Parcel site visit: 28 points and a reusable note card

Where practical, visit on an ordinary working day and again at another time or after rain. Start from a public road. Enter private land only with permission; do not cross fences, open chambers, excavate or move survey markers.

What you saw, what needs evidence and what needs an expert

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A photograph of a puddle documents that puddle during the visit. It does not establish permanent waterlogging. A dry visit does not exclude it.

Access: four observations

1. 1. The route: record the actual route from the public road, including surface, narrowing, bends, slopes and obstructions. Tyre tracks do not establish a right of way.
2. 2. The entrance: photograph the gate, ditch, culvert, kerb, slope and visibility from a safe place. Note obstructions without claiming that a compliant driveway can be built.
3. 3. Water on the road: record standing water, erosion, mud, blocked ditches and flow direction. Add the weather and any known recent rainfall.
4. 4. Everyday use: note lighting, passing places, safe stopping, heavy traffic and road-manager signs. Label a neighbour’s account of flooding or snow clearance as an account, not a verified fact.

Identity, boundaries and use: five observations

5. 5. Confirm the location: compare the parcel identifier with EGiB before entering. Record the geometry source and whether a displayed boundary is an indicative LPIS supplement.
6. 6. Visible markers: photograph fences, corners and markers without touching them. A fence, stake or GPS position does not legally establish a boundary.
7. 7. Possible discrepancies: record where a fence, track, crop or structure appears to cross the map line. Describe a discrepancy to investigate, not an established trespass.
8. 8. Previous use: note foundations, rubble, fill, excavations, wells, tanks, poles, cables, stumps or fire traces. Do not open or uncover anything.
9. 9. Current activity: record cultivation, parking, grazing or passage by others. These observations do not explain the underlying title or rights.

Terrain and water: five observations

10. 10. Slope direction: observe from accessible points and note depressions. A visual estimate does not provide surveyed levels or foundation design.
11. 11. Water traces: photograph standing water, wet streaks, deposits, erosion and debris lines. Take both a wide view and a detail with a reference point.
12. 12. Ditches and culverts: record position, visible condition and apparent flow. Do not enter a ditch or assume a culvert is clear or authorised.
13. 13. Altered ground: note abrupt level changes, different surface material, settlement and waste. These indicate questions about history and investigation, not a soil diagnosis.
14. 14. Vegetation: identify species only if you can do so reliably; otherwise photograph them. Vegetation alone does not establish groundwater depth or bearing capacity.

Surroundings and nuisance: four observations

15. 15. Sound: listen quietly for several minutes. Record source, time, duration and whether the sound was continuous or occasional.
16. 16. Odour, dust and smoke: note wind, weather and where you noticed it. Do not assign a source without evidence.
17. 17. Traffic and lighting: make a rough count over a stated interval; note lorries, lighting and dust. Revisit at times relevant to your intended use.
18. 18. Nearby activity: record industrial buildings, farms, workshops, railways, cemeteries, loading yards, construction boards and road works. Check permitted uses and proposed changes separately in planning documents.

Infrastructure: four observations

19. 19. Visible equipment: photograph poles, cabinets, hydrants, chambers and identifiers without opening covers. Note which side of the road they occupy.
20. 20. Lines and corridors: record overhead wires, markers and covers on or beside the parcel. Do not invent a protection-zone width or building clearance.
21. 21. Phone and internet: try a normal call and data connection at a few accessible points, recording network and time. The result concerns that device and moment. Later compare declared address coverage in SIDUSIS.
22. 22. Connection prospects: treat a neighbouring connection or mapped GESUT line as a prompt to ask the operator. Obtain written conditions, point, timing and costs for the actual proposal.

Photographic record: three observations

23. 23. Orientation: photograph access, entrance and views in four directions from a permitted position. Write down directions instead of relying only on phone metadata.
24. 24. Subject pairs: take a wide view showing location and a close-up of each issue. Avoid unnecessary photographs of identifiable people or private interiors.
25. 25. File names: use point number, location and description, for example “11_north-corner_standing-water_1620”. Keep the visit date with the set.

A ready-to-use site-visit note card

Parcel / precinct: ___
Date, time and visit number: ___
Weather / earlier rainfall: known / unknown: ___
Observation location and direction: ___
What I directly observed: ___
Photo or file: ___
Someone else’s account, if any: ___
Evidence still needed: ___
Responsible source: authority / operator / surveyor / other specialist: ___
Status: documented / requires clarification / unavailable.

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What to do after the visit

26. 26. Organise without embellishing: separate direct observations, others’ accounts and documents. Record missing evidence as unavailable, not “no problem”.
27. 27. Compare sources: use EGiB and orthophotos for location, GESUT for networks, official flood maps, GDOŚ data, planning documents and the land register. Record discrepancies rather than choosing the most convenient layer.
28. 28. Pause at material warning signs: unresolved access or boundaries, water, fill or waste, repeated nuisance or a missing critical utility answer need further evidence. Contact the responsible authority, operator, surveyor, designer or ground specialist.

Official sources and their limits

• GUGiK: EGiB — cadastral information and identified indicative supplements; no replacement for professional boundary work.
• GUGiK: orthophotos — terrain at the image date, not proof of current conditions or legality.
• GUGiK: GESUT — supplied existing/proposed network data, not a connection promise.
• Wody Polskie: flood mapping — modelled scenarios, not live conditions or a waterlogging guarantee.
• GDOŚ: geospatial data — published protection information, not a complete parcel inventory.
• SIDUSIS broadband map — provider-declared address data, not your individual offer.
• Urban Planning Register — adopted and proposed documents supplied by municipalities.
• Official land-register service — documentary rights; a visible road is not a right of passage.

Save the parcel report before leaving. After the visit, follow the access guide, planning-document guide and buildability checklist for unresolved findings.