How to Measure Property Lines

Real estate boundary disputes are quite common in the U.S. and if they go to court, are often quite costly to resolve. Luckily, with the right tools, it's simple to find and measure your property lines.

1. Walk the property to see if its boundary lines are clearly visible. Some properties have boundary poles set at the corners or some other type of visual marker.

2. Search for the property's boundary pins. If the property does not have visual boundary indicators, it is likely that a past surveyor will have driven thick metal pins into the ground on the four corners of the property. The pins will be set several inches beneath the ground's surface so you will need to use a metal detector to find them.

3. Dig into the ground to expose the pin heads but do not remove them from the ground. Mark the site of each metal pin with a wooden stake. Tie a short length of pink plastic tape to the top of the stake and replace the dirt you removed.

4. Measure the distance from stake to stake with your surveyor's tape measure. Make sure to record the distances you measure.

5. If you can't locate the pins, consult your deed or do a search for property records at your local land office. Some records will include earlier surveys, drawings or legal descriptions.

6. Read the descriptions of where the house sits on the property in relation to the property's boundaries. For instance, it may read, "The northwest corner of the structure sits exactly 10 yards from the northwest corner of the property." Many offices will make copies of these records for a small fee.

7. Measure the property's boundaries based on the descriptions. Using a tape measure, start from the structure and measure outward to the boundary described. Mark the boundaries with wooden stakes. Once you've determined all boundaries, measure the distance between each stake.