The two documents
Closings need a signed plat and a written legal description. That is the work.
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The plat
The drawing: lines, corners, and what the survey found. Title companies, lenders, and the Register of Deeds use it. Engineers use it as a base map when the job is topographic or ALTA.
PDF for the file. Wet-ink (signed and sealed on paper) when the Register of Deeds needs a paper original. CAD on request — it is not the closing document.
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The legal description
The written description of the tract — metes-and-bounds when that is the form. Closing attorneys and title companies put it in the deed or easement. The surveyor writes the description; counsel records the instrument.
Delivered with the plat when it is part of the scope. A description without a survey behind it is not the product.
How it works
Address and deed first. Documents last.
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Send address & deed
County, street or tax parcel, and the deed or title commitment if you have it. Need-by date if a closing is set.
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Research
Deeds, recorded plats, and adjoining records so the field work starts from the record.
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Field
On-site measurements, monument recovery, and new corners when the job calls for them.
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Plat & description
The drawing and, when scoped, the written legal description.
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PDF
PDF for the file. Wet-ink if the Register of Deeds needs a paper original.
Document types
Each job is a document — except staking-only, which is quoted that way on purpose.
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Boundary / property line
Plat plus legal description when scoped. Lines, corners, and related easements for owners, attorneys, and title work.
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ALTA/NSPS
Plat to current ALTA/NSPS standards for commercial closings, lenders, and title. Table A items as requested. Description when scoped.
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Topographic
Plat of elevations, contours, and site features for design. CAD on request. Not a closing description unless that is a separate scope.
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Easement / right-of-way exhibits
Exhibit drawing and, when scoped, a legal description of the easement or right-of-way. PDF; sealed where required.
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Construction staking — limited product
Field layout from approved plans. When quoted as staking-only: no plat, no description. If you need a plat or a legal description, that is a survey job, not staking-only.
FAQ
You’re in Alabama. Can you survey in Tennessee?
Yes. The practice is licensed in Tennessee — PLS 3424. Correspondence is 1320 McKinley Ave NE, Huntsville, AL 35801: a street address, not a virtual mailbox. Tennessee work is performed under the Tennessee license. There is no second “Tennessee office,” and none is claimed. Verify the license.
What should I send?
County, property address or tax parcel, the survey type if you know it, a need-by date if a closing is set, and the title company or attorney name if one is already on the file. Attach the deed, title commitment, or a prior plat if you have it.
How long does it take?
It depends on the county records, the site, and what the closing needs. I will say what I can do after I have the address and the deed. This page does not quote a standard turnaround.
PDF or wet-ink?
PDF is the file copy. Wet-ink (signed and sealed on paper) when the Register of Deeds needs a paper original. Say which you need when you write.
Is staking a survey plat?
No. Staking-only is field layout from approved plans: no plat, no description on that quote.