How to Find an Existing Survey for Your Property in Ontario

If you’re buying a home, putting up a fence, or applying for a building permit, chances are someone has asked you for a copy of your property survey. And if you’ve never seen the document before, your first question is probably the right one: does one already exist, or do I have to pay for a brand new one?

The good news is that a lot of properties in Ontario, especially in Toronto and the GTA, already have a survey on file somewhere. You just have to know where to look. Here’s how to track one down before you spend the money on a new survey.

Why It’s Worth Checking First

A new survey isn’t cheap. Depending on the size and complexity of your lot, you’re usually looking at somewhere between $1,500 and $3,500, sometimes more in dense urban areas, and a turnaround of one to three weeks. If a valid, up-to-date survey already exists for your property, there’s no reason to pay for a duplicate.

That said, an old survey isn’t automatically useless, and it isn’t automatically fine either. More on that below.

Start With Your Own Files

This sounds obvious, but it’s the step people skip most often. If you bought your home through a lawyer, the survey (if one existed at the time) was very likely included in your closing package, sometimes called the “green folder” or closing binder. Check:

• The folder your real estate lawyer gave you after closing
• Your mortgage documents
• Any paperwork from a previous renovation or permit application
• Old moving boxes (surveys have a habit of ending up in a drawer and staying there)

If you genuinely can’t find anything, the next call is to the lawyer who handled your purchase. Law firms often keep copies of closing documents on file for years, and a quick phone call can save you a full search.

Contact the Original Surveyor

If a survey was done at some point, it will say who did it. Look for a company name, a professional stamp, or a signature block, usually in the bottom corner of the drawing. Ontario land surveyors are required to keep their field records and plans on file for a long time, so even if the survey is decades old, the original firm may still have a copy on hand and can often issue you a reprint for a small fee.

Search Ontario’s Land Registry (OnLand)

Ontario’s electronic land registry system, OnLand, is the official government portal for property records. You can search by address or PIN (Property Identification Number) to see what’s registered against your property, and in some cases, survey plans and reference plans are available directly through the system. There’s usually a small per-document fee to view or download anything.

OnLand is thorough, but it isn’t always the easiest system to navigate if you’ve never used it before, and not every survey that was ever completed for a property ends up registered there. A survey only gets deposited in the land registry if it was formally registered, so plenty of perfectly valid surveys exist only in a surveyor’s private files.

Try a Survey Plan Database

Several services in Ontario, most notably Protect Your Boundaries (PYB), maintain large searchable databases of existing survey plans, pulled together from surveyor archives and registry records across the province. You enter your address, and the system tells you what’s on file for your property, including boundary surveys, easements, and right-of-way information. It’s a fast way to check without making a series of phone calls, particularly if you’re in the GTA where coverage tends to be strongest.

Check With Your Municipality

Municipal building departments sometimes keep copies of surveys that were submitted with old permit applications, particularly for additions, garages, or fence permits. It’s worth a call to your local building or planning department, especially if you know a permit was pulled for the property at some point.

What to Do If You Can’t Find One

Not every property has a survey, and not every survey that exists is one you’re entitled to a copy of without going through the original surveyor or the registered owner. If you’ve checked your own records, called your lawyer, searched OnLand, and come up empty, the property likely never had a formal survey completed, or the paperwork simply wasn’t kept.

At that point, the most reliable option is to commission a new one. A licensed Ontario Land Surveyor can prepare a current Surveyor’s Real Property Report (SRPR) that reflects the property as it actually exists today, which is often what a lender, lawyer, or municipality will ask for anyway.

Does an Old Survey Still Count?

Technically, a survey doesn’t expire. But “still exists” and “still useful” aren’t the same thing. An old survey may no longer be accurate if:

• A new fence, deck, shed, or addition has gone up since it was completed
• The property lines were affected by a severance, consolidation, or road widening
• A lender, lawyer, or municipality specifically requires a current, up-to-date report

If any of that applies to you, it’s worth having a licensed surveyor review the old document before you rely on it for a sale, permit, or dispute. Sometimes an existing plan can simply be updated rather than redone from scratch, which costs less than starting over.

Still Can’t Find a Survey for Your Property?

If you’ve gone through all of the above and you’re still coming up empty, or you have an old survey and aren’t sure whether it’s still valid, AKM Survey can help. Our team works across Toronto and the GTA and can quickly tell you whether your existing documentation is still usable or whether it makes more sense to prepare a current SRPR.

Get a Free Quote or call us at 647-914-3361 and we’ll help you find the fastest, cheapest way to get the document you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do land surveys expire in Ontario?

No, a survey doesn’t have a legal expiry date. But if the property has changed since it was completed, such as a new structure or a boundary adjustment, an updated survey is usually required.

How much does it cost to get a copy of an old survey?

If the original surveyor still has your file, a reprint is typically a small flat fee. Pulling a plan through OnLand or a survey database also usually involves a modest per-document charge.

What if the original surveying company doesn’t exist anymore?

Surveyor records don’t just disappear when a firm closes. The Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS) can often direct you to whoever now holds the archived files.

Can I use a neighbour’s survey for my own property?

No. A survey applies to a specific parcel of land. Even if your properties were surveyed as part of the same original subdivision, you’ll need documentation for your own lot.