Acton Surveying & Engineering
Acton Surveying & Engineering is a Chelmsford, MA-based land surveying and civil engineering firm, founded in 1967 and now a subsidiary of Hancock Associates. It provides boundary, topographic, ALTA/NSPS, and construction surveys alongside site/civil engineering and wetland science services for residential, commercial, institutional, and municipal clients across New England.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersChelmsford, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Acton Surveying & Engineering does
Acton Surveying & Engineering is a regional land surveying and civil engineering practice founded in 1967 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, now operating as a wholly owned subsidiary within Hancock Associates following its 2013 acquisition. The firm's Chelmsford-area operations were consolidated into the Hancock Associates Chelmsford office and deliver boundary surveys, ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys, topographic surveys, construction layout, GPS surveys, site design, stormwater management, utility design, and septic system design for residential, commercial, and municipal clients across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
The underlying technology stack relies on GPS survey equipment, robotic total stations, RTK GPS connected to the Massachusetts State Plane Coordinate System, AutoCAD Civil 3D, HydroCAD for stormwater modeling, and digital preservation systems used to maintain a historical survey and engineering archive dating to 1852. Hancock Associates differentiates through this accumulated archive (drawn from over 40 acquired firms), licensed staff (P.L.S., P.E., P.W.S., LEED AP), and seven strategically placed regional offices that enable deep familiarity with local municipal boards, conservation commissions, and regulatory permitting requirements.
The business model is project-based professional services billing: revenue is generated through fees for surveying, civil engineering, and wetland science engagements with costs varying by lot size, title history, terrain, and survey type. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with no external channel partners; clients are acquired through referrals, municipal connections, community involvement, and a 40+ year reputation in the New England surveying market. Customer segments span academic/education, commercial/retail, residential, energy/utilities, infrastructure/transportation, marine/waterfront, government/municipalities, healthcare/life sciences, and agriculture, with named enterprise engagements including New England Biolabs, St. John's Preparatory School, City of Gloucester, City of Springfield, and Veterans Home at Holyoke.
Acton Surveying & Engineering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Acton Surveying & Engineering
- Legal name
- Hancock Survey Associates, Inc.
- Website
- https://hancockassociates.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Acton Surveying & Engineering is a Chelmsford, MA-based land surveying and civil engineering firm, founded in 1967 and now a subsidiary of Hancock Associates. It provides boundary, topographic, ALTA/NSPS, and construction surveys alongside site/civil engineering and wetland science services for residential, commercial, institutional, and municipal clients across New England.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Acton Surveying & Engineering industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Surveying and Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Land Subdivision (23721)
- SIC
- Real Estate (6500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wetlands & Waters of the U.S. Delineation / Riparian Assessments (EUAHAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Site Assessment & Remediation (Phase I/II, Cleanup Oversight) (BPAHAJAC)
Keywords
Where Acton Surveying & Engineering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chelmsford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Acton Surveying & Engineering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Services - Land Surveying: Project-based fees for land surveying services including boundary surveys, ALTA/NSPS surveys, topographic surveys, construction layout, and FEMA surveys. Costs vary based on project size, terrain, title history, and survey type required.
- Professional Services - Civil Engineering: Civil engineering design and permitting services including site design, stormwater management, septic systems, utility design, and subdivision plans. Billed on project basis.
- Professional Services - Wetland Science: Wetland delineation, permitting, and environmental compliance services. Services include wetland resource area delineation, Conservation Commission filings, and environmental monitoring.
- Historical Records Access: Access to historical survey and engineering records for research purposes, with fees assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Project-based professional services pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Acton Surveying & Engineering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Acton Surveying & Engineering, now operating as part of Hancock Associates, provides professional land surveying (boundary, ALTA/NSPS, topographic, construction layout, GPS), civil engineering (site design, stormwater management, utility design, septic systems), and wetland science (delineation, permitting, conservation commission filings) services to residential, commercial, municipal, and institutional clients across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Product overview
Hancock Associates is a professional services firm offering three core service lines: Land Surveying, Civil Engineering, and Wetland Science. These services are provided as integrated professional offerings rather than a unified software platform. The Historical Land Surveying and Civil Engineering Records archive complements the core services by providing historical context and research capabilities. The firm operates through multiple regional offices and serves clients throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Land Surveying Professional land surveying services including boundary surveys, ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys, topographic surveys, construction layout, and GPS surveys for residential, commercial, and municipal projects across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
- Civil Engineering Civil engineering services for site design, stormwater management, utility design, roadway design, septic systems, and land development projects from conceptual design through construction. Services are billed on a project basis.
