How to find your property lines

Start with your county's online parcel map. Its lines are approximate. Then check the plat, the deed and any recorded survey. When money or a structure depends on the exact line, hire a licensed land surveyor.

Step 1: Check the free parcel map

Many counties and cities run free online GIS maps that show lot lines. Look on the county website for a Property Search or Parcel Search link. King County, Washington's free Parcel Viewer, for example, lets you search by address or parcel number.

Some states publish one statewide parcel map. Wisconsin offers its statewide parcel data free of charge.

Online parcel maps lag behind real life. Wisconsin's statewide map, for example, uses county data gathered in the first half of 2026. For the newest lines, check the county's own map.

Google Maps shows faint lot lines in some areas. Treat them as a rough visual only.

How far to trust lines on a map

Vermont says parcel data are not a land survey. Texas law, with some exemptions, requires government map sites that show property lines not based on a ground survey to post a notice (Texas Government Code 2051.102). The notice says the map shows only the approximate relative location of property boundaries.

Fairfax County, Virginia says errors in its displayed parcel lines are expected. Vermont warns that some parcels shown over aerial photos may not match their real location to a severe degree.

For scale, Wisconsin's state land information program defines survey grade as repeatable to 2 centimeters or better. Several county surveyors found that a Wisconsin layer of section corners built from maps is typically within 50 feet of true position. That layer is a township-and-range grid with no lot lines. Still, it shows how far positions copied from maps can drift.

Step 2: Get the plat and read the deed

A plat is a recorded survey map of a subdivision. It shows lot boundaries, easements and road rights of way. In Florida, the circuit court clerk records plats and offers full-size copies at a reasonable fee. In Vermont, deeds and plats sit with the town clerk.

Get the deed from the office that records land documents. The Bureau of Land Management names three general types of land description, and many descriptions combine two or more of them.

Lot and block: the deed names a lot on a plat filed in a public office.
Metes and bounds: the deed walks the boundary line by line. Modern versions give a bearing and distance for each line.
Township and range: in public land states, descriptions use the federal grid of townships and sections.

Step 3: Look for a recorded survey

A recorded survey beats any online map. Vermont says the recorded, signed and sealed survey filed with the town clerk is the authoritative document.

California requires a surveyor to file a record of survey with the county surveyor when a survey turns up certain issues, such as conflicts with earlier maps. In Washington, a surveyor who sets or restores a corner on a boundary shared by two or more owners, or a government land office corner, must in many cases file a record of survey with the county auditor within 90 days. Some surveys are exempt. If you bought with a mortgage, the lender or title company may have a copy of the survey from closing.

Rural acreage: township and range

Thirty states were federal public land states, including Florida, Ohio, Arizona and Montana. The other 20, including the original 13 colonies and Texas, never were. In the public land states, the federal government surveyed almost 1.5 billion acres into townships and sections and set monuments. The BLM's General Land Office (GLO) Records website has images of survey plats and field notes going back to 1810.

By Wisconsin statute, the county is the custodian of township-and-range corners, so the county surveyor is a good first call there.

Step 4: Find the pins, then leave them alone

Florida requires survey monuments, or pins, at lot corners in a platted subdivision, unless a monument is already there or an obstruction prevents setting one. Florida's platting law defines these monuments as at least 18 inches long, with a cap or marker showing the surveyor's or firm's license number. Corners in a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete may use other durable, identifiable markers. A metal detector is the standard tool. Florida also requires monuments to be detectable with tools for locating iron or magnetic objects. Pins may sit right at the surface or up to about a foot down. Before you dig for a pin, contact 811, the free national before-you-dig service, a few business days ahead.

A moved pin points everyone to the wrong spot. Do not assume a fence marks the line either.

Leave pins where they are. Florida makes it a second-degree misdemeanor to molest monuments set under its platting law (Florida Statutes 177.121). In California, unlicensed people may not set, reset, replace or remove a survey monument on land they have no legal interest in (Business and Professions Code 8725). Washington requires a permit before anyone removes or destroys a survey monument (WAC 332-120-030). Wisconsin's State Cartographer's Office notes that deliberately disturbing a federal survey marker is a misdemeanor. If a pin looks disturbed, call a licensed surveyor instead of putting it back yourself.

