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 A practical guide to survey markers for the homeowner, the handyman and the contractor.
Click here to view the brochure on boundary markers. Copies of Association brochures can also be ordered using our on-line form.
Survey Evidence is Serious Business
What is survey evidence?
Protected by the Law
Homeowners Beware — don't throw away the marker!
Handymen and landscapers beware — if the pin is in the way — don't move it!
Contractors be careful — machinery easily destroys survey evidence
Repairing the damage
More information
Survey evidence is serious business
Marking of property boundaries, the exclusive responsibility of Alberta
Land Surveyors, is a very complex and highly specialized activity. It
is critical that boundaries be determined and marked accurately so it
is clear where properties begin and end.
Landowners need to know where property boundaries are. Without
owners knowing boundary locations buildings could be on property lines,
it could be difficult to meet set-back requirements, neighbours could
build on the wrong side of the line, and safety problems could occur
with construction over gas lines or other utility rights-of-way.
The Torrens Land Registration system used in Alberta involves the
recording of legal land descriptions based upon precise location of
boundary markers provided by legal surveys. Thanks to this registration
system and the recording of boundary information, development occurs
easily and transfer of property is simplified as few problems occur
when ownership of land changes.
 What is survey evidence?
A new boundary is created every time land is divided to form a lot,
roadway or utility right-of- way. The new boundary must be precisely
determined. When a boundary is determined, an Alberta Land Surveyor
typically inserts a one metre-long metal pin at the exact intersection
of property lines. The location of these pins is marked on survey plans
registered at Land Titles. These pins or markers are called survey
evidence.
In historic times, other means were used instead of metal pins —
wooden posts, piles of rocks, or mounds of dirt. Over time, many of
these markings have disappeared. When these boundaries have to be
re-established, extensive research must be undertaken including
measurements from the nearest locatable survey marker.
Accurately placed boundary markers are essential. Landowners can be
confident the boundaries of their property, roadways, pipelines or
other public improvements are precisely marked. Also persons such as
contractors, needing to know where boundaries are, can find accurate
reference points.
Protected by the law
Because of their significance, the Surveys Act of Alberta carefully
regulates boundary markers. The law not only provides for the
establishment of survey markers but also for the consequences of
removal or tampering with them.
It is illegal to remove or tamper with an official boundary marker.
Tampering with boundary markers can result in fines up to $10,000. A
British Columbia man was recently sentenced to one year in jail for
tampering with survey evidence.
Homeowners beware — don't throw away the marker!
A homeowner may wish to find exact boundary locations to build a
fence or construct a building. In addition to the difficulty of finding
pins, there is often more than one in an area or none at all. Some pins
may not relate to the homeowner’s property boundary at all, but to
roads, rights-of-way or other land related measurements. It is
recommended that the homeowner ask an Alberta Land Surveyor to identify
the correct boundaries so that mistakes are not made.
Unsuspecting landowners may find a pin and thinking it just a piece
of metal left over from construction — dig it out and throw it away.
They do not recognize their mistake until some future date when they
are charged or have to pay the considerable cost of re-measuring
boundaries and inserting a new pin.
Handymen and landscapers beware —if the pin is in the way — don't move it!
If the survey pin is just where that fence post should be — please
build around it. The cost of replacing a survey marker could be as much
as the cost of the fence, driveway or landscaping in the first place.
Contractors be careful — machinery easily destroys survey evidence
Contouring, grading, fencing, road building and other work with heavy
equipment is a common  cause of destroyed survey evidence. Grading along
the boundaries of a lot, road, subdivision or pipeline right-of-way can
result in hundreds of survey pins being moved or destroyed.
An Alberta Land Surveyor has to be retained to re-measure and
re-establish the destroyed markers. It adds to the cost of construction
and, in the end, to the amount the consumer must pay.
The easiest way to avoid the problem is to ensure that the metal
pins are clearly identified prior to any earth moving activity so that
machinery can avoid them. Check with the Alberta Land Surveyor working
on the site and ask for markers to be "referenced" so that they can
easily be replaced after construction.
Repairing the damage
When survey evidence is destroyed, it is often quite costly to
re-establish — costs range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. An
Alberta Land Surveyor must re-determine boundaries by measuring from
the closest survey evidence that can be located. In some areas, the
nearest evidence may be blocks away or, in rural areas, miles away.
Once the measuring has been completed, a new pin can be put into the
ground. Also, a new plan of survey must be prepared and filed at Land
Titles.
More information
Contact an Alberta Land Surveyor or the Alberta Land Surveyors’ Association.
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