Fence Line Survey Cedartown GA | S&S Land Surveying

What a Fence Line Survey Is

A fence line survey is a boundary survey put to one specific purpose: building a fence in the right place. There is no separate legal instrument in Georgia called a fence survey. What people mean by the term is the work that finds your true property line and makes it visible on the ground, so a fence crew can build to it instead of guessing.

That work has two parts. First a licensed surveyor establishes where the line actually falls. That is a boundary survey, and it is the part that carries the legal weight, because it settles the line from the deed record and the monuments in the ground. Second, the line is made visible so you can see it and follow it. That is property line marking, done with stakes, flags, or paint along the run of the line.

This page is the starting point when your reason for calling is a fence. It is not the place we re-explain how a boundary is retraced, because the boundary survey page already covers that in full. Think of a fence line survey as the fence-owner's entry point that routes you to the survey your project actually needs. If you want the wider background first, our post on whether you need a survey before building a fence walks through it in plain language.

The reason it matters is that the fence already standing is almost never on the line. Old fences, hedgerows, and tree lines were set where the ground was clear or where they were easy to mow around, not by measurement. Build a new fence along one of those and you can end up several feet onto a neighbor's land, or several feet inside your own. S&S Land Surveying LLC works out of 549 West Ave in Cedartown and handles fence line work throughout Polk, Floyd, Bartow, Paulding, Carroll, Haralson, Douglas, and Gordon counties, and across the wider northwest Georgia and metro Atlanta region.

Why a Fence Needs One

Boundary disputes. Building along an existing fence, hedge, or tree line can put your new fence on your neighbor's property, because none of those were placed by measurement. Moving a fence after it is built costs far more than locating the line before you start.
Setbacks and corner sight lines. Some Georgia cities and counties require a fence to sit a certain distance off the line, or clear of the sight triangle at a street corner. Those rules are local and vary by jurisdiction. We locate the line so you can measure your setback from a known point rather than a guess.
HOA and subdivision rules. Many subdivisions require written approval before a fence goes up, along with a drawing showing where it will sit, its height, and its material. A located line, and sometimes a site plan built on it, is often exactly what an architectural committee wants to see.

How the Process Works

Tell us it is for a fence. Say what you are building and where. We work backward from the fence to the smallest survey that puts it in the right place, and we will tell you if your parcel needs a full boundary survey first or only its line marked.
We research the record. We pull your deed and the recorded plats for your parcel and the ones next to it, because your line is also your neighbor's line and both descriptions have to agree.
We recover or set the corners. Our crew looks for the existing iron pins and monuments that fix your corners and measures them with GPS and total station equipment. Where a corner is missing, we set one. If the parcel has never been surveyed, the boundary survey establishes the corners before anything is marked.
We mark the line. With the corners fixed, we stake, flag, or paint the line between them so your fence installer can build straight to it. You can see the line you are paying to protect.
You build to a known line. We locate and mark the line. We do not install fences, so you keep the freedom to hire whichever fence contractor you like, working from a line a licensed Georgia surveyor put on the ground.

Why Choose S&S Land Surveying

40+ Years Experience

Founder William "Bart" Sims brings four decades of surveying experience to residential fence work.

4.9 Stars, 50+ Reviews

Rated 4.9 out of 5 by 50+ Google reviewers across northwest Georgia.

Georgia Licensed

Plats and located lines are backed by a licensed Georgia land surveyor.

Scoped to the Fence

We match the work to your fence project instead of selling a survey larger than you need.

Fence Line Survey FAQ

Can I build a fence right on the property line?

Sometimes, but it depends on more than the survey. A fence built directly on a shared line is a division fence that sits on both owners' land, so it usually calls for your neighbor's cooperation. Some Georgia cities and counties also set fence rules through local ordinances, including how close to a line or a street corner a fence may sit. We locate and mark the true line so you know exactly where it is. Confirm on-the-line placement and any setback with your local code office, and for a shared fence with your neighbor.

What if my neighbor disagrees with the line?

A boundary survey signed and sealed by a licensed Georgia surveyor is objective evidence of where the line falls. It is drawn from the deed record and the monuments in the ground rather than from either side's memory. We provide that plat. Whether a disagreement is then settled by agreement, a recorded boundary line agreement, or through legal counsel is a legal matter rather than a survey one, and we can supply the sealed plat the parties or an attorney rely on.

Do I need one for a fence permit?

Some Georgia cities and counties ask for a survey or a site plan before they will issue a fence permit, and others do not require a permit for a residential fence at all. Requirements are local, so check with your city or county permitting office first, then bring us what they ask for. If a drawing is required, that is a site plan built on the located line.

Can you locate the buried utilities before I dig the post holes?

No. Locating what is buried under your yard is not surveying. Before any digging in Georgia, call 811 for the free utility locate service, which marks public utility lines. Privately owned lines and the soil conditions in your post holes are subsurface and geotechnical work. We will say so and point you to a utility locator or a geotechnical specialist rather than guess at what is underground.

Related Services

A fence project routes to the survey work below. The boundary survey establishes the line, and property line marking makes it visible on the ground:

Boundary Surveys Property Line Marking Property Surveys Site Plans Residential Land Surveys

Fence Line Surveys in Georgia