How to Find the Right Land Surveyor in Lehigh County, PA
Lehigh County is home to 24 surveying businesses spread across the Lehigh Valley. Whether you own a row house in Allentown, a commercial parcel along the Route 22 corridor, or a suburban lot in Emmaus or Whitehall, the process of finding and hiring the right surveyor follows the same basic steps. Match the surveyor's experience to your specific project, verify their license, and get a written scope before any work begins.
Step One: Verify the License
In Pennsylvania, practicing land surveying without a license is a violation of the Professional Land Surveyors Act, 63 P.S. section 148. Every professional land surveyor must hold an active license from PELSB, the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists.
Verification is free and takes two minutes. Go to the Pennsylvania Licensing System at pals.pa.gov, search the surveyor's name or license number, and confirm their license is active and in good standing. Do not hire anyone who cannot provide a license number or whose license shows as expired or lapsed.
Step Two: Find Candidates
The Pennsylvania Council of Land Surveyors maintains a member directory at pcls.net. Member firms have voluntarily joined Pennsylvania's professional surveying organization, which is a reasonable indicator of professional engagement. Our Lehigh County directory also lists licensed surveyors by location and service type.
Word of mouth still works well in this market. Real estate attorneys, title companies, and engineers in Allentown or Bethlehem refer surveyors regularly and can recommend firms with strong local track records. Lehigh County property records at lehighcounty.org show which surveying firms appear on recorded plats, which gives you a practical sense of who does active work in the area.
Step Three: Match the Surveyor to Your Project
Not all surveying projects are alike, and the right firm for one job may not be the best choice for another.
Residential Boundary Survey in Allentown or Whitehall
For a typical residential boundary survey, you want a surveyor who regularly works in Lehigh County and knows the local record systems. Allentown row houses on narrow city lots require precise measurements and familiarity with older subdivision plats. Ask how many residential boundary surveys the firm completes in Lehigh County each year.
Commercial or Industrial ALTA Survey Along Route 22
Commercial transactions in the Lehigh Valley's Route 22 corridor often involve warehouse, distribution, and manufacturing properties with complex easements and utility infrastructure. ALTA/NSPS surveys for these projects must meet the national standards set by the American Land Title Association. Ask the surveyor specifically about their ALTA experience and whether they have worked on industrial properties in the Allentown or Bethlehem area.
Agricultural or Suburban Parcels
Suburban lots in Emmaus, Macungie, or Slatington often involve larger acreage with fewer recorded monuments. Surveyors who work regularly in those communities will have familiarity with the local terrain and deed histories. This matters because older rural deeds sometimes reference natural features or long-removed fences as boundaries, requiring more research and field judgment.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire
Before signing anything, get answers to these questions in writing or via email:
- Are you licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor in Pennsylvania?
- How many years have you been surveying in Lehigh County?
- What does your quote include? Does it cover monument setting?
- What is your estimated turnaround time?
- Will you provide a stamped and signed survey plat I can record?
- Do you carry professional liability (errors and omissions) insurance?
A reputable firm answers these questions without hesitation. If a surveyor is vague about what is included in the quote or reluctant to provide a written scope of work, look elsewhere.
Understanding the Lehigh County Record System
Surveyors doing research in Lehigh County use the Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills records available at lehighcounty.org. The county's online parcel system lets you look up your tax parcel number and see recorded deeds and plats before you even call a surveyor. Having your parcel number ready saves time and gets you a more accurate quote faster.
For properties near the Lehigh River or Jordan Creek, flood zone research through FEMA's Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov may also be part of the surveyor's work, particularly if an elevation certificate is needed alongside the boundary survey.
How Many Quotes Should You Get?
For any project over $800, get at least three quotes. With 24 surveying businesses in Lehigh County, competition is real. Prices for similar residential boundary surveys can vary by $300 to $500 between firms depending on their current workload, staffing, and familiarity with your specific neighborhood.
Compare scope as well as price. A quote that includes monument setting, a recorded plat, and a written survey report is worth more than a lower quote that excludes those items. Read what each firm says is included before choosing on price alone.
Find licensed surveyors serving Lehigh County, including Allentown, Bethlehem, Emmaus, and Whitehall, at our Lehigh County directory.