How to Request an ALTA Survey for Property Closing
Table of Contents
What an ALTA Survey Is and Why It Matters for Your Closing
ALTA Survey Requirements Checklist: What Lenders and Title Companies Expect
ALTA/NSPS Standards and Mandatory Items
ALTA Survey Table A Items Explained: Optional Items That Change Scope and Cost
The Three Tiers of Table A Items
Matching Table A Items to Deal Type
The Cost Trade-Off
How Table A Affects the Certification
How Long Does an ALTA Survey Take and How to Hit a Six-Week Closing
How to Order an ALTA Survey for Property Closing: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Confirm the Requirement With Your Lender and Title Company
Step 2: Gather Documents and Define the Scope
Step 3: Hire a Qualified Surveyor and Review the Draft
Common Red Flags in ALTA Survey Reports and How to Resolve Them Before Closing
The Three-Question Test for Any Survey Finding
Deal-Breakers vs. Negotiable Items
How Each Finding Gets Resolved
Reading the Survey Report Like an Underwriter
Post-Closing Survey Usage: Getting Long-Term Value From Your ALTA Survey
Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated: September 16, 2026
What an ALTA Survey Is and Why It Matters for Your Closing
An ALTA survey is a boundary survey performed to a national standard agreed between the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors, the version commercial lenders and title underwriters accept. It answers where the boundary lines are, what crosses them, and who has rights over them.
ALTA Survey Requirements Checklist: What Lenders and Title Companies Expect
An ALTA survey must meet the current ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements, be certified to the correct parties, and address the Table A items your lender requests. Miss any of the three and it gets sent back.
The mandatory baseline includes:
Current ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements
A current title commitment used as the basis for research
Boundary lines with bearings and distances from the legal description
All easements and rights-of-way of record, plotted on the face of the survey
Encroachments, overlaps, and conflicts noted
Improvements, with setbacks where required
Access rights and any gaps in access identified
Certification in the exact form the lender and title insurer require
Surveyor's seal, signature, and date
ALTA/NSPS Standards and Mandatory Items
The mandatory items do not vary by transaction; Table A does.
Watch Out A common mistake is ordering a boundary survey and assuming the lender will accept it. They will not. If your loan commitment references an ALTA/NSPS survey, a standard boundary survey will be rejected and you will pay twice.
ALTA Survey Table A Items Explained: Optional Items That Change Scope and Cost
Table A is a menu of optional items a lender, buyer, or attorney can select to expand the survey's scope. Each adds fieldwork, research, or drafting time, so scope and cost move together, and choosing deliberately is your biggest lever on both. Here is how experienced practitioners sort must-haves from wasted money.
The Three Tiers of Table A Items
Tier 1, Must-haves for nearly every commercial closing. Lenders and title underwriters rely on these to issue the policy and clear exceptions:
Item 1: Monuments at all corners and along boundary lines
Item 2: Address of the property
Item 3: Flood zone determination (critical if any part of the parcel sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area)
Item 4: Evidence of access to a public way
Item 6: Current zoning classification, with setback requirements if requested
Item 11: Utilities, location of visible utility lines and any utility easements
Item 8: Substantial features observed (paving, curbs, landscaping), useful when the lender is financing site improvements
Item 9: Building heights and square footage, needed when the loan is secured by an existing structure
Item 13: Adjoining owners' names, helpful for assemblages and neighbor negotiations
Item 14: Distance to nearest intersecting street, supports access and frontage analysis
Item 16: Evidence of earth-moving activity, relevant on development sites
Item 17: Evidence of underground utilities, relevant where excavation is planned
Item 18: Parking spaces and loading areas, required when zoning compliance hinges on parking counts
Item 19: Wetlands location, only if a wetland delineation is already underway
Item 20: Evidence of site contamination, only if Phase I findings warrant it
Item 21: Government survey corners, only on large rural tracts
Matching Table A Items to Deal Type
Deal Type | Items Worth Requesting | Why |
Raw land purchase | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 14, 16 | Flood, access, and zoning drive the deal |
Stabilized retail center | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 18 | Parking and improvements are the lender's collateral |
Industrial warehouse | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 17, 18 | Underground utilities and truck courts matter |
Multi-parcel assemblage | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 13, 14 | Adjoining owner names and access gaps are the risk |
Refinance of existing asset | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 11 | Lender wants current improvements and flood status |
The Cost Trade-Off
Each Table A item adds a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on fieldwork. Item 3 (flood zone) is cheap, a desktop analysis. Item 18 (parking) is expensive because every space must be counted and measured. Item 19 (wetlands) can require a separate specialist.
Pro Tip If the lender's commitment letter references "an ALTA/NSPS survey with such Table A items as the lender may require," get the specific item list in writing before you authorize fieldwork. That single email can save thousands.
How Table A Affects the Certification
The certification page must name every party the lender and title insurer require, typically the lender, the title underwriter, and sometimes the borrower and attorney. Adding a Table A item after the survey is sealed forces the surveyor to re-certify and often re-seal it. Finalize the item list before fieldwork begins.
How Long Does an ALTA Survey Take and How to Hit a Six-Week Closing
For most commercial properties, an ALTA survey takes two to four weeks from authorization to delivered draft, assuming records are available and weather cooperates. Complex sites with heavy easement research, dense improvements, or unresolved boundary conflicts run longer.
The timeline breaks down roughly like this:
Records research and title review: several business days
Fieldwork and monument recovery: one to three days on site
Drafting, quality review, and certification: several business days
Revisions after attorney and lender review: variable
Pro Tip Ask for a draft before the final. Reviewing a draft with your attorney while the surveyor still has the file open is faster and cheaper than amending a sealed final survey later.
