Does excavation always require a survey beforehand?

For any excavation tied to a building project — establishing a site cut, confirming finished floor levels — genuine, accurate survey data is essential, since the excavation itself depends on knowing your actual current and required levels.

For genuinely minor, non-structural excavation unrelated to a building design (a small garden feature, for instance), a formal survey may be less critical, though Dial Before You Dig checks are always still required regardless of scale.

When in doubt, a proper survey is a relatively modest investment that removes real guesswork from your project — worth arranging rather than assuming it’s unnecessary for your specific situation.

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