No Florida statute makes a buyer order a survey. Almost every lender and every owner's title policy makes one worth ordering anyway. Here is what it costs, what it finds, and when it is safe to skip.
- Florida has no legal requirement for a survey at closing. Lenders require one for most loans and title insurers rely on it.
- Without a current survey, the owner's title policy carries a survey exception that leaves boundary and encroachment problems uninsured.
- A residential boundary survey typically runs $350 to $700 and takes one to two weeks to schedule.
- The buyer usually pays, though it is negotiable, and a seller's recent survey can sometimes be reused with an affidavit.
What the law actually says
Nothing in Florida law requires a survey to transfer a house. You can buy a property with cash, record the deed, and never learn where the corners are. That is the legal answer, and it is the wrong practical answer for almost everyone, because two other parties to the closing care very much.
The first is your lender. Conventional, FHA and VA loans in Florida require a current survey as a closing condition on nearly all single-family purchases, because the lender's title policy will not insure the boundaries without one. The second is your own title insurer. An owner's policy issued without a survey contains a survey exception, which removes coverage for exactly the problems a survey would have found.
Free Florida Closing Calculators
See all Florida title calculators →
What the survey exception means
Every Florida owner's policy lists standard exceptions. One of them excludes loss from encroachments, overlaps, boundary line disputes and other matters that an accurate survey would disclose. If you close without a survey, that exception stays in the policy, and a neighbor's fence two feet onto your lot, a pool built over a utility easement, or a driveway that crosses the property line are your problem and yours alone. Provide a current survey certified to the title company and the insurer removes the exception, and those risks become insured. That trade, a few hundred dollars for coverage on the whole boundary, is why title agents recommend the survey even on cash deals. What the policy otherwise covers is explained in what title insurance covers in Florida.
What a boundary survey finds
A licensed Florida surveyor locates the recorded corners, draws the lot, and plots every improvement and every recorded easement on it. The drawing shows fences, sheds, pools, driveways, and overhead or underground utility easements, and it flags anything that crosses a line. The common findings in Florida subdivisions are fences off the line by a foot or two, screened enclosures built into a rear setback, and drainage or utility easements running under a pool deck. Most are minor and are resolved with a neighbor agreement or simply noted. A few, such as a house built partly over an easement, become a title issue that must be cured before closing. Those are among the clouds on title a search alone will not reveal, because a search reads documents and a survey reads the ground.
Trusted for Florida Closings
“Atlantic Title made our first home purchase so smooth. They explained every document clearly and closed on time. Couldn’t recommend them more highly.”
“As a Realtor I send every single client to Atlantic Title. Their team is responsive, professional, and always closes on time. My go-to title company in Florida.”
“We did a RON closing from out of state and it was absolutely seamless. The technology was easy to use and the team walked us through every step. Exceptional.”
Cost, timing and who pays
A residential boundary survey on a standard subdivision lot runs roughly $350 to $700 in most Florida counties, more for acreage, waterfront or irregular parcels. Scheduling is the real constraint: one to two weeks is typical, longer in busy seasons, so order it as soon as the inspection period begins. The FAR/BAR contract leaves the cost to negotiation, and local custom puts it on the buyer in most of the state, since the buyer's lender and the buyer's policy are the reasons for it. In some counties where the seller pays for the owner's policy, sellers also provide the survey. Our Florida closing cost calculator shows the custom for each county.
Reusing the seller's survey
If the seller has a survey from their own purchase, ask for it. Many title insurers will remove the survey exception on an older survey if the seller signs an affidavit that no improvements, fences or additions have been made since, and the lender agrees. This can save the fee on a house that has not changed. It will not work if the seller added a pool, a fence or a screened room, and it will not work if the lender requires a survey certified to it by name. On a refinance, lenders commonly accept the existing survey with an affidavit, which is why refinance closings rarely order a new one.
Open & Move Your File Online
Already have a signed contract? Send it over and we’ll open your file today.
Submit a Contract →Survey versus elevation certificate
Buyers in flood zones sometimes confuse the two. A boundary survey establishes where the property is. An elevation certificate establishes how high it sits relative to the base flood elevation, and it drives the flood insurance premium. Many surveyors provide both, but they are separate products and separate fees. If the home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, the elevation certificate matters as much as the survey and should be ordered at the same time. The seller's new disclosure obligations on flooding are covered in Florida's flood disclosure law.
When you can reasonably skip it
A condominium unit does not need a boundary survey; the unit is defined by the declaration and the boundaries are walls. A cash purchase of a platted subdivision lot with a recent seller survey and no changes can proceed on an affidavit. Vacant land bought for investment with no intention to build soon is a judgment call. Everything else, and especially any property with a fence, a pool, a dock or a shared driveway, should be surveyed. A survey costs less than one hour of a boundary lawyer's time.
Related Reading
Florida Closing Cost Calculator 2026: Buyer & Seller Totals
Free Florida closing cost calculator.
Clouds on Title in Florida (2026)
A cloud on title is any claim or defect that threatens clear ownership — an old lien, a deed error, a missing heir..
Florida's Flood Disclosure Law: What Sellers Must Reveal
Effective October 1, 2024, section 689.302 requires a written flood disclosure from every residential seller.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a survey required by law to close in Florida?
No. Florida has no statutory survey requirement. Lenders require one on most purchase loans, and title insurers will not remove the survey exception from an owner's policy without one.
How much does a survey cost in Florida?
A residential boundary survey on a standard lot typically costs $350 to $700. Acreage, waterfront and irregular parcels cost more. Allow one to two weeks for scheduling.
Who pays for the survey in Florida?
It is negotiable under the FAR/BAR contract. Local custom puts it on the buyer in most counties, because the buyer's lender and policy require it.
What is the survey exception on a title policy?
A standard exception that removes coverage for encroachments, boundary disputes and easement conflicts that a survey would reveal. Providing a current survey lets the insurer delete it.
Can I use the seller's old survey?
Often, if the seller signs an affidavit that no improvements or fences have been added since it was made and the lender accepts it. A new pool, fence or addition usually requires a new survey.
Do I need a survey to buy a condo in Florida?
No. Condominium units are defined by the recorded declaration, not by ground boundaries, so lenders and insurers do not require a boundary survey.