PROPERTY SURVEYS
Your home and property are among the most important investments you will ever make. A professional land survey gives you the accurate information you need to protect that investment—whether you are purchasing, selling, building, making improvements, or resolving a potential boundary concern with a neighbour.
Spade Geomatics provides clear, reliable survey information tailored to your needs, large or small. From locating and marking a single boundary line to completing a full property retracement and registered plan, we deliver the confidence you need to make informed decisions.
When you buy or sell, a survey helps you know exactly where your boundaries are and how all major features—such as buildings, driveways, fences, sheds, pools, or walkways—relate to those boundaries. It also identifies easements, utilities, or rights‑of‑way that may affect how you can use the property today or in the future.
If you are planning improvements such as fencing, landscaping, an addition, a garage, or a pool, a survey confirms that your project is being built on your land and within required setbacks. For properties with shorelines or watercourses, we can also identify the environmental limits that may influence how the surrounding land can be used.
In general, property survey offered by Spade Geomatics Ltd. fall into four main categories, depending on the age of your property and the specific requirements of your project:
-
Lot Staking
-
Location Certificates
-
Boundary Retracement Surveys
-
Subdivision Surveys
With a free consultation from Spade Geomatics, our Professional Land Surveyor will guide you through the process so that you can invest wisely and confidently from the start.
LOT STAKING
For newer properties—typically those surveyed after 1979—there is usually a recorded plan available at the Land Registration Office. Because these plans were completed using modern instruments and tied to provincial control, they provide a reliable and accurate foundation for re‑establishing your property boundaries.
A Lot Staking survey is ideal when you need your property lines clearly marked for practical or project‑related purposes. Using the existing recorded plan, Spade Geomatics can revisit your property, reset survey markers, and stake or flag your boundary lines. In most cases, no new survey plan needs to be drafted, making this a faster and more cost‑effective option for homeowners.
Lot Staking is well‑suited for smaller projects such as fencing, landscaping, deck construction, sheds, garden structures, driveway adjustments, or simply clarifying boundaries when you or your neighbour need to know exactly where the line lies.
LOCATION CERTIFICATES
A Location Certificate provides a clear snapshot of how all existing buildings and improvements sit in relation to your property boundaries. It is often required by lawyers, lenders, real estate professionals, and municipalities during real estate transactions, permit applications, refinancing, or when questions arise about compliance or potential encroachments.
Unlike a full boundary retracement, a Location Certificate does not re‑establish or legally define property boundaries. Instead, it uses the best available boundary information—usually from existing plans, deeds, and field evidnce—to measure and illustrate:
-
The position of your house, garage, deck, and additions
-
Driveways, fences, sheds, pools, and other structures
-
Any encroachments onto or from neighbouring properties
-
Setback compliance and proximity to the property lines
A Location Certificate is best used not to certify the exact location of a boundary, but rather to confirm that specific buildings or improvements are located on the property and comply with municipal setback requirements. This makes it an excellent tool when buying or selling a home, seeking financing, obtaining permits, or planning renovations to an existing structure.
RETRACEMENT SURVEYS
Older properties—especially those that existed before 1979—were often measured using older instruments, magnetic bearings, or defined by deed descriptions based on simple or approximate measurements. In many rural areas, boundaries were never formally surveyed at all; instead, they were described in conveyances and generally accepted as land changed hands. Because of this, the dimensions shown on older plans or deeds may not match what exists on the ground today—meaning your lot may be slightly larger, smaller, or shaped differently than expected.
A Retracement Survey resolves these uncertainties by re‑establishing your boundaries using modern standards, precise measurements, and a careful evaluation of historical and physical evidence. It provides the most accurate and legally defensible determination of where your true property lines lie.
In Nova Scotia, any resurvey of a property that predates 1979 generally requires a new Plan of Survey showing Boundary Retracement. This certified plan is filed at the Land Registration Office and becomes part of the public record, providing clarity and protection for both current and future owners.