When you need a licensed land surveyor

In California, locating or retracing a property line is land surveying, which the state's licensing board says is unlawful without a current license. Texas also includes locating property boundaries in professional surveying, which requires a license. Before you hire, check the license on your state licensing board's website.

Hire a surveyor in these cases:

Building near a line. Fairfax County, Virginia, citing Virginia Code 54.1-402, says map property lines must not be used to design or build improvements.
A dispute with a neighbor. Vermont says a survey from a licensed land surveyor is the legal means of determining property boundaries.
Splitting land. Many counties require a recorded plat to create building lots.
A lost corner. Replacing lost corners is a typical surveyor job.

How ParcelLaunch shows lot lines

ParcelLaunch draws lot lines from public parcel maps that states and counties publish. The lines are approximate, and they are not a survey. Like the maps they come from, they can lag behind recent sales and splits. Use them to see roughly where a lot sits, then confirm with the plat, the deed, a recorded survey or a surveyor.

Questions

Are the lot lines on my county's GIS map accurate?

They are approximate. Texas law, with some exemptions, requires government map sites to say the map shows only the approximate relative location of property boundaries. Use the map to get oriented, then confirm with the plat, the deed or a survey.

Can I put up a fence using lines from an online map?

Have a licensed surveyor mark the line first. Fairfax County, Virginia, citing state law, says map property lines must not be used to design or build improvements.

Is it illegal to move a survey pin?

It can be. Florida makes it a second-degree misdemeanor to molest plat monuments, and Washington requires a permit before anyone removes or destroys one. Leave pins alone and call a licensed surveyor.

Can I survey my own land?

Your own measurements will not be a legal survey. California and Texas both treat locating a property line as surveying that requires a license.

How much does a property survey cost?

Get a written quote. California generally requires surveyors to use a written contract that states how they bill, such as a fixed fee, an hourly rate, or hourly with a cap. Ask what could raise the price.

Sources

How To Find Property Lines | This Old House thisoldhouse.com
Texas Government Code Chapter 2051: Government Documents, Publications, and Notices tcss.legis.texas.gov
How to Find Property Lines: 9 Ways to Uncover Them | Bob Vila bobvila.com
King County Parcel Viewer | King County, Washington kingcounty.gov
Wisconsin Statewide Parcel Map Initiative: Data sco.wisc.edu
How to Find Your Property Lines: Fast, Easy, and Precise | Redfin redfin.com
Parcel Program | Vermont Center for Geographic Information vcgi.vermont.gov
Frequently Asked Questions | Fairfax County GIS and Mapping Services fairfaxcounty.gov
Parcel Program FAQ's | Vermont Center for Geographic Information vcgi.vermont.gov
Land Surveying and PLSS Topics | State Cartographer's Office, UW-Madison sco.wisc.edu
Plats and Surveys | Dakota County, Minnesota dakotacountymn.gov
The 2026 Florida Statutes, Chapter 177: Land Boundaries | Online Sunshine leg.state.fl.us
Specifications for Descriptions of Land (Revised 2017) | Bureau of Land Management blm.gov
Glossary of BLM Surveying and Mapping Terms | Bureau of Land Management blm.gov
Cadastral Tools | Bureau of Land Management blm.gov
2026 Professional Land Surveyors' Act | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists bpelsg.ca.gov
RCW 58.09.040: Records of survey, contents, filing, replacing corner, filing record | Washington State Legislature app.leg.wa.gov
Chapter 58.09 RCW: Surveys, Recording | Washington State Legislature app.leg.wa.gov
Land Entry Case Files and Related Records | National Archives archives.gov
Cadastral Survey History | Bureau of Land Management blm.gov
Land Records | Bureau of Land Management blm.gov
Survey Monument Maintenance | State Cartographer's Office, UW-Madison sco.wisc.edu
811 Before you dig. Every dig. Every time. 811beforeyoudig.com
WAC 332-120-030: Applicability | Washington State Legislature app.leg.wa.gov
A Guide for Consumers | California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists bpelsg.ca.gov
Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1071: Land Surveyors tcss.legis.texas.gov
Disclaimer | Fairfax County GIS and Mapping Services fairfaxcounty.gov

General information, not legal, tax or survey advice. Laws differ by state and change over time.