When a Survey Appears on Your Property Without Warning
Every week, homeowners write in with questions that feel both urgent and confusing. One of the most common involves unexpected survey markers. It is jarring to walk outside and discover orange flags or wooden stakes in the corners of your yard, especially when you did not authorize a survey. It raises questions about privacy, legality, and whether something is happening to your property behind your back.
A recent consumer wrote, “I went outside yesterday to find that my property had been surveyed and there are markers on the corners of my property. I didn’t order this survey. So I wonder if it’s legal for someone else to have my property surveyed and how can I find out who ordered it?”
The good news is that most of the time there is a straightforward explanation. The key is understanding when a survey is allowed and what your next steps should be.
When a Survey Is Legal Without Your Permission
There are circumstances where someone can perform a survey on your property legally. The most common reason is an easement. An easement is a legal right that allows another party to access a portion of your property for a specific purpose. Utility companies, municipalities, and county agencies often hold easements for power lines, sewer lines, drainage, or public access.
If a utility provider or a county department needs to inspect underground lines, update mapping, prepare for maintenance, or evaluate property boundaries affecting public infrastructure, they generally do have the right to enter your property to complete that work.
In fact, many counties across the United States specify easement access in property deeds. The United States Energy Information Administration notes that more than two million miles of utility lines run across private properties nationwide, which makes periodic surveying a routine and necessary activity. A link to their infrastructure overview can be found here: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts
In these situations, the survey is lawful even without knocking or leaving a notice, although most surveyors will give a courtesy alert if someone is home.
When a Survey May Be Trespassing
If there is no easement and a private party ordered a survey on your property without your permission, that can cross into trespassing. Land surveyors typically follow professional standards that require them to seek consent before entering private land. Many states outline these rules through their licensing boards or state surveyor associations.
A neighbor, developer, or contractor cannot simply hire someone to enter your land for a boundary or construction survey unless state law provides specific allowances, and many states require at minimum an effort to notify the property owner. If you discover survey stakes and no one contacted you, do not remove them yet. First determine who put them there and why.
How to Find Out Who Ordered the Survey
The easiest path is to contact your county planning or zoning department. They can tell you whether any public entity ordered recent survey work in your area, whether your property lies within a mapped easement, or whether boundary adjustments are underway for public purposes such as road widening or sewer maintenance.
Next, reach out to your utility providers. Gas, electric, water, and telecommunications companies frequently survey land before upgrades or repairs. Their engineering or field services departments can confirm whether they recently dispatched a survey crew.
If neither the county nor utilities claim responsibility, you can contact local land survey firms directly. Survey companies keep internal project logs and can often identify the project based on the location.
Once you know who ordered the survey, you will have a clear path to determine whether the work was authorized or whether you should file a trespassing complaint or seek legal consultation.
What Homeowners Should Do Now
Finding survey markers on your property is surprising, but the explanation is usually more practical than alarming. Start by checking for public easements, then contact your county and utilities. With that information, you can determine whether the work was lawful or whether further action is needed.
Knowing your rights helps you stay informed and in control of what happens on your property. If you ever face an unexpected survey, treat it as a prompt to get answers, not a reason to panic.