A Retracement Survey is a complete modern resurvey of your property. It brings an older parcel up to current professional standards through a structured, evidence‑based process that includes:
-
Detailed historical research of deeds, plans, and archival records
-
Review of neighbouring (abutting) properties to understand adjoining rights and historical conveyances
-
Analysis of the chain of title, showing how the original parcel evolved over time
-
Comprehensive field evidence search, locating old survey markers, fences, stone walls, clearing limits, and other occupation features
-
Professional boundary evaluation, weighing the reliability of all available evidence
-
Precise demarcation and measurement using GNSS, total stations, and provincial control monuments
-
Drafting of a new certified Plan of Survey showing the boundary retracement
-
Recording the plan at the Land Registration Office to formally support your ownership
Retracement Surveys are typically required for:
-
Older rural or urban properties
-
Lots without a modern recorded plan
-
Building permits or development applications
-
Subdivision and consolidation work
-
Boundary concerns with neighbours
-
Legal matters or dispute resolution
By combining documentary research, field evidence, and modern measurement techniques, a Retracement Survey provides a clear, accurate, and legally reliable definition of your property boundaries.
SUBDIVISION SURVEYS
Subdivision Surveys are required when creating new lots, adjusting existing boundaries, or consolidating parcels. The process ensures each resulting lot meets all municipal and provincial requirements for zoning, access, lot size, and servicing. Depending on the location and type of development, subdivision workflows can vary significantly. At a high level, subdivisions fall into three broad categories: urban infill, urban multi‑lot, and rural unserviced subdivisions.
Urban Infill Subdivisions (Serviced Lots)
Urban infill subdivisions involve dividing land within existing neighbourhoods that are already serviced by municipal water, sewer, storm drainage, and road networks.
Because public infrastructure is already in place, the subdivision process is primarily focused on:
-
Ensuring minimum lot area and frontage requirements are met
-
Confirming zoning compliance
-
Reviewing access / driveway requirements
-
Preparing a Subdivision Plan for municipal review and approval
Even for small infill subdivisions, municipalities typically require payment of parkland fees (often 10% of land value or an equivalent amount set by bylaw). These fees support parks, trails, and open‑space improvements within the municipality.
Urban infill subdivisions are generally the most straightforward type, as no new roads or municipal infrastructure are required.
Urban Multi‑Lot Subdivisions (New Roads / Water / Sewer Required)
Larger multi‑lot subdivisions which are serviced by new infrastructure—require a more involved approval and design process in order to provide for some or all of the following:
-
New municipal roads and road widening
-
Underground water, sewer, and storm systems
-
Utility corridors (power, telecom, gas, etc.)
-
Grading plans and stormwater management systems
This type of subdivision requires coordination among the surveyor, engineers, municipal planners, and utility providers. Spade Geomatics prepares the preliminary lot layouts and boundary design while partnering with engineers to prepare servicing, grading, and construction drawings.
Municipalities also require parkland dedication or cash‑in‑lieu fees for multi‑lot subdivisions. This typically amounts to 10% of the total land area or equivalent cash value, depending on the municipal bylaw.
Once infrastructure construction is completed to municipal standards, the final Subdivision Plan is prepared and submitted for approval and registration.
Rural Subdivisions (Unserviced Lots)
Rural subdivisions involve creating new lots in areas that lack municipal water and sewer services. Before a subdivision can be approved, each new lot must demonstrate that it can safely support an on‑site septic system.
This requires:
-
Test pits or percolation (perc) testing
-
A septic suitability assessment by a qualified person
-
Confirmation of appropriate separation distances, groundwater conditions, and soil characteristics
After the allowable lot size is determined based on soil characteristics, Spade Geomatics completes boundary fieldwork, prepares the Subdivision Plan, and guides the application through municipal review and registration. In rural settings the subdivision plan is reviewed by various municipal and provincial agencies to ensure all requirements for driveway access, water and sewer are met. Like urban subdivisions, rural subdivisions often trigger parkland fees, which may be payable as cash‑in‑lieu rather than land dedication—depending on the municipality or rural district.
Complete Subdivision Management
Spade Geomatics provides comprehensive subdivision management services across all subdivision types—urban or rural- to help you successfully navigate the subdivision process, including:
-
Zoning and bylaw review
-
Preliminary lot and road layouts
-
Coordination with planners, engineers, and approving authorities
-
Boundary surveys and fieldwork
-
Preparation of the final Subdivision Plan
-
Submission for municipal approval and Land Registration
-
Guidance on parkland fees, servicing requirements, and regulatory steps
Whether you are creating one infill lot or developing a multi‑lot subdivision, Spade Geomatics ensures your project is accurately defined, compliant with regulations, and positioned for approval.