- Wetland Science Wetland delineation, environmental permitting, conservation commission filings, and ecological consulting services including wildlife habitat characterization and rare species assessments for land development, energy/utilities and transportation projects.
- Historical Land Surveying and Civil Engineering Records Archive access to historical survey and engineering records dating back to 1852, acquired from 40+ land surveying and civil engineering firms. Records are maintained and made accessible to clients for research and reference purposes, with fees assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 45 years in business since 1978
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Acton Surveying & Engineering
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Acton Surveying & Engineering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Acton Surveying & Engineering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Vanguard RenewablesminorHancock Associates partnered with Vanguard Renewables to assist in the development of the Jordan Dairy Farm biogas facility. The partnership involves wetland delineation and topographic mapping to begin the planning and permitting process for the anaerobic digestion facility that converts farm and food waste into electricity. Hancock continues to provide construction staking services as the facility is designed and permitted.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Acton Surveying & Engineering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Weston & Sampson: New England-based environmental and infrastructure engineering firm offering surveying, civil/site design, and wetland services to municipal and private clients across MA, NH, CT, and RI.
- Fuss & O'Neill: New England-based engineering, planning, and environmental firm with surveying, site/civil, and ecological practices serving similar municipal and developer clients.
- Tighe & Bond: Massachusetts-based engineering and environmental consulting firm providing land surveying, civil engineering, and wetlands/permitting services to municipal, educational, and private clients in the Northeast.
- VHB: New England-headquartered engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firm offering land surveying, civil engineering, and wetland/permitting services across the same Northeast geographies Hancock serves. Closest comparable in scale and multi-discipline model.
- BSC Group: Boston-based surveying, engineering, and landscape architecture firm with similar mix of boundary surveying, site civil, and environmental permitting work. Directly comparable regional competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Stantec: Global engineering and consulting firm with established New England offices that competes for the same institutional, municipal, and developer RFPs and offers broader technical capabilities.
- Haley & Aldrich: Geotechnical and environmental engineering firm with New England offices that overlaps with Hancock's site assessment, environmental permitting, and developer-client relationships.
- Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering services firm with strong environmental and water practices that pursues large-scale infrastructure and municipal contracts in the same region as Hancock.
- SLR Consulting: Global environmental and advisory consulting firm with active M&A roll-up activity in the engineering space, positioning it as a consolidator competing for the same regional talent and clients as Hancock.
- Kimley-Horn: National planning and design consulting firm with Northeast offices that competes on commercial, residential, and institutional site development requiring land surveying and civil engineering.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Acton Surveying & Engineering social profiles
Digital presenceActon Surveying & Engineering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Acton Surveying & Engineering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Acton Surveying & Engineering subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries9 records
Acton Surveying & Engineering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Acton Surveying & Engineering M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Acton Surveying & Engineering
What does Acton Surveying & Engineering do?
Acton Surveying & Engineering, now operating as part of Hancock Associates, provides professional land surveying (boundary, ALTA/NSPS, topographic, construction layout, GPS), civil engineering (site design, stormwater management, utility design, septic systems), and wetland science (delineation, permitting, conservation commission filings) services to residential, commercial, municipal, and institutional clients across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Is Acton Surveying & Engineering a public or private company?
Acton Surveying & Engineering is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Acton Surveying & Engineering founded?
Acton Surveying & Engineering was founded in 1978.
Where is Acton Surveying & Engineering based?
Acton Surveying & Engineering is headquartered in Chelmsford, United States, in the North America region.
How does Acton Surveying & Engineering make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Professional Services - Land Surveying is the primary driver. The others are professional Services - Civil Engineering, professional Services - Wetland Science and historical Records Access.
Who are Acton Surveying & Engineering's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Weston & Sampson, Fuss & O'Neill, Tighe & Bond, VHB and BSC Group. Broad incumbents are Stantec, Haley & Aldrich, Tetra Tech, SLR Consulting and Kimley-Horn.
Does Acton Surveying & Engineering have an API?
No public API is recorded for Acton Surveying & Engineering.
What industry is Acton Surveying & Engineering in?
Acton Surveying & Engineering's product category is Surveying and Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAHAHAC, Wetlands & Waters of the U.S. Delineation / Riparian Assessments, with a secondary code of BPAHAJAC, Site Assessment & Remediation (Phase I/II, Cleanup Oversight). Its NAICS code is 54136 and its SIC code is 6500.