Frequently Asked Questions

When integrated with survey control, our LiDAR captures data with vertical accuracy around an inch.

LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. LiDAR uses laser pulses from a sensor to capture elevation data, enabling the recreation of any 3D surface. In surveying, we use LiDAR to create detailed 3D terrain models across large areas.

Land development, mass grading, site planning, and topographic mapping projects all benefit from fast, high-volume LiDAR scans.

We ask that you provide a title commitment from the title insurance company and a completed ALTA Table A.

ALTA surveys include boundary lines, easements, rights-of-way, building locations, access points, utilities, and more. A completed list of table A items is usually provided that specifies the required information to collect and display on the survey.

An ALTA survey is a comprehensive land survey prepared to standards set by the American Land Title Association and NSPS (National Society of Professional Surveyors).

Title companies, lenders, attorneys, and commercial property buyers often require ALTA surveys during real estate transactions.

Bathymetric surveys are used for volume calculations, erosion studies, environmental permitting, and confirming excavation limits, among others.

A bathymetric survey is a hydrographic survey measuring the depth and shape of a pond, lake, channel, or other body of water.

If you need to know how much volume of material is excavated or remaining on site, you’ll want to schedule a borrow pit survey. This will determine exactly how much material has been removed or still needs to be removed.

A survey crew uses a total station or GPS receiver to perform a grid-like topographic survey across the borrow pit, generating a D 3model for the CAD team to analyze. In the absence of a survey crew, a LiDAR drone is deployed to gather the same information.

While we aid in the pre-development, construction layout, and post-development phases of construction, we do not provide any civil design services. If you’re looking for civil engineering services in one of our markets, we have many top-tier clients we can refer you to!

While boundary surveys are not subject to review, most local jurisdictions require subdivision plats to be reviewed and approved.

For a boundary survey, a plat is produced with an accompanying legal description. During fieldwork, found corners are flagged and corners that are missing are then replaced and recorded as such on the boundary plat.

A boundary survey determines the legal property lines and identifies any encroachments or discrepancies.

A subdivision survey splits a parcel into multiple lots, typically for development or sale.

An as-built survey is a detailed survey conducted after construction to certify that something was properly built as it was designed.

We perform utility as-builts as part of construction close-out to confirm the correct installment of utilities. Foundation as-builts are conducted after a foundation is poured to certify its elevation and slope prior to vertical construction. To ensure our clients are within ADA compliance, we perform ADA Surveys (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) which track the slopes of pedestrian travel paths on site. Lastly, another common construction close-out as-built is basin/UGD as-builts, which are topographic surveys of water detention/retention systems. While those are our core offerings, we do expand that list to other as-builts within our scope.

While some site features can be constructed without a surveyor laying them out, it is not advised. Construction staking drastically reduces the time it takes to layout proposed construction, and it also minimizes costly mistakes that can come from DIY intervention. With sub-inch tolerances, and sometimes within 1/10 of an inch, it is wise to have a surveyor on speed dial.

Contractors, engineers, and site supervisors rely on staking to guide installation of everything including roads, sidewalks, curbs, utilities, buildings, and more.

The flagging colors represent specific categories of site elements to be installed. For example, water is blue, sewer is green, concrete is white, etc. The writing on the stake indicates what the stake is for and what elevation is intended for that feature at that location.

If you have a survey of your home, it should show any easements that fall on your property, unless they were improperly recorded. There are some visual cues that indicate you may have an easement in your yard; if you have powerlines going through your yard, there is likely an electric easement. The same applies for storm drains or other utilities traveling through the property

The purpose of an easement plat is to legally describe the location of access, utility, or drainage rights across a property, given to a 3rd party who has sufficient claims or agreements for conditional use of said land.

A right of way plat is a map that outlines the specific area of land that is designated for public use, such as for roads, utilities, or other infrastructure. It essentially provides a legal record of the land's boundaries and any associated rights of way, ensuring clarity and preventing future disputes. The right of way areas are typically maintained by publicly funded services.

