For developers, investors and operators
Surveying for wind and solar farms in northern Germany
A solar or wind farm almost always lies on many land parcels with many owners. We clarify the land and make the plans for the permit. We set out the installations and survey them after construction. We are publicly appointed surveying engineers, so we also do the official cadastral surveys.
No obligation · quote in advance
- Publicly appointed surveying engineers
- From land acquisition to as-built survey
- Throughout Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
The key facts
- When to involve us?
- Best at the land acquisition stage. Then parcels, owners and boundaries are clear before planning starts.
- What is mandatory?
- The site plan for the permit. Also the official survey of the installations where the law requires it, for example for wind turbines.
- What does it cost?
- Official surveys cost what the state fee regulation says. For everything else you get a quote. The cost estimate is free of charge.
- What do I get?
- Plans and data in the format of your planning office, in the official coordinate and height reference system.
Official surveys in Germany
Why a publicly appointed surveyor?
In Germany, every land parcel is recorded in the official real estate cadastre (Liegenschaftskataster). The land register (Grundbuch) refers to it. Only official surveying bodies may establish boundaries, subdivide parcels and record new structures. These are the cadastral office (Katasteramt) and publicly appointed surveying engineers (Öffentlich bestellte Vermessungsingenieure, ÖbVI).
The federal state appoints the ÖbVI. For these tasks they act with official authority. Their fees are set by the state fee regulation and are the same everywhere. Everything else, such as site plans, terrain models and setting out, is a freelance service. With us you get both from one team.
- Official surveys in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where our partners are appointed
- Engineering surveys, plans and data also outside Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- One contact from the first parcel to the as-built survey
Land acquisition
Which parcels does your farm affect, and who owns them?
Before you sign lease contracts, you must know what you are negotiating. We check the real estate cadastre. Which parcels do the planned area, the access road and the cable route affect? How large are they and how are they used? We find the owners in the cadastre and the land register.
Some boundaries have never been established, or boundary markers are missing. There we clarify the boundary line officially. If you buy part of a parcel, for example for a substation or transfer station, we make it a separate parcel.
- Parcels, areas and land use from the real estate cadastre, also as a file for your GIS
- Owners from the cadastre and the land register
- Establishing boundaries where the boundary line is unclear
- Subdivision for areas that you buy instead of lease
- Site plans for easements, for example for access roads and cable rights
Are you securing land for a project?
Request cadastral extracts
Planning and permit
Plans for the planning office, municipality and permitting authority
Planning starts with a topographic survey with boundaries, paths, ditches, trees and utilities. For large areas we fly over the site with a drone and calculate a digital terrain model.
For a solar farm the municipality usually draws up a development plan (Bebauungsplan). Its base map must agree with the real estate cadastre. We certify this. Then you apply for a building permit or a permit under the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). For this we prepare the site plan (Lageplan) with setback areas. The access road or setback areas may affect other parcels. Then we also prepare the documents for public easements (Baulasten).
- Topographic survey as a planning basis
- Terrain model from drone flights, also for earthworks and drainage
- Certificate of cadastral accuracy for the development plan
- Site plan according to the state building regulations and documents for public easements
Is planning about to start?
Request a topographic survey
During construction
So that every installation stands where it was approved
Before construction starts, we set control points for position and height and hand them over to the contractors. Then we set out what is being built. For a wind farm, these are the foundations, crane pads and access roads. For a solar farm, these are the fence, module rows, paths and stations.
On request we support you during construction. We check position and height and calculate the earthworks. We document every setting out in a report for you and the contractor.
- Control points for position and height
- Setting out of foundations, crane pads and access roads
- Setting out of fence, module rows, paths and stations
- Checks during construction and earthwork calculation
Is the start of construction fixed?
Request setting out
After construction
Survey and document what has been built
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, some structures must be officially surveyed. These are wind turbines with a clear height of more than 25 m or a footprint of more than 9 m², and operations buildings. Transfer and transformer stations can also need it, depending on their size. Only then are they recorded in the real estate cadastre.
For operators and grid operators we document the finished farm in an as-built plan. It is best to survey cable routes while the trench is still open.
- Official survey of the installations where it is mandatory
- As-built plan of the finished farm
- Survey of cable routes in the open trench
- Survey from the air with a drone
Is your farm completed?
Request an as-built survey
How we work with you
One contact from the first parcel to the as-built plan.
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Request
Send us the location of the planned area as a map or shapefile. We tell you what is needed and send you a quote.
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Clarify the land
Parcels, owners and boundaries, as the basis for your contracts.
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Plan and permit
Topographic survey, terrain model and site plan for the application.
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Build and survey
Setting out, construction support, official survey and as-built plan.
Costs
What does surveying for a wind or solar farm cost?
There are two kinds of costs. Official surveys are establishing boundaries, subdivision and recording new structures. Their fees follow the state fee regulation (VermKostVO M-V). This regulation applies to all official surveying bodies.
Everything else is a freelance service: topographic survey, terrain model, site plan, setting out and as-built plan. For this you get a binding quote in advance. The price depends mainly on the size of the area, the number of installations and how often we come to the site.
Good to know
- Binding quote for the freelance services before we start
- Cost estimate for the official surveys in advance, with clear assumptions
- One quote for the whole farm instead of many single orders
Frequently asked questions
When should we involve the surveyor?
Best at the land acquisition stage. Then you know which parcels the farm affects, who owns them and whether the boundaries are established. You know this before you sign contracts and plan turbines or modules. Fixing this later usually costs more time than clarifying it at the start.
Why does it have to be a publicly appointed surveyor?
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, only official surveying bodies may do cadastral surveys. Examples are establishing boundaries, subdividing parcels and recording new structures in the cadastre. Official surveying bodies are the cadastral office (Katasteramt) and publicly appointed surveying engineers (Öffentlich bestellte Vermessungsingenieure, ÖbVI). We are publicly appointed surveying engineers. We can also do all other surveys for you, such as site plans, terrain models and setting out.
In which formats do we receive the data?
In the format your planning office works with, for example DWG, DXF, shapefile or PDF. We use the official position and height reference system of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (ETRS89/UTM, DHHN2016). Tell us in advance what you need.
Related services
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Industrial metrology
Inspect components and align machines to a hundredth of a millimetre, for example monopiles and flanges.
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Buying property in Germany
Boundaries, official extracts and building records before the purchase.
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Development plans in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
All development plans of the state on one map, including those for solar and wind farms (in German).
Are you planning a wind or solar farm?
Send us the location of the area. We will tell you which surveys are needed and roughly what they cost.