Do I Need a Survey? Boundary Lines, Fences, and What a Title Search Will Not Show

Many buyers assume that ordering title work also confirms where their property lines are. It is a reasonable assumption, but the two things measure different worlds.

A title search lives in the public records. A survey lives on the ground.

Both are valuable, and both are common in Indiana transactions.

Understanding the difference helps you decide whether a boundary survey is worth ordering before you close on a home or a piece of land in east-central Indiana.

What a Title Search Actually Examines

A title search reviews the recorded history of a property. It focuses on ownership and the rights and obligations that follow the land through the public records.

A typical search can examine:

• Recorded ownership and the chain of prior deeds
• Outstanding mortgages
• Liens and judgments
• Easements and rights of way
• Restrictions and covenants
• Property-tax information

This work answers questions like who owns the property, what is recorded against it, and what the legal description says on paper.

What it does not do is walk the land and measure it. A title search reads the record; it does not stake the corners.

What Only an On-the-Ground Survey Can Show

A boundary survey is field work. A licensed land surveyor uses the legal description and recorded evidence to locate where the property lines and corners actually fall on the earth.

A survey can show things a records search simply cannot, including:

• Where the true corners of the parcel are located
• Whether a fence, shed, driveway, or garage sits over a boundary line
• Encroachments running in either direction, onto your land or onto a neighbor's
• Whether the improvements match the recorded legal description
• Discrepancies between the deeded acreage and what is actually on the ground

These are physical facts about the land. They live outside the courthouse and can only be confirmed by someone measuring the property.

That is why a survey and a title search work best together rather than as substitutes for each other.

Why Fences Are the Most Common False Boundary

If there is one feature that fools people about property lines, it is the fence.

A fence looks permanent and official. It is easy to assume it was placed exactly on the boundary. In practice, fences are often built where they were convenient at the time.

A fence may have been set a few feet inside the true line to make mowing easier. It may have been built on a neighbor's land by mistake. It may follow an old agreement that no longer matches the current records.

The same can be true of a hedge row, a tree line, a gravel drive, or a garden edge that has marked the "boundary" in a family's mind for years.

Only an on-the-ground survey can confirm where the recorded lines fall relative to a fence, and a licensed surveyor is the person who makes that call.

The Survey Exception on a Title Commitment

When you receive a title commitment, you may notice a general exception that refers to matters an accurate survey would disclose.

This survey exception is common. It generally covers items such as encroachments, boundary conflicts, overlaps, and shortages in area that could show up if the land were measured.

Because those matters are not visible in the public records, the title commitment often notes that they are not being addressed unless a survey is provided.

Removing or adjusting that exception generally involves supplying a current survey for review. In many transactions, that is where the decision to order a survey comes into focus.

Empire Title can point out the survey exception and explain what the records show, but a licensed land surveyor is the one who sets the corners.

When a Survey Is Especially Worth Considering

Not every purchase calls for a survey, and this article does not give legal advice about your specific situation. Still, some circumstances make a survey more worth considering than others.

You may want to ask about a survey when:

• You are buying rural acreage where corners are hard to find
• The parcel is the result of a recent split or division
• A fence, shed, or other outbuilding sits close to a line
• You plan to add a pool, fence, or addition after closing
• The legal description reads by metes and bounds rather than a simple lot and block
• The property is part of an older subdivision where lines may have shifted in practice over the decades

Any one of these can be a reason to have the land measured before you commit to plans that depend on the boundaries.

If you are unsure, the title company can review what the records show and recommend that you speak with your attorney or a licensed surveyor.

Who Orders and Pays for the Survey, and When to Ask

Who arranges the survey can vary from one transaction to the next. In many purchases the buyer requests it, since the buyer is the one who will live with the boundaries.

Who pays for it is often a point covered in the purchase agreement, so it is worth confirming with your Realtor or attorney rather than assuming.

The most useful thing you can do is ask early. A survey takes time to schedule and complete, and a licensed surveyor may have a queue of work.

Raising the question at the beginning of the transaction gives everyone room to order the survey and review it without pressure.

Bringing it up the week of closing can lead to a rushed decision, a delay, or a survey exception that stays on the policy simply because there was no time to address it.

What to Do With the Survey After You Have It

A survey is only useful if you read it. Once you receive it, take time to compare it against what you believed you were buying.

Look at where the corners fall, whether the improvements sit within the lines, and whether any fence, drive, or outbuilding crosses a boundary in either direction.

If the survey shows an encroachment or an acreage difference, that is the moment to ask questions rather than after closing. Your attorney can advise you on how a particular finding affects your purchase.

If everything lines up, keep the survey with your closing documents. It can be helpful later when you build a fence, plan an addition, or sell the property.

A survey answers a question a title search cannot, and having it in hand can save a great deal of guessing down the road.

Two Tools, One Clear Picture

A title search protects you from what is recorded against the land. A survey shows you where the land actually is.

Used together in Wayne County and throughout east-central Indiana, and sometimes across the line in west-central Ohio, they give buyers and sellers a clear picture of both the paper and the property before closing day.

Frequently Asked Questions