Reading symbols on a land survey means working from the legend outward: every drawing labels its own lines and abbreviations, and once you match a symbol to its definition, the rest of the sheet falls into place. Surveys pack boundaries, corner markers, easements, utilities, setbacks, elevations, and physical features into a single page using a shorthand that looks intimidating but follows predictable patterns. Start with the legend, then read the boundary, then work through the layers of information laid over it.
Start with the Legend and Title Block
The legend is the single most important thing on the sheet. It defines every symbol and abbreviation used on that particular drawing, because there is no universal symbol standard across the profession. A dashed line that means “easement” on one survey might mean “overhead wire” on another.1National Society of Professional Surveyors. Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys Before you assume you know what any mark means, find the legend.
Near it sits the title block, usually in a corner. This contains the property address, owner’s name, surveyor’s name and license number, contact information, and the date of the fieldwork. Two more essentials live nearby: the scale, expressed both in words (“1 inch = 20 feet”) and as a graphic bar so the ratio holds up even after photocopying, and the north arrow, which tells you which direction is up on the drawing. Grouped alongside the legend you’ll often find the surveyor’s notes, which explain discrepancies, disclaim the accuracy of underground utilities, and reference recorded documents like easement instruments or subdivision plats.
The Boundary Line and Its Bearings
The boundary is the boldest line on the sheet, drawn as a solid closed shape around the parcel. Each segment carries two labels: a bearing and a distance.
A bearing looks like N 38° 03′ 09″ E, which reads “north, 38 degrees 3 minutes and 9 seconds east.” The first letter tells you whether the line starts from north or south. The angle tells you how far it swings. The last letter tells you which side it swings toward. Degrees, minutes, and seconds work like a clock: 360 degrees in a full circle, 60 minutes in a degree, 60 seconds in a minute. The distance beside the bearing is in feet, occasionally meters, and gives the exact length of that segment.
You’ll see POB (Point of Beginning) marking the starting corner of the legal description. The surveyor traces the boundary from the POB in a loop, and the math has to close back to that point. Some surveys also show POC (Point of Commencement), a reference point used to navigate to the POB rather than a corner of the property itself.
Corner Markers: Found vs. Set
Every place the boundary changes direction has a corner marker. Each abbreviation tells you two things: what physical object is in the ground, and whether the surveyor found it already there or placed a new one during this survey. That distinction matters. A “found” marker confirms the corner was already established. A “set” marker means the surveyor placed a new one, sometimes because the original was missing or destroyed.
- IPF / IPS: Iron Pipe Found / Iron Pipe Set
- IRF / IRS: Iron Rod Found / Iron Rod Set
- CMF / CMS: Concrete Monument Found / Concrete Monument Set
- RBF / RBS: Rebar Found / Rebar Set
- CAP: A stamped aluminum or plastic cap over a rod or pipe, often bearing the surveyor’s license number
When a corner falls somewhere a permanent marker can’t physically go, such as under pavement, in a stream, or inside a wall, the surveyor sets a witness corner (WC) nearby. The notes describe the direction and distance from the witness corner to the actual corner, so the real boundary point can be reconstructed later.
Easements, Rights-of-Way, and Setback Lines
The parallel dashed lines running near or across the property are the ones most likely to trip you up, because they look similar but mean different things.
An easement gives someone other than the owner a legal right to use part of the land for a specific purpose. It appears as a pair of dashed lines with text inside or alongside identifying the type and width. “10′ UE” is a 10-foot utility easement. “20′ D&UE” is a 20-foot drainage and utility easement. Shading or crosshatching sometimes fills the easement area. If your survey shows one, look up the recorded instrument it references to see exactly what’s restricted.
Rights-of-way (R/W or ROW) are a specific kind of easement, most commonly for roads. The R/W line marks the boundary between your property and land reserved for the street. Your property line and the R/W line often coincide, but not always. In some neighborhoods the R/W extends a few feet into what looks like your front yard, meaning you own the land but the municipality controls it for road maintenance, sidewalks, or future widening. In the legal notes, “subject to” (S/T) and “together with” (T/W) describe each owner’s relationship to shared rights-of-way.
Building setback lines (BSL, BRL, or MBS) are thin dashed or dot-dash lines running parallel to the boundary, offset inward by a specific distance. They mark the minimum distance a structure must sit from each property line under local zoning. A typical residential lot might carry a 25-foot front setback, a 10-foot side setback, and a 20-foot rear setback, though the numbers vary widely by zoning district. Setback lines aren’t physical features. They’re regulatory boundaries, and any structure that crosses one generally needs a variance before it can be built.
An encroachment is any improvement, whether a building, fence, driveway, or overhanging roof, that crosses a property line, setback, or easement boundary. Surveyors note encroachments with text callouts and measurements showing how far the feature extends past the line. If a neighbor’s fence sits two feet inside your property, the survey will show that with a dimension and a note.
