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Pilotiko for land surveying firms
The notary needs the certificate of location for Friday's signing; the field crew is on the far side of the county, and the land surveyor has a dozen plans waiting for review.
Pilotiko helps a Quebec land surveying firm follow each file (certificate of location, staking, building layout, boundary determination) from request to signature, book field surveys on genuinely free crew and instrument time, and see at a glance which files are waiting for the land surveyor's review.
In short
- Every file moves through visible steps: request, field survey, calculations and plan, review, signature, delivery.
- Field surveys are booked on real open slots, with the crew and the instrument the job needs.
- The notary's signing date becomes the file's deadline, so late files surface before it's too late.
- Reserved acts stay signed by the land surveyor: Pilotiko organizes the work and produces no survey documents.
When do requests for certificates of location peak?
They track the real estate market: every accepted offer creates a certificate request, often with a notary date already set. Construction season then adds building layouts and lot staking.
A certificate of location is first and foremost a transaction document. Article 1719 of the Civil Code requires the seller to give the buyer any certificate they hold, and a lender or notary may insist on an up-to-date one when a property changes hands [1]. In Quebec the seller usually pays for it, unless the promise to purchase says otherwise [2]. So the request comes in through a broker or a notary, with a closing date that won't move.
No law makes a certificate expire. However, the Chambre des notaires and the OACIQ tell their members to ask for one that is less than 10 years old, and any change to the property (a pool, a shed, an addition, a fence or a hedge) calls for a new one [2]. Every home listed with an old certificate can turn into a rush file.
In spring, as listings pile up, certificate requests stack up with them. Summer brings contractors who need their layout before pouring footings, and owners who want their lot staked before a fence goes in. Fall is the race to finish field work before snow. In winter the work moves indoors: calculations, plans, cadastral operations and technical descriptions.
| Period | Main files | Bottleneck |
|---|---|---|
| March to June | Certificates of location for home sales | Tight notary dates |
| May to September | Building layouts, staking, topographic surveys | Field crews booked weeks ahead |
| October and November | Last surveys before frost and snow | Weather delays |
| December to February | Cadastral operations, technical descriptions, plans | Review and signature at the office |
Which acts are reserved to Quebec land surveyors?
Land surveying is an exclusive-practice profession: you must be a member of the Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec (OAGQ) to use the title and perform the acts reserved by section 34 of the Land Surveyors Act [4]. Land surveyors appear on the Quebec government's list of professions governed by a professional order [5].
The OAGQ points out that the certificate of location is governed by a standard-of-practice regulation and must never be used to establish property lines on the ground; that is what staking is for [1]. Boundary determination (bornage) permanently fixes the line between two adjoining lots, involves every neighbouring owner, and ends with a boundary report that is published at the land registry office [3].
In the field, survey technicians and topographers usually collect the data under the land surveyor's supervision, while the surveyor meets clients and checks documents for compliance at the office [4]. That hand-off from field to office is exactly what needs to be visible.
| File | What it establishes | Step that often stalls | What Pilotiko tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of location | An opinion on the property: titles, servitudes, risk zones, encroachments [1] | Review before the notary date | Deadline, current step, person responsible |
| Staking | The lot lines, marked on site [1] | Getting a field slot | Crew and instrument booking |
| Boundary determination | A permanent line between neighbours [3] | Getting every party present | Meetings to set and follow-ups to draft |
| Building layout | Where a future structure will sit | Coordinating with the contractor | The site visit in the calendar |
Pilotiko prepares no plans, certificates or boundary reports: the land surveyor produces and signs them.
How does Pilotiko organize a surveying firm?
The Professional services template opens the rooms a firm needs: Reception and front desk for requests from notaries and brokers, Mandates for active files, Clients, Meeting room, Accounting and Management. You can add Vans and fleet if your crews share vehicles.
Each file carries its real deadline: the signing date at the notary's office, or the pour date the contractor announced. The Mandates room's key figures count files in progress and files that are blocked, so a certificate still waiting for its field survey a few days before closing stands out without digging through email. The survey itself is booked on a free crew slot, with the instrument treated as a resource: if the total station is already out in Saint-Jérôme on Tuesday morning, it won't be promised elsewhere.
Proposed assignments respect recorded skills. A review-and-sign task requires the land surveyor skill, so Pilotiko won't hand it to a technician unless a manager explicitly overrides it. The workload report also shows how many files are queued for each surveyor's review, which is often the real bottleneck in April.
The AI agents draft: the follow-up agent writes the note telling the notary the certificate will be ready Thursday, and the front-desk agent sorts new requests. Someone at the firm reads and approves before anything goes out, following the human approval principle.
How many files can two field crews handle in a week?
What do clients push back on, and how do you answer?
- "My certificate is 8 years old, why redo it?" The OAGQ notes that a pool, shed or fence added since then makes a new certificate necessary, and that notaries and brokers often ask for one under 10 years [2]. Keep that answer in a service note the follow-up agent reuses in its drafts.
- "I just want to know where my line is; isn't the certificate enough?" No: the certificate isn't used to set lines on the ground; staking is [1]. Two separate services in Pilotiko clear up the confusion at booking.
- "My neighbour refuses the boundary determination." When neighbours disagree on whether it's needed, a judge decides [3]. Put that on the service sheet so the front desk can say it on the first call.
- "Why is it taking so long?" The file shows the exact step (field done, plan in progress, in review), so the answer is factual rather than a guess.
What isn't available yet?
Where should a surveying firm start?
Enter your services with their field duration (certificate, staking, layout, boundary), your crews, your bookable instruments and each land surveyor's signing skill. Then open online booking for residential staking only, if you'd rather keep rush certificates under your direct control.
Your website, built and hosted by Pilotiko, can present each service with structured data and your OAGQ membership, which helps in local search. Related professions have their own pages: real estate brokers, architects and excavation contractors. To track progress, see what a dashboard should show. Plans are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Who can prepare a certificate of location in Quebec?
Only a land surveyor who is a member of the OAGQ is authorized to prepare one under the Land Surveyors Act. The document is governed by a standard-of-practice regulation.
Does a certificate of location expire?
No law makes it expire. However, the Chambre des notaires and the OACIQ ask their members to require a certificate less than 10 years old, and any change to the property calls for a new one.
What's the difference between staking and boundary determination?
Staking shows an owner where their lot lines are. Boundary determination permanently fixes the line between two adjoining lots with every owner involved, and ends with a published boundary report.
Can Pilotiko produce plans or certificates?
No. Pilotiko organizes files, field crew calendars, resources and follow-ups. Survey documents are still prepared, signed and kept by the firm in its own tools.
Can I stop a technician from being assigned a signature task?
Yes. A task that requires the land surveyor skill isn't offered to someone without it; only a manager can force an override, and it stays visible.
Can clients book a staking online?
Yes, if you open that service to booking. They only see free slots for your field crews, of the right length, and you keep control of more complex files.
Sources
- Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec, Certificat de localisation (accessed on October 15, 2026).
- Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec, Vente ou achat d'une propriété (accessed on October 15, 2026).
- Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec, Bornage (accessed on October 15, 2026).
- Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec, Qu'est-ce qu'un arpenteur-géomètre ? (accessed on October 15, 2026).
- Gouvernement du Québec, Liste des ordres professionnels et répertoire des membres (accessed on October 15, 2026).
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