Commercial Survey
Types

Elevation Certificates
An elevation certificate provides documentation as to where improvements sit on the land according to the FEMA 100 year flood zone. This certificate can be used to help lower insurance flood rates for the owner.

Topographic Surveys
Topographic Surveys show the elevations of a property using contour lines. 
B. S. I usually uses 2' contours (unless the client request differently). Topographic surveys are necessary for builder's wishing to make site improvements. Although B. S. I. can include additional information at the client's request, a basic topographic survey shows all existing improvements in addition to the contour information.

Examples:
Elevation Datum
There are two different ways B. S. I. can show the contours. One way and the least expensive way, is to start at an assumed elevation. An example is to pick a reference point like the finished floor elevation of the house and assign it an elevation of 100 feet, every thing that is equally high would have the 100 foot contour line running through it and everything 2 feet lower than the finished floor would have the 98 foot contour line running through that and so forth.

MEAN SEA LEVEL
The other way to show the elevation is to tie it into mean sea level. This is a standard that most public maps use. In the Atlanta area the elevations range is around 900 to 1,100 feet above sea level. B.S.I. can place a site on M.S.L. using state of the art G.P.S.  For more information on Vertical Datum’s (Mean Sea Level) see the official National Geodetic Survey website.

Tree survey
A tree survey is exactly that, a survey off all the trees on the property. The size (diameter at Breast height), and the type of trees are shown on the survey.

As-Built Surveys
As-built surveys show the location of all existing improvements on a property. This includes parking areas, buildings, sewer locations, storm systems, etc. This survey can sometimes be performed once a construction project has completed. It shows that every thing was built per plan and is sometimes needed for the Local Municipality to "sign off" . Many counties will require an As-built survey before they will issue a certificate of occupancy.

Boundary Surveys
Boundary surveys define the area of a property by re-establishing the property lines. This is sometimes needed for both Residential and Commercial properties. The process is a combination of research (usually at the appropriate County Courthouse) and data acquired in the field. The final product is a drawing detailing the property. Iron pins are placed or flagged at all corners.

Getting a Boundary Survey gives you maximum information about your property.
A Boundary Survey may show:

*Improvements on the property
*Building lines
*Encroachments
*Sewer lines
*Location of fences, driveways, etc.
*Utilities
*Perimeter and Acreage of the property
*Flood zone information
*Drainage pipes
*Easements

Site Plan
A site plan is a pre-construction survey that shows the placement of the proposed house in relation to the property. B. S. I.’s site plan will meet the requirements for the county or city for submittal. The price for the survey will vary depending on which government authority has jurisdiction for the property and their specific requirements. For the city of Atlanta, they require a tree survey, a topographic survey, a boundary survey, a grading plan and erosion control, tree recompense, etc. All of this is shown on 1 or 2 sheets for submittal.  For more information, you can see the City of Atlanta website. However, each municipality has their own requirements. After the plan has been approved we can handle all of your construction staking needs.