Property Survey in Texas: What Every Dallas Buyer and Seller Needs to Know

What Is a Property Survey in a Texas Home Sale, and Who Pays for It?

In Texas, every residential home sale requires a property survey showing the home's legal boundaries, easements, improvements, and encroachments on the lot. The TREC contract's Paragraph 6 governs who provides the survey and who pays for a new one. Sellers typically offer an existing survey paired with a T-47 affidavit confirming nothing has changed since the survey date. If no acceptable survey exists, either the buyer or seller must order a new one, which runs $400 to $900 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A 2025 TREC contract update also introduced the T-47.1, a non-notarized alternative to the traditional T-47 affidavit.

By Paul Blair | June 15, 2026

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If you're buying or selling a home in Dallas, a survey is going to come up in your transaction. Guaranteed.

It's one of the items that creates the most confusion, stalls deals, and catches people off guard mid-transaction. Buyers aren't sure what to do if the seller doesn't have one. Sellers don't know whether their decade-old survey is still usable. And almost everyone has to look up what a "T-47" is the first time they see it in a contract.

Here's a clear walkthrough of how property surveys work in Texas, and what you should know before you hit that moment.

What the Survey Shows

A property survey is a legal document prepared by a licensed surveyor. It maps out:

• The property's legal boundaries and lot dimensions
• All structures on the lot (house, garage, pool, detached buildings)
• Easements where utilities, drainage, or other parties have rights to use part of the land
• Encroachments where a fence or structure crosses a property line
• Setback lines required by local zoning

Your title company uses the survey to make sure what you're buying matches the legal description in the deed. Your lender uses it to confirm there are no encroachments or easements that would affect their collateral. Both need to sign off on it before closing.

In DFW, this matters more than it might in other markets. The North Texas area is full of homes where fences drift past property lines, pools and room additions were built after the last survey was done, and utility easements cut through what buyers assumed was clean backyard space. The survey is the document that surfaces all of that before you close, not after.

If you want a broader look at how title and closing work in Texas, the title insurance process in Texas is a good place to start.

The TREC Contract and the Survey: Who Pays, Who Provides

The TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract (Form 20-17) handles the survey in Paragraph 6.

The seller has the first option to provide an existing survey (Paragraph 6C(1)). If they do, the buyer's lender and title company review it. The buyer can raise objections within the title objection deadline, which is typically a few days after the effective date.

If the existing survey isn't acceptable, Paragraph 6C(2) governs what happens next. A 2025 TREC contract update changed the language in 6C(2) from "shall" to "may," meaning neither party is automatically on the hook to order a new survey. The contract needs to specify who pays if one is required.

In practice, most DFW deals play out one of three ways:

1. The seller provides an existing survey and a T-47 affidavit, the title company accepts it, and no new survey is needed
2. No existing survey exists and the buyer's lender requires one, typically at buyer expense
3. The existing survey is too old or the property has changed since it was done, and a new one gets negotiated between the parties

Getting this resolved in the first week of the contract matters. Survey ordering has a lead time, and waiting too long can push against your closing date. The seller's timeline after accepting an offer covers the full sequence of what happens and when.

What Is a T-47 Affidavit (and the New T-47.1)?

The T-47 is a notarized affidavit the seller signs certifying that no material changes have been made to the property since the existing survey date.

The seller is swearing they haven't added any structures, fences, pools, additions, or anything else that would affect the survey's accuracy. The title company uses the T-47 to underwrite the owner's title policy without requiring a new survey, which saves both time and money.

The T-47 is unique to Texas. If you've bought or sold homes in other states, you've never encountered it, which is exactly why it creates confusion when people see it for the first time in a DFW contract.

In January 2025, TREC introduced the T-47.1 as an alternative. The T-47.1 covers the same ground but doesn't require notarization, making it easier to execute for sellers who are closing remotely or are located out of state. Not all title companies have adopted the T-47.1 yet, so check with your title company early.

Both forms carry real legal weight. A seller who signs either one knowing that changes were made since the survey date is creating potential title and legal exposure. Honesty on the T-47 is non-negotiable.

