I feel a property line dispute brewing and would like to get it sorted out sooner than later.
Property is in Nisqually, between Tacoma and Olympia.

It's a residential lot, on a main street, with a survey marker close by. I'd think this one would be really easy.

Any leads would be appreciated.

I tried to hire someone to get the corners on my little property in Boston Harbor. They wanted more than what I paid for the land, about $2K.

Hatton, Godat & Pantier. Good group of guys. Property corner locate / line verify typically runs $4-700

Just for frame of reference, I worked as a surveying / engineering tech III at City of Tumwater for 5 years and another couple of years as a survey project manager for an engineering company out of Everett and another several years down in San Diego county doing boundary work (which is what this is). I'm not a licensed surveyor, but I'm an LSIT(federally promulgated test very similar to the EIT for engineers) & my degree is in surveying and I stayed in a Hotel 6 last night...

I can help you decipher your legal description if it's confusing.

I know (or used to know, I haven't done ANY surveying for more than a decade) one of the PLS's at Larson & Associates (Rich Larson) who's in your area. You might try looking up Robert (Bob) Swift, he was the PLS I worked for at City of Tumwater, painfully honest, his Linked In profile also shows him at Larson, but he doesn't show up on the "Staff" page. He's a third generation surveyor in Thurston county, his dad and grandfather were both the county surveyors in the past. Good guy, if bit of a PITA to work for which has no bearing on your problem.


I also know Jeff Pantier, another good guy.

Regarding fees (the lecture you didn't ask for):

You only want your property lines defined, but the surveyor will likely have to do 1-2 days of pure research before they can even start. Nisqually is in Pierce and I don't have a lot of experience with that county (mostly Thurston, King & Snohomish), but depending on the county, they may or may not have online records which greatly simplifies the property search. It sounds like you may be on a platted piece of land (like in a named neighborhood), which (generally) makes it easier, but if it's an old piece it's quite likely to have a description that hard for a layman to understand, and the abbreviations used for the records are sometimes nearly impenetrable (I'm happy to help translate yours if you'd like). So, part of the fee that's bound to be more than you're expecting, is doing that research prior to ever looking at your property. Then the crew (generally at least two people, sometimes three depending) has to go locate what's called "control" to be able to tie your property into the state grid before they even start kicking around your property looking for markers. Again, if you're on a platted piece of property, this is generally easier because the contractor would have (generally) been required to put in survey monuments (you need two of them to do the work that are inter-visible) down the middle of the streets.

What all this means is that the PLS (Professional Licensed Surveyor) who has to sign his name and PLS number to the plans / Record of Survey / Boundary Line Adjustment, etc has to be ready to testify in court with regards to ANY work they've done, or any of their people have done for them that has their PLS # & name associated with it. Basically in perpetuity. All of your surveying records are subject to subpoena and being introduced as evidence in any court case for the property in question.

What you're paying for is the PLS's guarantee that their work is correct, and will stand up in court when and if it comes to that.

I used Leroy on Canyon in Puyallup.