Yes, calling 811 is a legal requirement even if private utility locators are hired.

Quality level A involves physically exposing the utility, often involving potholing to get a visual on the line. Quality level B involves marking the horizontal locations of underground utilities using electromagnetic utility locators and GPRs (Ground Penetrating Radar). Quality level C involves locating visible utility structures such as manholes, valves, hydrants, or other features that indicate the existence of underground utilities. Quality level D simply involves gathering data from historic records such as old surveys or as-built drawings.

Electromagnetic utility locating is a method that uses a transmitter and receiver to detect underground utilities by tracing a signal placed on conductive materials.

Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) is a specialized discipline dedicated to the precise identification, documentation, and analysis of underground utilities. It involves locating, assessing, and detailing the position and condition of subsurface infrastructure such as pipes, conduits, and cables. By delivering reliable utility data early in a project, SUE reduces the risk of unexpected utility conflicts, delays, and costly damage during construction activities.

Metallic utilities such as electrical lines, water lines, gas pipes, and some telecom cables can be located using this method. Some modern utility installers use plastic pipes with conductive tracer wires that emit a signal.

There are two answers to this question. 811 is a free service offered to the public that only locates public utilities on public land. This typically means that their locations stop at the utility meter, and the remaining private portion of the line is not located. If you are looking for private utility location services, you’ve come to the right place. 811 is a free service… Like most free services, it has its flaws. Historically, 811 locations can be unreliable. When it comes to protecting your utilities from damage, would you rather hang your hat on a free service, or be confident with professionals?

Yes, with coordination of our SUE services, we can show utility locations on private property. 811 (Call Before You Dig) is a public service, but they typically only find utilities on public property.

An existing conditions survey includes both topographic data as well as manmade features like curbs, sidewalks, above-ground utilities, signage, and buildings.

We deliver both PDF and CAD formats of our existing conditions surveys.

An elevation certificate documents a building’s elevation relative to the base flood elevation for insurance and permitting.

LOMA and LOMR are Letters of Map Amendment or Revision used to change flood zone designations.

There are two primarily used datums, or models, to generate elevations. NGVD 29 was published in 1929, and the most recent is NAVD 88, published in 1988. As more information has been gathered through development in that time span, a new, more accurate model was established. The average difference between the two in the local coastal area is NAVD 88 is 11 inches lower than NGVD 29. Why is this important to know? FEMA is publishes new flood maps overtime as landscapes continually shift due to natural events.

FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In this context, they are responsible for designating flood zones and publishing Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for the public.

Insurance companies and permitting agencies require elevation certificates from homeowners to qualify for flood insurance and to obtain building permits. If you are planning to buy or build in/near a flood zone, you will be asked, by one of the authorities aforementioned, to provide an official elevation certificate signed by a Profession Licensed Surveyor.

Ground Penetrating Radar works by sending signals into the ground and analyzing the return signals or “echoes” from objects below. The depth and speed at which the signal travels reflect the density of the soil or object in question.

Yes, calling 811 is a legal requirement even if private utility locators are hired.

Quality level A involves physically exposing the utility, often involving potholing to get a visual on the line. Quality level B involves marking the horizontal locations of underground utilities using electromagnetic utility locators and GPRs (Ground Penetrating Radar). Quality level C involves locating visible utility structures such as manholes, valves, hydrants, or other features that indicate the existence of underground utilities. Quality level D simply involves gathering data from historic records such as old surveys or as-built drawings.

Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) is a specialized discipline dedicated to the precise identification, documentation, and analysis of underground utilities. It involves locating, assessing, and detailing the position and condition of subsurface infrastructure such as pipes, conduits, and cables. By delivering reliable utility data early in a project, SUE reduces the risk of unexpected utility conflicts, delays, and costly damage during construction activities.

