Land Surveyors in Seal Beach, CA

Across the River, Into Orange County

The San Gabriel River is the line between Long Beach and Seal Beach, and between Los Angeles and Orange counties. Crossing it changes the recording office, the map index and the permit rules, even though the beach looks the same on both sides. Seal Beach is small, and the Naval Weapons Station on its southern side takes up a large share of the city's land, which leaves a compact residential core.

Old Town and Main Street

The streets on either side of Main Street, running down to the pier, hold the oldest housing in town on narrow lots. Cottages there are routinely replaced with two- and three-story homes built out to the setbacks, and with so little room on each side, the location of the property line and the neighbours' walls is the first thing a designer needs.

Surfside Colony

South of the Anaheim Bay entrance, Surfside Colony is a private, gated community of about 250 homes on a half-mile strip between the sand and Pacific Coast Highway. The Navy's wartime jetties changed how waves hit this beach, erosion has cost the colony homes in the past, and the Army Corps of Engineers now replenishes the sand every several years. Low ground next to moving sand means flood mapping is part of nearly every transaction.

What Gets Ordered Here

An elevation certificate for Old Town, Surfside and the bay-front streets, and a topo survey for any rebuild on a narrow lot. Tear-down projects need a lot survey, then construction stakeout and a closing as-built. Garage apartments start with an ADU survey, owners combining adjoining Old Town lots may need a lot line adjustment, and Main Street commercial deals bring the occasional ALTA/NSPS survey.

Seal Beach Survey FAQs