Below you will find answers frequently asked questions regarding land surveyors, land surveys and records.

Can the City of Portland help me?

The city does not perform survey work on private property.  If you want your property surveyed, you must hire a private land surveyor.

Who can legally perform a land survey?

In the State of Oregon only a Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) can legally assume the responsibility for a land survey.  The Professional Land Surveyor is an individual whose highly specialized background, training and skills have been rigorously examined and who has been licensed by the State of Oregon to practice Land Surveying

Where can I find a Surveyor?

There are several different options for locating a PLS:

• The yellow pages (Surveyors-land) and the internet should have listings of surveyors in the Portland area.
• Many surveyors are found through the personal recommendations of satisfied clients, or through attorneys, real estate companies and title companies who frequently handle real estate transactions.
• The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineers and Land Surveyors, is the licensing agency for Engineers and Land Surveyors.  As such they maintain a list of Licensed Professional Land Surveyors throughout the state.  Select "Find a Licensee" to begin your search.  Be sure to select "Professional Land Surveyor" under license type, and you will generate a much more manageable list if you limit the search by city and state.
• The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO) also maintains a directory of surveyors.  Check the services directory in their web page for more information.

Where do I find Records of Survey?

The various county survey offices are singularly responsible for maintaining and archiving survey records.  If you are looking for a specific survey or record you are encouraged to contact them directly:

Multnomah County Surveyor's Office

Clackamas County Surveyor's Office

Washington County Surveyor's Office

How much will a survey cost? 

Survey work contains a lot of variables that it is impossible to account for prior to beginning work mostly due to the quality of existing monuments in the area.  Therefore, it is difficult to determine exactly how much a survey will cost.  When you call a PLS to arrange work to be done on your property, ask for an estimate for the work to be done.

Additional Resources

The Multnomah County Surveyors Office and the PLSO are great sources of information about Surveying.

Feel free to contact Elijah Goodrick with in the City of Portland at 503-823-7152 or elijah.goodrick@portlandoregon.gov.