Virginia Land Survey Drafting
Land Survey Drafting in Virginia
Land survey drafting in Virginia for Land Surveyors and their firms. We prepare boundary, subdivision, house location, and easement plats from your field data and records, using your project zone, units, and local checklist for your ongoing direction and review.
Overview
What is Land Survey Drafting in Virginia?
We draft Virginia boundary, subdivision, boundary line adjustment, house location, and easement plats, plus topographic maps. Send field data, deed and plat research, and your CAD template. We plot the supplied evidence and calls, including older patent or Northern Neck grant references where relevant.
Land survey drafting in Virginia combines the Board’s map items with local review requirements and the Library of Virginia recording format. We set up the source notes, dimensions, certificates, and legible sheet layout, then return check prints for your corrections.
Virginia requires direct control and personal supervision, with unlicensed drafters employed by or under written contract to the surveyor’s firm. Our land survey drafting services operate under that written contract and direction. The LS examines work during and after preparation, including house location and ALTA/NSPS land title plats, and signs and seals the final. A contract alone does not replace that supervision.
At a glance
- State planeVCS 83, North Zone or South Zone by locality
- UnitsU.S. survey feet; poles and chains in old calls
- LicenseeLand Surveyor (LS), Land Surveyor B (LS-B)
- RecordingCircuit court clerk, sheets up to 18 × 24 in.
- DeliveryCheck prints marked incomplete, then DWG and PDF
- Your roleDirect control and personal supervision, then your seal
What we deliver
What's included in Virginia Survey Drafting
Send field data, source deeds and plats, your project zone and foot definition, and the current locality checklist. We prepare CAD sheets within the recording format where applicable.
Boundary Plat Drafting
Boundary plats with supplied owner and adjoiner references, available tax map or GPIN numbers, monuments, and the required bearing, distance, and area notation.
House Location Plat Drafting
Physical improvement plats for lots under two acres, with building dimensions and boundary offsets. Where the statutory corner-marker exception applies, we add the note and supporting details you approve.
Subdivision & Record Plat Drafting
Record plats, family division, and boundary line adjustment sheets with source-of-title, owner consent, notary, and local approval blocks.
ALTA/NSPS Survey Drafting
Land title plats under the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards, contracted Table A items, and Virginia’s title-report and easement/improvement statements.
Topographic Survey Drafting
Contours and spot elevations from your data, with supplied benchmarks, vertical datum, survey method, and certification wording.
Land Surveyor B Plan & Profile Sheets
Plan and profile sheets for subdivision roads, drainage, water, and sewer, drafted to a Land Surveyor B’s licensed scope and instructions.
Chesapeake Bay RPA & RMA Plat Notes
RPA and RMA boundaries from your approved delineation, with the buffer notes the Tidewater locality requires.
Deed & Land Grant Plotting
Old deed, patent, and Northern Neck grant calls plotted from the records you supply, with unit conversions and closure reported for your assessment.
Why it matters
What Virginia's board, Code, and clerks require
The APELSCIDLA Board sets minimum survey standards. Virginia’s coordinate law governs system and unit notes, and the Library of Virginia sets the recorded-plat format. We distinguish current field-survey sheets from compiled plats and use the source statement you approve.
Local checklists add practical CAD requirements. Fairfax County’s master plat checklist addresses VCS 83 North ties and closure notes. Norfolk requires datum and units notes and South Zone control coordinates. Send the current checklist and your control data; the LS resolves any local and Board requirements that differ.
Specify North or South Zone under § 1-601. The zone assignment follows the named locality, not a general regional label.
The LS confirms the applicable closure and measurement checks. We report drafting closure against your supplied bearings and distances without certifying field accuracy.
Recording sheets range from 8 1/2 × 11 to 18 × 24 inches, with minimum margins and legible lettering. Multi-sheet sets use consistent sizes.
Confirm the current VCS 83 foot definition and any locality exception. The 2025 VCS 2022 and international-foot amendments have contingent effective dates; do not infer their activation from published zone definitions.
The locality decides plat approval, and approval has a recording validity period. Supply the current submission checklist and release deadline rather than relying on a general turnaround assumption.
