Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do I find a surveyor?
A. There are a number of sources for locating Registered Professional Land Surveyors. One is the link to the PLSO Survey Services Directory on the left side of this page which lists members of PLSO who have asked to be included. This is not a comprehensive list of our members, and does not include Surveyors who are not members of PLSO. Another source is the telephone directory under “Surveyors – Land”. Some County Surveyors maintain a list of Surveyors who have an office or who regularly operate in their County, although County or City employees should not recommend a particular surveyor unless they have unique qualifications necessary to your project.

Q. What will the Surveyor charge me for surveying my land?
A. Rates charges by Surveyors vary widely with the final cost usually determined by the difficulty of the project and time necessary to complete it. Remember that the Surveyor will have to research public land records, perform calculations and prepare maps or plats that are not done on your property and which you only see the end result of.

Q. The Surveyor charged me too much for surveying my land. He did a bad job too. Who do I contact to lodge a complaint?
A. The cost of surveying your land should be the result of a written or verbal agreement before work is started. Final costs are determined by a Fixed Price contract or on an hourly basis. You may not see much of the work a Surveyor has to perform to do a quality job, but the Surveyor should be able to detail the costs. The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon does not have the authority to enforce any laws or arbitrate any agreements you may have had with the Surveyor. Disagreements with costs or the contract must be taken to the Courts. The state board regulating Surveyors, the Oregon State Board of Engineers and Land Surveyors (OSBEELS) also will not deal with disagreements over a contract or prices, but they will investigate complaints of incompetency or poor work and, if justified, take disciplinary action. OSBEELS can be reached at 503-362-2666. More information is available on their web site: http://www.osbeels.org

Q. There is a Surveyor on my property without my permission. He says he has the right to survey and locate monuments but he never told me he was coming. What can I do?
A. Surveyors are permitted to enter private land without permission, however they must attempt to contact the Owner or Occupant beforehand. There is no wording in the Right of Entry law specifying how they must contact the Owner or Occupant. Frequently, this is notice in the form of a door hanger listing who they are and what they are doing. They must cause minimal damage to the property and are responsible for compensating the Owner for any damages they cause. Check the Right of Entry on the left side of this page for more information.