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General Land Surveying

A land survey is a professional measurement and legal determination of a property's boundaries, dimensions, and features. A licensed surveyor uses recorded documents and field measurements to establish the actual location of property lines.

You need a survey when buying or selling land, resolving a boundary dispute, applying for a building permit, subdividing a parcel, or securing financing on commercial real estate. A survey confirms that what you own matches what is described in your deed.

Cost depends on the survey type, parcel size, terrain, and availability of prior survey records. Contact Sawtooth Land Surveying with your parcel information for a project-specific quote.

A standard residential boundary survey typically takes one to three weeks from order to delivery, accounting for research, fieldwork, and drafting. Larger parcels, remote terrain, or complex records can take longer.

A boundary survey establishes the legal lines of a property. A topographic survey maps the shape of the land, including elevation changes and drainage features. Many development projects require both.

It is not legally required, but it is strongly recommended. Without a current survey, you may not know where the boundaries are, whether encroachments exist, or whether the parcel matches the deed description.

A surveyor can locate existing monuments and review prior records, but only a formal boundary survey with a stamped plat is legally defensible. Informal opinions do not hold up in a boundary dispute.

Do not move or remove it. Survey monuments are protected under Idaho law, and their disturbance is a misdemeanor. Contact a licensed surveyor to identify it before any ground disturbance.

ALTA / Commercial Surveys

An ALTA/NSPS survey is a nationally standardized boundary and location survey required for most commercial real estate transactions. It documents boundaries, improvements, easements, utilities, and access conditions to the level required by lenders and title insurers.

ALTA surveys are required by most lenders and title companies as a condition of closing on commercial property purchases, refinances, and ground leases.

An ALTA survey follows national minimum standards that are more comprehensive than a typical boundary survey. It includes specific required elements and optional items from Table A, such as utilities, parking counts, and building setbacks.

3D Site Modeling

3D site modeling is the creation of a digital terrain model from drone and survey data. Engineers and contractors use it to plan grading, drainage, roads, and structures before breaking ground.

When combined with licensed ground control points, drone surveys can achieve horizontal and vertical accuracy within a few centimeters, sufficient for construction planning, cut/fill calculations, and volume estimates.

Sawtooth Land Surveying delivers models compatible with AutoCAD Civil 3D, Carlson Survey, and other major civil engineering platforms. Common deliverables include point clouds, DTMs, TINs, and georeferenced ortho imagery.

No. A 3D site model is a design and planning tool. Property lines must still be established through a licensed boundary survey using legal records and physical evidence.

Construction Surveying

Construction staking is the process of placing physical markers in the field that guide contractors on where to build. It translates the design plans into precise locations on the ground for grading, utilities, structures, and roads.

SmartPave is a machine control system used in paving operations. A SmartPave control survey provides the precise digital data that automated paving equipment uses to maintain grade and alignment without manual staking at every point.

Yes. Sawtooth Land Surveying provides quantity calculations for earthwork and materials as part of construction survey services, giving project managers the data they need for bidding and progress tracking.

Construction Takeoffs

A construction takeoff is a detailed estimate of all materials and quantities required for a construction project, based on a review of the project plans and specifications. Accurate takeoffs are used for budgeting, procurement, and ensuring projects stay on schedule and within cost.

An excavation takeoff calculates the volumes of soil to be cut, filled, imported, or exported on a project site. It is a specialized type of takeoff that requires precise survey data to produce reliable volume estimates.

Sawtooth Land Surveying delivers takeoffs as detailed reports that can be integrated directly into project estimates and schedules. Contact us to discuss format requirements for your specific project.

Sawtooth Land Surveying offers both services together. The 3D site model captures existing ground conditions, and the takeoff uses that data to calculate material volumes. This integrated approach produces more accurate estimates than takeoffs based solely on assumptions.

Flood and FEMA Services

A flood certificate (also called an Elevation Certificate) documents the elevation of a structure relative to the base flood elevation established by FEMA. Lenders typically require one for properties in or near a flood zone.

A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is an official FEMA document that removes a specific property or structure from a Special Flood Hazard Area when survey data shows it is naturally at or above the base flood elevation. Sawtooth Land Surveying can provide the survey data needed to support an LOMA application.

Working with Sawtooth Land Surveying

Sawtooth Land Surveying is licensed to provide land surveying services in Idaho and Oregon.

Sawtooth Land Surveying has offices in Emmett and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and serves projects throughout Idaho and Oregon, including the Treasure Valley, North Idaho, and the greater Boise area.

Contact us through the website or by phone. Provide the parcel number or legal description, county, type of survey needed, and any relevant deadlines. The more detail you share upfront, the faster we can return an accurate proposal.

Yes. All survey work is performed under the supervision of a licensed Professional Land Surveyor (PLS), and stamped documents carry a PLS seal as required by Idaho Code.

AI maps, satellite imagery, and online parcel viewers are planning tools; they are not legally defensible and can contain significant boundary errors. Only a licensed land surveyor qualifies for legal, permit, and title purposes.

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