Utility Lines and Symbols
Utilities cross the survey as dashed, dotted, or specially patterned lines, each with a letter label:
- W: Water line
- S or SS: Sanitary sewer
- SD or STM: Storm drain or storm sewer
- G: Gas line
- E or ELEC: Electrical (underground)
- T or TEL: Telephone or communication line
- OH: Overhead utility line, typically power or communication
Overhead lines usually appear as dashed lines with small circles or dots marking the poles. Underground lines use various dash patterns depending on the surveyor’s conventions, which is another reason to check the legend. Individual features get their own icons: fire hydrants, water valves, manholes, cleanouts, gas meters, and cable pedestals each have small symbols.
One caution: the utility locations shown on a survey are approximate unless the surveyor specifically excavated (potholed) them. Underground utilities are often mapped from surface features like valve covers and meter boxes, so the actual pipe or cable could be several feet from the drawn position.
Contour Lines and Spot Elevations
When the survey includes elevation, contour lines carry most of the information. These are curved brown or gray lines connecting points of equal elevation above a reference datum, usually mean sea level. The vertical difference between adjacent lines is the contour interval, noted somewhere on the sheet, often near the scale.
Two visual cues describe the slope. Closely spaced contour lines mean steep terrain, where the land rises or falls quickly. Widely spaced lines mean gentle slope or nearly flat ground.
Heavier, darker contours are index contours and carry an elevation label. Thinner lines between them are intermediate contours, and you find their elevation by counting up or down from the nearest labeled index line. Depression contours, marking a low spot or basin, have small tick marks pointing inward toward the lower ground.
Spot elevations appear as an “X” or a small dot with a number, giving the exact elevation at one point. They show up at high points, low points, building corners, road centerlines, and anywhere the surveyor wants to flag a specific height. Drainage arrows, small arrowheads along a line, show which way water flows across the property. That matters for construction, because grading that redirects water onto a neighbor’s lot can create legal problems. BM (Benchmark) marks a reference point used for elevation measurements.
Trees, Fences, and Buildings
Surveys map what’s physically on the ground, not just the legal boundary. Trees appear as small circles with radiating lines suggesting a canopy. On detailed surveys, each tree may include a species abbreviation and a trunk diameter in inches, measured at breast height, roughly 4.5 feet above the ground, and abbreviated DBH. Trees with multiple trunks get individual or combined notations. Many municipalities protect specimens above a certain size, and removing them without a permit can bring fines.
Water features like streams, ponds, and wetland boundaries appear as wavy or stippled blue lines, sometimes labeled and marked with flow arrows.
Buildings are drawn as solid outlines with labels like “1-story frame residence” and measured to the property line and to each other, which gives you the numbers to check for setback violations or encroachments. Fences appear as short dashes with cross marks or specific patterns, such as CLF for chain-link fence. Driveways, sidewalks, retaining walls, decks, patios, and sheds each carry their own outlines and labels.
Flood Zone Labels
When the survey shows flood information, it uses the FEMA flood zone classification tied to the federal Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The labels carry real financial weight:
- Zones A, AE, AH, AO, V, and VE are Special Flood Hazard Areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding, the “100-year flood.” A federally backed mortgage on property in one of these zones requires flood insurance.2Federal Emergency Management Agency. Flood Zones
- Zone X (shaded) or Zone B is moderate risk, the area between the 100-year and 500-year flood elevations. Insurance isn’t usually required but is recommended.
- Zone X (unshaded) or Zone C is minimal risk, outside the 500-year floodplain.2Federal Emergency Management Agency. Flood Zones
If a flood zone boundary cuts through the property, the survey should show where the line falls, so you can tell which portions carry the higher classification.
Common Abbreviations at a Glance
Beyond the corner and utility codes above, these appear across most surveys:
- POB: Point of Beginning
- POC: Point of Commencement
- R/W or ROW: Right-of-Way
- BM: Benchmark
- BSL / BRL: Building Setback Line / Building Restriction Line
- UE / D&UE: Utility Easement / Drainage and Utility Easement
- CLF: Chain-Link Fence
- C/L: Centerline, usually of a road
- FD: Found
- EX: Existing
- CONC: Concrete
- LOD: Limit of Disturbance
- DBH: Diameter at Breast Height
- WC: Witness Corner
- S/T: Subject To
- T/W: Together With
When a Symbol Isn’t in the Legend
If you find a mark or abbreviation that isn’t defined in the legend and isn’t on any general list, call the surveyor’s office. The contact information sits in the title block for exactly this reason. Guessing at a symbol on a survey is how buyers miss encroachments and owners build into easements they didn’t know existed.