In real estate transactions across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the phrase “location drawing” is often used loosely.
While the general idea may sound familiar from state to state, the legal meaning, permitted reliance, and professional standards vary significantly across these jurisdictions. Treating them as interchangeable can lead to misunderstandings and misplaced reliance.
The safest way to approach these documents is to understand what each state actually regulates and what question each survey product is designed to answer.
Similar Goals, Different Legal Standards
Across Maryland, Virginia, and DC, there are survey productsintended to show the location of improvements on a property. There arealso survey products intended to establish property boundaries.
The key difference is how each jurisdiction defines, limits, and regulates those services.
What Maryland Means by a “Location Drawing”
Maryland formally regulates Location Drawings underits professional land surveying standards. Their purpose is narrowly defined: to locate and represent the positions of buildings or other visible improvements affecting the property.
Maryland goes further than most states by requiring explicit consumer warnings.
Every approved location drawing must include language stating:
“A LOCATION DRAWING IS NOT A BOUNDARY SURVEY AND CANNOT BE RELIED UPON BY ANYONE TO SHOW WHERE THE PROPERTY’S BOUNDARIES ARE.”
The regulations also clarify that the document exists primarily for lender or title insurer use, not for boundary determination or future construction planning.
When Maryland Pushes Toward a Boundary Survey
Maryland requires surveyors to notify the client if evidence is discovered during a location drawing that a boundary survey is warranted. This reinforces that the location drawing is atransaction-driven document with intentionally limited reliance.
What a Maryland Boundary Survey Does
A Maryland boundary survey is designed to establish or reestablish property boundaries. It carries higher research requirements and expectations around recovering or setting monuments, so the boundary can be readily reestablished.
Maryland takeaway:
A location drawing supports settlement and financing. A boundary survey defineswhere the line is.
Virginia does not commonly use the term “location drawing.”Instead, it regulates what is often called a house location survey or a physical improvements survey.
What Makes Virginia Different
Virginia’s physical improvements survey applies to parcelsunder two acres and focuses on locating improvements. However, unlike manystates, Virginia requires the surveyor to:
That means Virginia’s “location-style” survey is not simplya sketch or visual placement of buildings.
Built-In Escalation Requirement
If the surveyor finds discrepancies significant enough to warrant a boundary survey, Virginia requires the surveyor to inform the client that a boundary survey is necessary before proceeding.
Virginia Boundary Surveys
Virginia separately regulates land boundary surveys, which involve full boundary research, accuracy standards, monumentation, and detailed plat requirements.
Virginia takeaway:
Even location-focused surveys in Virginia are closely tied to boundary control, with mandatory escalation when issues arise.
Washington, DC, operates differently from both Maryland and Virginia.
Survey Categories in DC
DC recognizes distinct surveying services, including:
Rather than relying on a single “location drawing” concept, DC’s workflows often revolve around plats.
Building Plats and Wall Checks
For exterior construction or additions, DC requires a Building Plat as part of the permitting process. During construction, a Wall Check may be required to confirm that foundation walls match the approvedplans.
Boundary Questions in DC
When boundary disputes or encroachments arise, DC guidance points property owners back to a registered land surveyor to conduct boundary-focused work. Survey records and plats are maintained through DC’sland records systems.
DC takeaway:
DC distinguishes survey service types and relies heavily on recorded plats. Boundary certainty still requires boundary-focused surveying.
If the goal is:
The terminology may change, but the purpose does not.
Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, all recognize surveyproducts that show the location of improvements. They also all clearlydistinguish those products from boundary surveys.
What differs is how tightly each product is regulated, who may rely on it, and when a boundary survey is required.
Understanding these differences helps buyers, lenders, title professionals, and real estate agents choose the right survey for the right question and avoid assuming that one state’s practice applies everywhere.