When a Brand-New Survey Is Required

You'll typically need a new survey when:

• No existing survey is available. This is common on older homes in Dallas-proper and inner suburbs like Garland, Mesquite, and Farmers Branch where surveys weren't always retained with closing documents.
• The title company or lender rejects the existing survey. Some lenders require surveys dated within a specific window. If the seller's survey is 18 years old and the lender wants something more recent, a new one is needed.
• Physical changes were made since the last survey. A fence was added. A pool was built. A room addition extended the home's footprint. A detached garage was constructed. Any of these can prevent a valid T-47 signature and usually require an updated survey.
• There's a boundary dispute or irregularity. If the title commitment flags a potential encroachment or unclear boundary description, the title company will likely require a current survey to resolve it.

In newer DFW suburbs, builders typically provide surveys at closing, so buyers in Prosper, Celina, Frisco, and McKinney new construction communities are usually in good shape. On resale homes, especially those built before 2000, ask your agent early whether a survey exists and whether it's likely to be accepted.

What a New Survey Costs in DFW

Survey costs in North Texas typically run $400 to $700 for a standard residential lot. Larger lots, complex boundaries, or rush orders can push that to $700 to $900 or higher.

Survey cost is negotiable in the contract. Buyers can ask sellers to cover it as part of the offer. Sellers in the current DFW buyer's market, where most homes are selling below list price, sometimes offer a recent survey upfront to remove a friction point during negotiations. If you're a seller and your existing survey is borderline, paying $500 to $700 for a clean new one before listing can prevent a bigger negotiation problem later.

Turnaround is typically one to two weeks. Order it as early as possible in the option period to avoid any impact on your closing date.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who pays for the property survey in a Texas home sale?

It depends on what's negotiated in the TREC contract. Sellers often provide an existing survey at no additional cost to the buyer. If a new survey is required, the cost can be assigned to either party. Buyers more commonly pay for a lender-required new survey, but in a buyer's market like Dallas in 2026, sellers are increasingly covering it.

Can a buyer use the seller's existing survey?

Yes, if the title company and the buyer's lender accept it. The seller must also sign a T-47 or T-47.1 affidavit certifying that no changes have been made to the property since the survey date. If the seller can't certify that, a new survey is typically needed.

What's the difference between the T-47 and the T-47.1?

Both are Texas affidavits a seller signs to certify an existing survey's accuracy. The T-47 requires a notary; the T-47.1, introduced in January 2025, does not. They serve the same purpose, but the T-47.1 is easier to execute, especially for remote closings. Not all title companies in DFW accept the T-47.1 yet, so confirm with yours early in the transaction.

How old can a survey be and still be accepted?

There's no universal rule, but most lenders and title companies want a survey that reflects current conditions. A 5-year-old survey where nothing has changed is usually fine. A 20-year-old survey on a home where a fence and pool were added is not. The T-47 or T-47.1 bridges the gap when the survey is older but the property hasn't changed.

What happens if the survey shows an encroachment?

An encroachment, where a fence or structure crosses a property line, must be disclosed and addressed before closing. Options include negotiating a price reduction, asking the seller to resolve it before closing, or having the title company insure over it if the encroachment is minor. In some cases, the parties can't agree and the deal falls through. Your agent and title company will walk you through the options specific to your situation.

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Property surveys are one of those transaction steps that feel complicated until you've done it once. Every deal I handle in DFW involves walking buyers and sellers through this, and the survey question almost always comes up in the first week under contract.

If you have questions about your transaction, whether you're looking at an existing survey, figuring out who pays for a new one, or trying to understand what the T-47 means for your deal, I'm happy to talk it through. Reach out anytime.

Contact Paul Blair at Grey Square

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About Paul Blair

Paul Blair is the founder and broker of Grey Square, a virtual real estate brokerage representing buyers and sellers across Dallas and Los Angeles. With 22 years in the business and more than $200 million in closed transactions, Paul works the full range of the market, from luxury homes in the Park Cities and Preston Hollow to estates in the Hollywood Hills and across the Westside. Connect with Paul and the Grey Square team at greysq.com. TX TREC #9011505 \u00b7 CA DRE #01792671.