GPR can locate metallic or non-metallic utilities, voids, tanks, concrete structures, and other anomalies beneath the surface.

There are two answers to this question. 811 is a free service offered to the public that only locates public utilities on public land. This typically means that their locations stop at the utility meter, and the remaining private portion of the line is not located. If you are looking for private utility location services, you’ve come to the right place. 811 is a free service… Like most free services, it has its flaws. Historically, 811 locations can be unreliable. When it comes to protecting your utilities from damage, would you rather hang your hat on a free service, or be confident with professionals?

Depending on the size of the site and our current demands, a model could be generated within a week of receiving the necessary resources.

Civil engineering design plan PDFs and CAD are the two resources we need to produce a grading model.

We support Trimble, Topcon, and other major GPS dozer systems.

With the advent of GPS-enabled grading equipment, the need for surveyors to rough grade dirt is dwindling annually. Grading models enhance grading efficiency, allow for quality checks, and prevent opportunities for human error.

Scanning occurs at normal driving speeds (45mph or less) and dramatically reduces field time on long linear projects.

Yes, when combined with ground control, our mobile LiDAR offers survey-grade results suitable for design.

LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. LiDAR uses laser pulses from a sensor to capture elevation data, enabling the recreation of any 3D surface. In surveying, we use LiDAR to create detailed 3D terrain models across large areas.

Transportation design, corridor mapping, utility layout, and as-built surveys for roads and highways all benefit from mobile LiDAR.

It is used to create scaled site imagery and surface models from aerial photography, supporting services like ALTA surveys and site as-builts.

Photogrammetry is the science and art of stitching and interpreting photographic images to produce models for information conveyance and measurement.

Drones collect data quickly over large or hard-to-reach areas, reducing time and cost while improving safety.

Yes! Often, when a utility easement route is planned, a route survey is conducted to align the proposed easement to the properties that it will pass through.

A corridor survey includes topographic data, property lines, utilities, and other existing features.

Yes, if properly preserved and documented, established control can be used in future project phases. Atlas can perform a simple verification check if there are any concerns with existing control networks.

Even though there is current technology that allows anyone to determine elevation (to some degree), it is not precise, and it is highly advised that a Land Surveyor is hired to set your benchmarks in order to perform the proper checks and balances for liability purposes.

A benchmark is a permanent, known elevation point used as a reference for vertical control on a project.

If you are planning to build in an area with soft soil, you may want to consult a surveyor to perform settlement monitoring on your site. If construction is already underway and you observe settlement occurring, Atlas can monitor the gradual settlement of that building as well.

Traditionally, we provide tabular data depicting the reading values for the duration of the monitoring. Trend lines can also be used to track the rate of change over time.

Frequency depends on project needs but can vary anywhere from 2-3 times per week to once a month.

Topography refers to the study of the forms and features of land surfaces.

There are often protected classes of trees that must be mapped in accordance with county standards. The local municipality will specify their standards. Size requirements vary as well but typically range somewhere between 6” and 24”.

Topographic data is essential for grading design, stormwater planning, and permitting. It gives engineers a starting place for design.

If you are planning to develop or redevelop property, the municipality you reside in may require a tree survey to ensure proper excavation and preservation of existing habitats.

A survey crew uses a total station or GPS receiver to perform a grid-like topographic survey across a borrow pit, stockpile, or dry pond, generating a 3D model for the CAD team to analyze. In the absence of a survey crew, a LiDAR drone is deployed to gather the same information.

We can calculate volumes for stockpiles, borrow pits, and ponds based on surface models created from survey data.

No, Atlas does not flag wetlands directly; however, we do locate wetlands flags that are placed by a qualified wetlands scientist.

If you are planning a development project that might impact a wetland, stream, or shoreline, wetland delineation is often a requirement for obtaining a building permit.

OCRM is South Carolina’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.

A wetland delineation survey maps wetland boundaries identified by an environmental consultant for permitting.