Florida Home Surveys: What They Show: Transaction Step 20

The contract is signed, the inspection is scheduled, and your title agent asks whether you want a survey. Many buyers are unsure what that means or whether it is worth ordering. This is Step 20 of the Bella Trae Realty Florida Transaction How-To series. It explains when a survey comes into play in a Florida purchase, what the drawing actually shows, and how it connects to your title policy.

Is a Survey Required in Florida?

Florida law does not require every buyer to order a survey. In practice, the answer depends on how you are paying. Most lenders that sell their loans to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac want a Florida Form 9 endorsement added to the lender's title policy, and title agents generally cannot issue that endorsement without an acceptable survey. If you have a mortgage, expect a survey to be part of the process.

A cash buyer can choose. Skipping the survey is allowed, but the owner's title policy will then carry a general survey exception, which means problems a survey would have revealed are not covered. Your contract also matters. The standard Florida Realtors/Florida Bar contracts give the buyer a window to have a survey done and to object to what it shows, so confirm that deadline with your agent on day one.

What a Boundary Survey Actually Shows

A boundary survey is a scaled drawing prepared by a Florida licensed surveyor. It compares the legal description in the public record with what is physically on the lot. A typical residential survey includes:

• Lot lines and dimensions matching the recorded plat or legal description.
• The house and other structures, such as a pool cage, shed, patio, driveway and air conditioner pad, with their distances from the lot lines.
• Recorded easements for utilities, drainage and access, shown where they cross the lot.
• Encroachments, meaning anything built over a lot line or into an easement, whether it belongs to you or to a neighbor.
• Flood zone notation, which many surveys include so you can compare it with the flood determination your lender orders.

Surveys typically do not show interior conditions, and they are not a substitute for a home inspection or a permit history review.

Easements and Setbacks in Central Florida Neighborhoods

Many newer communities in Winter Garden, Horizon West and Clermont sit on small lots with utility and drainage easements along the rear and side lines. A pool, screen enclosure or outbuilding placed inside one of those areas may have to be removed or altered if the utility or association needs access. Setback rules from the city or county, along with deed restrictions from the community, can also limit where future additions can go.

If you already know you want to add a pool, a fence or a detached garage, the survey is the first place to see how much usable space the lot really has. Bring the drawing to your pool builder or the local permitting office before you commit to a design.

Using the Seller's Existing Survey

Sellers often have a survey from their own purchase. Title companies may accept an older survey if it is certified to the current owner and the seller signs a survey affidavit stating that no improvements have changed the property since the survey date. If the seller added a pool, an addition or a new structure after that date, a new survey is generally needed. Each title underwriter has its own rules, so ask your closing agent early whether the existing survey will work. Reusing one can save time, but it is worth asking whether the seller's improvements since then match the drawing.

How a Survey Connects to Your Title Policy

Under Section 627.7842, Florida Statutes (2026), if a survey meeting state standards and certified to the title insurer by a registered Florida surveyor was completed within 90 days before closing, the title policy may except from coverage only the encroachments and boundary matters actually shown on that survey. Without a current survey, the broader standard exception stays on the policy. The same statute addresses seller affidavits about people in possession and unpaid work on the property, which is one reason the closing agent asks the seller to sign several affidavits at closing.

If the survey does show a problem, such as a structure over a line or an easement conflict, tell your agent right away and review the objection deadline in your contract. Solutions range from a written agreement with a neighbor to a corrective deed, and a Florida real estate attorney can advise which one fits.

We Read the Survey With You

On a Bella Trae Realty purchase, we track the survey order and delivery date, review the drawing alongside the title commitment, and flag anything that could affect your plans for the home. If you are buying in Windermere, Ocoee or anywhere in Central Florida, contact Bella Trae Realty today and we will walk you through your survey before your objection window closes.

This post is general education, not legal, tax or lending advice. Confirm current figures and terms with a licensed Florida professional.

Up Next: On Wednesday, Transaction Step 21 covers Florida's Seller Disclosure and what sellers must tell buyers about a home.