Contour Survey

Topographic Surveys & 3D Terrain Mapping

Survey-grade topographic mapping captured with a Trimble laser scanner — millions of measured points in one site visit, delivered as contours, terrain models, and CAD-ready base maps your design team can build on.

A Complete Site in a Single Visit

Survey-grade topographic mapping for East Bay and Bay Area properties, captured with a Trimble terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). Where a conventional topo crew records a few hundred shots with a total station, our scanner captures millions of measured points in a single site visit — every grade break, retaining wall, tree, utility feature, and structure — then we extract a clean, CAD-ready base map from the point cloud. The result is a topographic survey your architect or civil engineer can design on without callbacks for missed shots: contours at the interval your project needs, a digital terrain model (DTM), spot elevations, and surface utility features, delivered as DWG/DXF with the underlying point cloud available for the design team. Topographic surveys are required or effectively required for hillside permits, additions and ADUs, grading and drainage design, retaining wall engineering, and most civil site design in Oakland, Berkeley, and surrounding East Bay jurisdictions.

  • Trimble laser scanning: millions of points, one site visit
  • Contours, DTM, and spot elevations at any interval
  • CAD-ready DWG/DXF base maps for architects and engineers
  • No return trips for missed shots — the scan has everything
  • Vegetation-filtered ground models on brushy hillside lots
  • Point cloud deliverable available for design teams
Laser scanner setup transitioning into dense point cloud data
Reality Capture
Drag reveal

Reality Capture

Point clouds that become usable project files.

High-density scan data supports CAD, BIM-ready modeling, field verification, and existing-condition coordination.

Point cloudScan-to-CADBIM-ready

Typical Deliverables

Layered DWG/DXF topographic base map

Contours at 1-foot (or project-specified) interval

Digital terrain model (DTM) and spot elevations

Registered point cloud (E57/RCP) on request

1

Scope & Research

We confirm the mapping limits, contour interval, and datum your project requires, and review record maps and benchmarks for the site.

2

Field Scanning

We capture the site with a Trimble terrestrial laser scanner plus GNSS/total-station control, recording millions of survey-grade points in a single visit — terrain, structures, walls, trees, and utility surface features.

3

Point Cloud Processing

Scans are registered onto project control, vegetation and noise are filtered, and a ground surface is extracted to build the digital terrain model.

4

Base Map Delivery

You receive a layered DWG/DXF topographic base map — contours, spot grades, features, and boundary if requested — with the point cloud available on request.

Topographic Surveys FAQ

A topographic survey maps the three-dimensional shape of your site: ground contours, spot elevations, structures, retaining walls, fences, trees, driveways, drainage features, and visible utilities. We deliver it as a layered CAD file (DWG/DXF) that architects and civil engineers use as the base for design. Boundary lines can be included when your project needs setbacks shown.
A conventional topo is only as good as the individual shots the crew took — miss a grade break or a wall face and the design team finds out mid-project. Our Trimble scanner captures the entire visible site as millions of measured points, so the deliverable is extracted from complete data. It also means one site visit instead of several, and the point cloud remains available to answer questions later without remobilizing.
Hillside permits, additions, ADUs, new construction, grading plans, drainage design, and retaining wall engineering typically require topographic information, and many East Bay jurisdictions require it stamped by a licensed land surveyor. Berkeley and Oakland hillside projects in particular are rarely approvable without accurate topo.
One-foot contours are standard for most residential design work. Steep hillside sites sometimes use 2-foot intervals for legibility, while flat sites or drainage-critical projects may need half-foot contours plus dense spot elevations. We match the interval to your jurisdiction and design team's needs.
Cost depends on lot size, terrain, vegetation, and whether boundary is included. Because scanning captures everything in one visit, our pricing is competitive with conventional topo on simple sites and typically better on complex hillside sites where conventional crews need multiple days. Contact us for a fixed quote.
Yes — most permit submittals need both, and combining them in one mobilization is cheaper than ordering them separately. See our site plan survey service for the combined boundary + topographic package most East Bay cities require.

Site Plan Surveys

Stamped site plan surveys, boundary + topographic base maps, and existing-condition documentation for Bay Area permit submittals.

3D Scanning

Capture existing conditions once and give every stakeholder a reliable source of truth.

As-Built Surveys

Accurate as-built documentation of existing buildings and sites, captured with a Trimble terrestrial laser scanner and delivered as 2D CAD drawings, Revit models, or registered point clouds.

Topographic Surveys Across the East Bay

Local conditions, permitting, and county recording differ city to city — see how we handle topographic surveys where your property is:

OaklandBerkeleyAlamedaEmeryvillePiedmontAlbanyEl CerritoRichmondWalnut CreekSan Leandro

Need a Topographic Survey?

Tell us about your site and permit requirements — we'll quote a laser-scanned topo with the deliverables your design team needs.

Get a Quoteor(510) 543-2220

Meeting-first estimates • Response within 24 hours • Serious projects only

Call (510) 543-2220Get a Quote