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Des Moines, Iowa
Land Surveying in Des Moines, IA
Boundary, topographic, and construction staking surveys that put the design on the ground accurately the first time. Des Moines and the surrounding IA area is covered on a project basis through our Kansas City, MO regional hub.
- Dispatched from
- Kansas City, MO regional hub · project-based mobilization
- Lead time
- Set in the proposal, with mobilization planned around your pour and earthwork schedule
- Laboratory
- Sugar Land, TX laboratory under chain of custody, or a mobile laboratory for large projects
- Reporting
- Reviewed and issued under a documented quality system; formatted for owner, engineer, and building-official review
- Serving
- Des Moines and the surrounding IA area — Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City
- Coverage
- Iowa statewide · 27 regional hubs
- Technicians
- ACI- and NICET-certified field staff; licensed professionals in Iowa
- Call us
- (346) 420-5425
Scope
Survey services in Des Moines
- Boundary and title surveys for acquisition and permitting
- Topographic surveys for civil design
- Construction staking: building corners, utilities, paving, and grades
- As-built surveys for closeout and conveyance
Full scope, standards list, and pricing basis: Land Surveying.
Local conditions
Survey conditions in Des Moines
Des Moines sits at the confluence of two rivers on gently rolling glacial till terrain, where development pressure is pushing new construction into floodplain-adjacent parcels, former agricultural land, and urban infill sites that all carry their own boundary and grade complexities. Drainage patterns shaped by the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers can affect finished floor elevations, storm sewer tie-ins, and utility corridor decisions before a shovel enters the ground. Getting the survey right from the start prevents costly redesign and schedule loss on a project already contending with Iowa's compressed construction season. Our crews provide boundary, topographic, and construction staking surveys coordinated through our Kansas City regional hub to serve Des Moines projects on a scheduled basis. Field work is performed by technicians experienced in translating civil plans to physical control points, keeping excavation, grading, and structural work aligned with the permitted design through every phase.
Central Iowa's glacial till soils can mask subtle grade transitions that affect drainage design, making accurate topographic data critical before grading plans are finalized. Iowa's freeze-thaw cycle can disturb survey monuments and temporary benchmarks between site visits, so crews verify control points at the start of each staking phase rather than assuming prior marks have held position.
FAQ · Des Moines
How does Iowa's freeze-thaw cycle affect construction staking reliability across a multi-phase project?
Frost heave in glacial till soils can shift driven stakes, hubs, and temporary benchmarks by measurable amounts between site visits. Our crews treat control verification as a standard first step at each return visit, checking existing control against established datums before staking new work. Scheduling staking phases with this verification step built in prevents layout errors from accumulating across a multi-month Iowa construction season.
Do we need a floodplain elevation certificate as part of the survey scope for parcels near the Des Moines or Raccoon River corridors?
Parcels in or adjacent to FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas typically require an Elevation Certificate prepared by a licensed land surveyor to document finished floor, lowest adjacent grade, and other FEMA-required fields. This is a separate deliverable from a standard boundary or topographic survey. If your parcel triggers a LOMA or LOMR-F application, the elevation data we collect during the topographic survey can support that process.
What horizontal and vertical datum should I specify for a Des Moines project to coordinate with the city's engineering and utility records?
Most public improvement and utility coordination work in the Des Moines metro references NAD 83 horizontal positions and NAVD 88 vertical datum. Specifying these on your survey request ensures deliverables align with Polk County GIS layers and city engineering record drawings. Confirm datum requirements with the reviewing agency early, particularly on projects involving public right-of-way or storm sewer connections, to avoid a datum conversion that can introduce error.
Which office covers survey in Des Moines, IA?
Field work in Des Moines is dispatched through the Kansas City, MO regional hub, about 179 miles away. Laboratory testing is performed in Sugar Land, TX under chain of custody, or in a mobile laboratory mobilized to large Des Moines projects.
Are the technicians you send to Des Moines certified?
Field sampling and testing in Des Moines are performed by our ACI- and NICET-certified technicians. Survey engineering and professional services are delivered with professionals licensed in Iowa, coordinated under one proposal.
Hiring for project coverage. Field technician openings in Des Moines · all positions.
Scheduling & proposals
Need land surveying in Des Moines?
Call to schedule a technician, or send project documents for a written proposal.