Title Insurance
How Is a Survey Different from a Florida Title Search?
Direct answer
A Florida title search reads the public record. It looks for who owns the property and what was recorded against it, such as mortgages, judgments, liens, easements, and restrictions. A survey is a measurement of the land by a Florida licensed surveyor and mapper. It shows the boundary lines and where the house, fence, driveway, pool, and shed sit, including whether something crosses a line or sits in a recorded easement. The search does not measure the lot, and a survey does not search the record. Without an acceptable survey, the title commitment usually keeps an exception for matters a survey would show. Time to Close Title orders a survey when the contract or the loan requires one. We do not survey the land, and we do not decide what a survey finding means for your plans.
Key takeaways
- A title search reads recorded documents. A survey measures the ground.
- Encroachments, fence lines, and where an easement sits are survey questions.
- Without an acceptable survey, the commitment usually excepts matters a survey would show.
- A property appraiser map, a plat, or a listing photo is not a survey of your lot.
- We order a survey when the contract or the loan requires one. We do not survey the land.
What is the difference between a survey and a title search?
A title search is a review of recorded documents for one legal description. The examiner reads deeds, mortgages, judgments, liens, recorded easements, and restrictions. The result is the title commitment. Nobody walks the lot to do that work.
A survey is done on the ground by a Florida licensed surveyor and mapper. The licensing and the standards come from chapter 472 and the board's standards of practice in Florida Administrative Code chapter 5J-17. The surveyor locates the boundary and shows where the improvements sit. A fence two feet over the line is invisible in the clerk's records. It shows up on the survey.
| Question | Title search | Survey |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the property? | Yes, from the recorded chain | No |
| Is there an open mortgage, judgment, or lien? | Yes, from the record | No |
| Is there a recorded easement? | Yes, it names the document | Shows where it sits on the lot, when it can be located |
| Does a fence, shed, or driveway cross the line? | No | Yes |
| Does the house sit inside a setback or easement? | No | Yes, as a location. What it means is a separate question |
| Who does the work? | The title examiner | A Florida licensed surveyor and mapper |
Why does the title commitment mention a survey?
Schedule B-II of the commitment lists exceptions the policy would leave out. Without an acceptable survey, one of those exceptions is usually for encroachments, overlaps, boundary line disputes, and other matters an accurate survey and inspection would disclose. That sentence is how the policy says it did not look at the ground.
When a current survey is provided and the underwriter accepts it, that general exception can be deleted or replaced with the specific items the survey shows. A survey that shows the neighbor's shed over the line does not make the shed go away. It turns a general exception into a named one. Whether that is acceptable is a contract question, not a title decision. Read what title insurance does not cover and enhanced versus standard owner's coverage.
Schedule B-II
The general survey exception can be deleted or narrowed when the underwriter accepts the survey.
Named items
A fence, a shed, or a driveway over a line becomes a specific exception.
Contract notice
Some contracts let survey findings be raised like title defects, on that contract's clock.
Who orders the survey, and when do you need one?
The signed contract and the loan decide. Many Florida residential contracts let the buyer order a survey at the buyer's expense. A lender may require one before it funds. On the August 2024 Florida Realtors and Florida Bar forms, some survey findings can be raised as title defects if the buyer gives written notice on time. The timing is in that contract's survey paragraph. Read the Florida title objection deadline. We do not supply a day count the contract does not put in the file.
Time to Close Title orders a survey when the contract or the loan requires one. We do not survey the land. A cash buyer who skips the survey still gets the general survey exception on the owner's policy. Read title insurance for Florida cash buyers. Vacant land, a split of a larger tract, and new construction lean on the survey more than a resale house does. Read closing on Florida vacant land and a Florida new construction closing.
Order early. A survey that comes back in the last week with a fence over the line is how a closing date moves. Read why Florida closings get delayed.
What is not a survey?
The property appraiser's map is a tax map. A recorded plat is the subdivision map for every lot, not a measurement of where your fence was built. A listing photo, an old fence line, and a sketch from the seller are not surveys. An elevation certificate is a flood document. It is a different form for a different question.
A survey also does not decide what you may do. It can show that a planned pool would sit in a recorded easement. It does not say whether the easement holder will allow it, and it does not decide zoning or permits. Take the legal meaning of a survey finding to a Florida real estate attorney. We do not decide where an improvement can go.
| Document | What it is | Why it is not a survey of your lot |
|---|---|---|
| Property appraiser map | A tax parcel map | It is not a boundary measurement |
| Recorded plat | The subdivision map for every lot | It shows the lot as platted, not what was built |
| Listing photo or fence line | A picture of what is there | A fence can sit off the line |
| Elevation certificate | A flood document | It answers a flood question, not a boundary question |
How do you use the survey and the title search together?
Read them side by side. The commitment names the recorded easement. The survey shows where it falls. If you care about a pool, a workshop, a fence, or extra parking, say so when the file opens. Confirm any wiring instructions by calling (352) 792-1214.
Check the contract and the loan
Find who orders the survey, who pays, and any notice period for survey findings. If the lender requires a survey, it has to be in the file before funding.
Order it when the file opens
We order a survey when the contract or the loan requires one. Do not wait for the last week. We do not survey the land.
Match the legal description
The survey should describe the same land as the commitment's Schedule A. A street address is not the legal description.
Compare the survey with Schedule B-II
Find each recorded easement on the drawing. Note any fence, shed, driveway, or pool that crosses a line or sits in an easement. Ask whether the general survey exception will be deleted or narrowed.
Send any objection in writing on time
If the contract lets a survey finding be raised, follow that paragraph's notice. A question to us is not that notice. Take the legal meaning of a finding to a Florida real estate attorney.
Can Time to Close Title help with the survey?
Yes, on the title side. We search the record, issue the commitment, order a survey when the contract or the loan requires one, and read the survey against the exceptions. We do not survey the land. Call (352) 792-1214 or 888-228-0555, or contact the office. The office is at 3087 Anderson Snow Road, Spring Hill, FL 34609. Email info@TimetoCloseTitle.com. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Florida title search include a survey?
No. The search reads recorded documents. A survey measures the land. Encroachments and boundary problems usually need a survey.
Do I need a survey to buy a house in Florida?
The contract and the loan decide. A lender may require one. Without an acceptable survey, the commitment usually keeps an exception for matters a survey would show.
Can a survey remove an exception from my title policy?
It can. When the underwriter accepts a current survey, the general survey exception can be deleted or replaced with the specific items the survey shows. Read how to read a Florida title commitment.
What if the survey shows the neighbor's fence on my lot?
That finding usually becomes a specific exception. Whether you can object depends on the signed contract and its notice period. Read the Florida title objection deadline. We do not decide the remedy.
Is the property appraiser map a survey?
No. It is a tax map. A recorded plat is not a survey of your lot either. A Florida licensed surveyor and mapper prepares the survey.
Can I skip the survey on a cash purchase?
If the contract allows it, yes. The owner's policy then usually keeps the general survey exception. Read title insurance for Florida cash buyers.
Does Time to Close Title do the survey?
No. We order a survey when the contract or the loan requires one, and we read it against the commitment. A Florida licensed surveyor and mapper does the survey. Call (352) 792-1214. The office is at 3087 Anderson Snow Road, Spring Hill, FL 34609.