are among the most common legal issues involving residential property. Many of those disputes could have been avoided with a survey completed before construction began.

A boundary survey is especially important before building along a shared line. This includes fences, garages, sheds, and driveways placed near the lot edge. Survey costs are almost always less than the cost of moving a structure placed in the wrong spot.

Avoiding Costly Placement Mistakes Before Construction Begins

Building in the wrong location creates problems that are hard to undo. A fence that crosses onto a neighbor’s property can trigger a legal dispute and may need to be removed and rebuilt. A garage placed too close to the property line may not pass a permit inspection, especially in areas with minimum setback requirements. A driveway that encroaches on neighboring land can complicate future real estate transactions for both properties.

These situations all share the same root cause. The property owner did not confirm the boundary location before construction started. Checking property lines early, whether through existing records, corner markers, or a boundary survey, protects the investment being made in the improvement.

Beyond the financial risk, boundary mistakes also put a strain on relationships with neighbors. These disputes are hard to resolve and can affect how you feel at home for years. Taking the time to confirm property lines before any construction begins avoids that outcome from the start.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I find my property lines before building a fence or garage? Start by reviewing any surveys, plats, deeds, or subdivision records that came with your property. You can also look for iron pins or corner monuments at the edges of your lot. If those steps leave uncertainty, a boundary survey from a licensed surveyor provides the most reliable confirmation of where your property lines are.

Can I use an existing fence to determine where my property line is? No, not reliably. Many fences are placed inside the property line or were installed without a survey. A fence reflects where the previous owner chose to put it, not where the legal boundary actually sits. Using a fence as a reference for new construction can lead to placement errors.

What are property corner markers? Property corner markers are physical monuments, usually iron pins or rods, placed at the corners of a lot during a survey. Surveyors use them to locate and verify boundary lines. They have legal standing and should never be moved or removed.

When should I order a boundary survey before construction? A boundary survey is worth ordering before building any improvement close to a property line, including fences, garages, sheds, additions, and driveways. The earlier in the planning process you confirm the boundary location, the less risk there is of building in the wrong spot.

Why is verifying property lines important before construction starts? Confirming property lines before building helps prevent encroachments onto neighboring land, supports accurate permit applications, and reduces the chance of disputes with neighbors. It also protects you from the cost of relocating a structure that was placed in the wrong location.

“Good Fences Make Good Neighbors”

Know Where Your Property Line is Located

A large portion of the calls I get are from homeowners wanting to know where their property line is to build a fence, or check whether their neighbor’s fence, or other improvement, is over the line. Knowing where your property lines are on your property is one of the most important things to know when planning for a fence.

While most fence contractors will require you to have a surveyor come out and mark the property lines before they start, some contractors will try to do this themselves. Skipping this step can cost you more than the fence cost. Even though the article writer (no name given) said that “hopefully, you won’t have to hire a surveyor” you should heed my advice on this one, get a surveyor to find and mark your corners.

Fences Usually Cost More Than a Survey

The writer also said that “a full survey could cost more than the fence.” From my experience, a fence can run anywhere from $10/linear foot for chainlink, to $20/linear foot for a wood privacy fence, or higher for more elaborate or ornate fences. Most lot line surveys, for less than an acre lot, will run anywhere from $400 to $600. In my area, I see them normally at about $500 max if the pins are still in. You’d have to have a pretty short cheap fence to cost less than a survey. AND, who wants to move the fence when you find the corners your contractor marked are wrong.

Surveying Cost Savings

If you want to save some money, do the research for the surveyor before you call to get a price. You should get a copy of your deed, scan it to PDF of take a legible photo of it. And, if you live in a subdivision, get a copy of the subdivision plat that is recorded in the Probate Office. Sometimes you can get the Probate office to email this to you. You should send all of your research to the surveyor.

I want to add that a “good fence” is built along the property line. THAT will make good neighbors. Sometimes it has to be 14 feet high, barbed and electric. If you need to know where your property lines are located for a fence or for any reason, call a land surveyor.

To talk about your fence construction job, call Knoxville Land Surveying at (865) 249-0447 today.

Land Surveyors are professionals who make precise measurements to determine the size and boundaries of a piece of real estate.  While this is a simplistic definition, boundary surveying is one of the most common types of surveying related to home and land owners. If you fall into the following categories, please click on the appropriate link for more information on that subject:

Knoxville Land Surveying services:

1. 1. I need to know where my property corners or property lines are. (Boundary Survey)
   2. I have a loan closing or re-finance coming up on my home in a subdivision. (Lot Survey)
   3. I need a map of my property with contour lines to show elevation differences for my architect or engineer. (Topo Survey)
   4. I’ve just been told I’m in a flood zone or I’ve been told I need an elevation certificate in order to obtain flood insurance or prove I don’t need it. (Flood Survey)
   5. I’m purchasing a lot/house in a recorded subdivision. (Lot Survey – See Boundary Survey if you’re not in a subdivision.)
   6. I’m purchasing a larger tract of land, acreage, that hasn’t been subdivided in the past. (Boundary Survey)

Contact Knoxville Land Surveying services TODAY at (865) 249-0447.

A Licensed Land Surveyor

When hiring a land surveyor, you have to make sure that he is duly licensed by your state. A “licensed” land surveyor means he was able to complete his studies, passed all exams and is certified to perform specific types of land surveys.

Hiring a licensed land surveyor is especially important if there is a dispute over a certain area of a property as the court would be asking for the current boundary survey result as well as testimony from a licensed land surveyor. With this being said, you also have to make sure that the surveyor you’re going to hire can also stand as an expert witness in court.

Looking for a Licensed Land Surveyor

If your property has been surveyed before, it would be easier for you to contact that land surveyor again. This is the best option for several reasons; he already has all information about your property, making it easier for him to perform a new type of survey.

You can typically find your land surveyor’s information on the survey result given to you (if you’ve bought the property from somebody, for instance) or the result given to you by the surveyor himself.

If incase you don’t have the result on you, you can also check the markers put in place by the surveyor during the last survey done on your property. These markers, which looks like pegs, has he surveyor’s license number/ name on it. You can use these information to find the surveyor online.

If you can’t find the surveyor who worked on your property before, or if the property has never been surveyed, you should easily find a land surveyor in your area (for a land surveyor in the Knoxville area, Davison County and surrounding areas, click here).

Important Points to Remember when Hiring a Boundary Surveyor

• As mentioned, make sure that he or she is a licensed land surveyor.

• He or she should have experience in performing boundary survey. If you’re going to pay somebody, you’d rather have someone who had done it before, right?

• Look for someone easy to talk to. Communication is very important when hiring a land surveyor. You see, surveying is more of an art than a science – this is why land surveying results vary. It’s important that your surveyor understand why you’re having the survey, what you’re going to use the results for and how soon you’ll be needing the results.

For boundary surveying services in the Knoxville, TN and Knox County area of Tennessee, call us at (615) 645-1404 or fill out our contact form here.