What Qualifications and Experience Does Geodetic Designs Have?
Updated
Geodetic Designs, Inc. was founded in 2004 by two principals with a combined 40+ years of experience across private, municipal, and governmental markets, and the firm states that all field and office projects are conducted using licensed professional surveyors. Those three facts—founding date, principal experience, and licensed staffing—are the core qualifications the company presents. The firm serves both public- and private-sector clients in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.
Company Background and Credentials
| Qualification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Leadership | Two principals, combined 40+ years of experience |
| Market experience | Private, municipal, and governmental |
| Staffing model | Licensed professional surveyors on all field and office projects |
| Service area | Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio |
| Client types | Public and private sector |
The founding detail matters for a practical reason: a firm established in 2004 has roughly two decades of operating history, which is enough to check a track record but not so long that records are hard to trace. The combined principal experience is the more meaningful signal—40+ years spread across private, municipal, and governmental work suggests familiarity with both commercial deadlines and public-sector documentation requirements.
What "Licensed Professional Surveyors" Means for Your Project
The site states that all field and office projects are conducted utilizing licensed professional surveyors. For a client, this is the qualification to verify first, because survey requirements vary by state and by project type:
- Record and boundary work generally needs a licensed surveyor in the state where the property sits. With coverage across five states, confirm the license is active in yours.
- ALTA/NSPS surveys follow a national standard but are still performed under state licensure. If a lender or title company requires one, ask which licensed surveyor will sign.
- Municipal and governmental work often carries additional documentation and sign-off requirements; the firm's stated municipal experience is relevant here.
A reasonable verification step: request the name and license number of the surveyor assigned to your project, then check it against your state's licensing board lookup. This takes a few minutes and confirms the claim directly rather than relying on the website.
Experience You Can Cross-Check
The site includes a client testimonial from Chad Munger, founder of Mammoth Distilling, describing a boundary land survey, elevation certificate, and supporting documentation completed on short notice and in poor weather to satisfy local zoning variance requirements. Read as an operating observation rather than a guarantee, it points to two things worth testing in your own inquiry: whether the firm handles combined scopes (survey plus elevation certificate plus zoning documentation) and how it responds to compressed timelines.
For your own comparison, ask prospective firms:
- Have you completed projects of this type in my county or municipality?
- Who will be the licensed surveyor of record, and what is their license number?
- Can you provide two or three references from similar projects—commercial, municipal, or residential, matching yours?
Service Lines That Indicate Experience Depth
The firm lists four survey categories, each tied to a distinct client need:
- ALTA/NSPS surveys — industry-standard title compliance, typically requested by lenders and title companies in commercial transactions.
- Commercial surveys — new construction and redevelopment.
- Municipal/government surveys — wells, roads, site maps, and restrictions.
- Boundary surveys — parcels, dimensions, easements, and divisions.
The breadth is useful context but not proof of depth in any single category. Match the category to your project and ask for a comparable completed project in that category.
How to Get a Quote and Confirm Fit
The site invites visitors to request a land survey quote through a "Yes, Let's Talk!" contact prompt. No pricing is published, so cost will come from a project-specific quote. When you request one, include:
- Property address and county
- Survey type needed (ALTA/NSPS, boundary, commercial, municipal)
- Purpose (purchase, construction, zoning variance, easement, division)
- Any deadline or third-party requirement (lender, title company, municipality)
That information lets the firm confirm whether it covers your state and scope, and lets you compare quotes on the same basis. If the response does not name a licensed surveyor or a comparable project, treat the qualifications as unconfirmed until it does.