Few disputes are more personal, or more consequential, than a fight over where your land ends and your neighbor's begins. Whether a fence has been built in the wrong place, a neighbor is claiming land you've owned for decades, or old deeds conflict with the survey, Fidelis Law, PLC can help you establish and defend your rightful boundary.
Why Boundary Disputes Are So Complicated in Southwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia presents unique challenges in boundary disputes. Many properties in this region have been in families for generations, with deeds that reference old calls — trees, rocks, creek beds, and fence lines — that no longer exist or have shifted over time. Overlapping surveys, metes-and-bounds descriptions that don't close, and gaps between adjoining deeds are common.
Add to this the complexity of mineral rights severances, which can create separate ownership of surface and subsurface that affects how boundaries are interpreted, and you have disputes that require both legal skill and genuine familiarity with how property in this region actually works.
Attorney Taylor Corbett's background as a mineral title abstractor — researching property chains in Southwest Virginia courthouses — means he comes to boundary disputes with a level of title and deed knowledge that most litigators simply don't have.
We Handle Boundary Disputes Involving:
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Conflicting deeds or surveys
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Fencing placed across the boundary line
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Neighbor encroachment upon your land
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Poor property descriptions
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Disagreements over creek or ridge boundaries
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Gaps and overlaps between adjoining tracts
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Disputed acreage in family land divisions
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Timber cut across a disputed boundary
How a Boundary Dispute Case Works
Most boundary disputes begin with a review of the deeds, plats, and surveys for both properties. In many cases, we work with a licensed land surveyor to establish the correct boundary on the ground. If the dispute cannot be resolved through negotiation or mediation, we file a lawsuit to have the court establish the boundary by judicial order — a process called a "boundary line suit" or action to quiet title.
Virginia courts have well-developed law on how to interpret conflicting deed calls and surveys. With the right preparation and advocacy, boundary disputes are very winnable — but they require an attorney who knows the law and knows how to work with surveyors and deed evidence effectively.