A Message From The Founder

Thank you for visiting our website. Whether you need to hire a land surveyor or you want to learn more about land surveying (geomatics) in general, you've come to the right place. Many people don't know the specifics of what a land surveyor does and how it benefits them. We hope to clarify that for you.

What Monument Can Do For You

Monument Land Surveying is a family-owned business based in Dallas, Oregon. Our central location allows us to offer land surveying services all over the great State of Oregon. You can count on Monument to provide you with monumental services that are professional, reliable, accurate, cost effective, timely and friendly. We'll treat you and your project with respect and we won't surprise you with hidden charges.

We take on all kinds of projects, big and small. Whether you just need your corners found, or to develop a large subdivision plat, or anything in-between, we can help. We'll be there for you from beginning to end because quality customer service is vital.

What Is Land Surveying?

In a nutshell, land surveying is the science of measuring and mapping land.

Land surveyors perform boundary retracement surveys to show you where your property is. We perform title surveys for real estate transactions. We map the topography of land for engineering and architectural design. We layout buildings, parking lots and utilities as designed so construction contractors can build them. We certify that structures and improvements are built according to design. We establish elevations for flood insurance. We establish lot and parcel layouts for subdivisions and partitions. We write property descriptions that are used to convey parcels of land.

Monument Land Surveying offers a wide range of services covering most aspects of land surveying. We also have the education and experience to back it up.

Can You Survey My Property For $200?

It is a common misconception that a survey can cost $200 or less. A true survey requires more than just "looking through that camera thing". When you bought your home, you may have seen documents that called for a $200 fee (more or less) for a "survey". Unfortunately, that "survey" is nothing more than a Mortgage Location Report which only verifies that your house is actually on the parcel you are purchasing.

Most surveyors in our area charge at least $120 per hour for a two-person field crew and $40 to $100 for an office person, depending on skill level. As you can see, $200 really only affords us enough time to do some initial internet-based research and maybe a quick 30-minute field trip to search for monuments.

As a company, we have a choice: we can use older, inexpensive equipment that takes more people and time to perform the work -- or we can purchase very expensive modern equipment that allows one person to work faster. Add to that employee salaries, insurance, liability and other business expenses, and you can see the reasoning behind rate determination.

At Monument Land Surveying, we have calculated our expenses down to a science, allowing us to develop very competitive rates.

What Qualifies You To Be A Land Surveyor?

To legally provide surveying services in Oregon, you must be licensed by the State or work under the direct supervision of someone who is. Earning your license requires having at least 8 years of education and experience combined. You must also pass two federally-administered examinations and one state-specific exam for each state you want to be licensed in. In addition, you are required by law to continue your education throughout your career in order to maintain an active license status.

Here at Monument Land Surveying, I (Wendell) have met these requirements by attending a college-accredited Land Surveying program from 1986 to 1992 and working in responsible charge for the last 20 years. My experience spans 23 years overall in nearly every aspect of land surveying. I acquired my Oregon license in 1998 and my Arizona license in 2003.