LiggieSurveys offers a wide variety of accurate and affordable land surveying services in Delaware. With a highly skilled professional team we are able to conduct high quality surveys that meet or exceed state and local standards, provided affordably, on time and within budget. Whether you need a simple boundary survey, construction staking, FEMA flood elevation certification or subdivision platting, we have the knowledge and expertise to ensure the job is done right.
A Brief History Of Delaware Land Surveying
Delaware’s boundaries are the product of one of the most unusual surveying stories in American history, made up of three distinct lines rather than one. The first, the Twelve-Mile Circle, was surveyed in 1701 as a true 12-mile radius arc centered on the courthouse in New Castle, defining the northern edge of the “Lower Counties on the Delaware” that William Penn had been granted. The second, the Transpeninsular Line, was surveyed in 1751 straight across the Delmarva Peninsula from the Atlantic coast to the Chesapeake Bay, settling a long dispute between the Penns of Pennsylvania and the Calverts of Maryland over where Delaware’s southern border should sit. Because surveyors relied on an inaccurate map that placed Cape Henlopen roughly 22 miles south of its true location, the Transpeninsular Line ended up drawn from what is actually Fenwick Island — leaving Delaware close to 1,000 square miles larger than it would otherwise have been.
The third and most famous line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, who were engaged to resolve the remaining boundary questions between the Calverts and the Penns. Starting from the Middle Point of the Transpeninsular Line, Mason and Dixon ran a Tangent Line north to the Twelve-Mile Circle, then an Arc Line and a North Line to close the boundary between Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania — work that later extended west to become the famous Mason-Dixon Line separating Pennsylvania from Maryland. A small, oddly shaped 800-acre parcel called “The Wedge,” created by the difficulty of surveying the tangent point where these lines met, remained a disputed territory governed by Delaware but claimed by Pennsylvania for more than a century before a boundary commission finally awarded it to Delaware in 1889, a decision ratified by Congress in 1921. Many of the original 18th-century boundary stones set by Mason and Dixon along these lines are still standing today and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Delaware Land Surveying Today
Delaware’s unique arc-shaped northern border and its role as one of the most densely developed states per square mile make precise, up-to-date land surveying essential to its continued growth — from clarifying centuries-old boundary lines to platting new residential and commercial subdivisions across New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties. Land surveyors in Delaware must meet strict qualifications for licensure to ensure their surveys comply with state and local regulations. LiggieSurveys is duly licensed to perform both commercial and residential land surveys in Delaware that meet and exceed state standards.
Types Of Surveys Offered
LiggieSurveys offers a wide range of land surveys in Delaware. If you are in need of surveying services from qualified Delaware land surveyors, LiggieSurveys has the skills and experience to exceed your expectations. For a free quote, call us today at (202)702-7995, or contact us here.