The LS’s seal, signature, and date represent direct control and personal supervision. Advance drawings are clearly marked incomplete and remain unsealed.
Where it applies
Industries We Serve
Surveying Firms
Boundary, record, easement, and boundary line adjustment sheets for Virginia LS firms under written contract and ongoing supervision.
Title & Settlement
House location sheets for surveyors supporting residential settlements, and ALTA/NSPS plats for commercial transactions.
Land Development
Subdivision, family division, and boundary line adjustment plats for the project’s LS, with owner and approval blocks.
Site Engineering
Plan, profile, and topographic base sheets for LS B firms and engineers working within their licensed scope.
Tidewater & Waterfront
RPA, RMA, shoreline, and buffer annotations from the approved information supplied by Tidewater surveyors.
Municipal & Utility
Easement and utility plats for surveyors on public projects, with accompanying-deed references where required.
How it works
Our End-to-End Process
Scope & Standards
You tell us the plat type, the North or South Zone, the foot definition, and the city or county checklist that applies.
Data Transfer
Send field data, coordinate files, deeds and recorded plats, the title report if you have one, and your CAD template and title block.
Drafting
We draft linework, line and curve tables, annotation, and notes in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, or MicroStation.
Quality Check
We check closure, labels, and notes against your data, the board's plat list, and the local checklist, then send PDF check prints marked incomplete for your redlines.
Approval & Delivery
We revise until you approve, then deliver the final AutoCAD DWG and PDF files to you. You sign, seal, and release the plat.
Why Arcengine
Why Choose Us
Fixed Price, No Hidden Costs
We agree the price before drafting starts.
Clean, Checked Drawings
Linework and labels checked against your field data.
Experienced Survey Drafters
Our team drafts for surveying firms in the U.S. and abroad.
Deadlines Kept
We agree the deadline with you before work starts.
Open to Feedback
Send redlines and we revise the drawing to your instructions.
Your Software & Templates
AutoCAD, Civil 3D, or MicroStation, using your title block and layers.
Start with a Pilot Project
Use a pilot project to check our drafting against your standards.
You Stay Surveyor of Record
We work under written contract to your firm and follow your instructions. You direct the work, approve the final drawing, and seal it.
Explore more
Our Other Services
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Arcengine holds no Virginia land surveyor license and is not registered as a surveying business. We supply CAD drafting under written contract to the surveyor’s firm. The LS must maintain direct control and personal supervision and examine the work during and after preparation, then sign and seal the final. Property owners should hire a Virginia-licensed LS.
Yes. Specify the locality’s North or South Zone, datum, foot definition, and control ties. We name the system and zone, state the conversion factor, and list the required project coordinates. VCS 83 uses U.S. survey feet subject to the pre-1992 locality exception. The LS confirms the control and recording conditions under the coordinate law.
Yes. We draft physical improvement plats for lots under two acres, showing supplied building dimensions and offsets to 0.1 foot. Where § 54.1-407 permits corner monuments to be omitted, the required written agreement must be in place. Your LS confirms eligibility and supplies the "no corner markers set" note and reason.
Yes. Send the current checklist and your control data. We prepare the required scale, lettering, approval space, and local notes, then revise to your reviewer comments. Norfolk’s GPIN/address instruction differs from the Board’s general boundary-plat requirement, so the LS must resolve the applicable treatment for the particular submission.
Yes. Send scans of the deeds, patents, or Northern Neck grants. We plot calls in CAD, converting poles at 16 1/2 feet and chains at 66 feet, and report closure for your review. Information from a recorded plat may be used, but modifying the recorded plat itself requires the original professional’s written permission.
Project assurance
How your project is handled.
We work from your field data, templates and instructions. You direct, review and approve the drawings.
How we protect project information- In-house delivery
- An Arcengine drafting team handles your work.
- NDA protection
- Project information handled under an NDA.
- E&O insured
- Professional liability insurance in place.
- CAD standards checked
- Drawings checked against your templates and markups.
Get in touch
Land survey drafting in Virginia for your next plat
Send field data, source records, your zone and units, and the locality checklist. We return check prints marked incomplete and revised CAD files for your examination and final release.