How to Order an ALTA Survey for Property Closing: Step-by-Step
Ordering an ALTA survey is a sequence, and getting it right protects your closing date. This is the process we walk clients through at CDB Surveying.
Step 1: Confirm the Requirement With Your Lender and Title Company
Get the survey requirement in writing. Ask two questions: does the lender require an ALTA/NSPS survey, and which Table A items must be included? The title company can confirm what certification language the underwriter will accept.
Step 2: Gather Documents and Define the Scope
Send the surveyor the title commitment, legal description, any prior surveys or plats, and the lender's written requirements. A complete document set produces a cleaner first draft.
Step 3: Hire a Qualified Surveyor and Review the Draft
Confirm the surveyor is licensed in the state and experienced with ALTA/NSPS work. Review the draft against the title commitment line by line and flag any conflict before the survey is sealed.
Common Red Flags in ALTA Survey Reports and How to Resolve Them Before Closing
Most closings that stumble do so over three findings: an encroachment, an easement that limits what the owner can build, or a gap in access. None is automatically fatal, but each needs resolution before the lender signs off.
The Three-Question Test for Any Survey Finding
When a red flag appears, ask three questions:
Does it affect title? If the finding creates a cloud on title, an unrecorded easement, a boundary conflict, an adverse possession claim, the title insurer will except it from coverage unless it is resolved or endorsed over.
Does it affect use? If the finding limits what the owner can build, park, or access, the lender's appraiser and credit committee will care even if title is clean.
Does it affect value? If the finding reduces the collateral's marketability or requires remediation, the loan amount or terms may change.
A finding that fails all three is a disclosure item. One that passes any one is a negotiation item. One that passes two or more is a deal-breaker until resolved.
Deal-Breakers vs. Negotiable Items
Deal-breakers (must be resolved before closing):
Boundary conflicts where the legal description does not close or contradicts a neighbor's record. The lender cannot insure a loan on a parcel with an unresolved boundary dispute.
Access gaps where the parcel does not touch a public right-of-way or a recorded easement. Without legal access, the property is landlocked and the lender will not fund.
Unrecorded easements suggested by visible utility runs or access paths with no document behind them. These require a quitclaim from the benefiting party or a title endorsement.
Encroachments where a structure crosses a boundary line and the encroaching party has a potential adverse possession claim.
Negotiable items (resolvable with an endorsement, affidavit, or escrow holdback):
Recorded easements that limit use but are already disclosed in the title commitment. These are typically insured over with a standard exception.
Setback violations on existing improvements. These can often be resolved with a variance, a grandfathered-use letter, or a title endorsement.
Minor encroachments such as a fence or landscaping that crosses a boundary by a small amount. These are often resolved with a boundary line agreement or a quitclaim deed.
Utility easements that cross the site but do not interfere with planned improvements. These are usually disclosed and insured.
How Each Finding Gets Resolved
Finding | Typical Resolution | Who Drives It |
Boundary conflict | Boundary line agreement or quitclaim deed | Attorney + neighbor |
Access gap | Recorded easement or title endorsement | Attorney + title insurer |
Unrecorded easement | Quitclaim from benefiting party or surveyor's affidavit | Attorney + surveyor |
Encroachment | Boundary line agreement, license, or removal | Attorney + neighbor |
Setback violation | Variance, grandfathered-use letter, or endorsement | Zoning attorney + title insurer |
Recorded easement | Standard title exception | Title insurer |
Reading the Survey Report Like an Underwriter
The surveyor reports facts, the underwriter decides which to insure, and the attorney resolves the rest. Review a draft the way the underwriter will:
Does the survey show any gap or overlap with adjoining parcels?
Does the legal description on the survey match the legal description in the title commitment?
Are all recorded easements plotted on the face of the survey?
Is access to a public way shown and documented?
Are any improvements shown crossing boundary lines or easement lines?
The survey's job is to surface problems while you still have leverage. The earlier you classify a finding as a deal-breaker or a negotiable item, the more options you have, and the less likely your closing date slips.
Post-Closing Survey Usage: Getting Long-Term Value From Your ALTA Survey
An ALTA survey does not expire when the deed records. It becomes a reference document you will use for years, and treating it that way changes how you order it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for ordering the ALTA survey during a closing?
Typically, the buyer orders the ALTA survey, but the responsibility is often negotiated in the purchase and sale agreement. Lenders usually require it as a condition of commercial financing, so they may specify who orders it. In practice, the buyer's attorney or the title company coordinates the order with the surveyor. Confirm this early in the due diligence period to avoid delays, because the survey must be completed and reviewed before the title insurance policy is issued.
Do I need an ALTA survey for a residential property closing?
Most residential closings use a standard boundary survey or a lender's survey rather than a full ALTA/NSPS land title survey. An ALTA survey is usually reserved for commercial real estate closings or complex residential transactions where title issues, easements, or encroachments are likely. If your lender does not require one and the title is clear, a standard survey may be sufficient. Ask your attorney or title company whether an ALTA survey is necessary for your specific property.
What is included in an ALTA/NSPS land title survey?
An ALTA/NSPS land title survey includes boundary lines, easements, encroachments, rights-of-way, improvements, and access rights, all mapped to ALTA/NSPS standards. It also shows the legal description, property corners, monuments, and any items selected from the Table A optional checklist, such as utility locations or flood zone determination. The surveyor certifies the findings to the lender and title company, which helps them assess risk and issue title insurance.
How long does it take to complete an ALTA survey?
Timelines vary based on property size, complexity, and the Table A items you select. A straightforward commercial parcel might take two to four weeks, while larger or more complex properties can take six weeks or more. Research and field work, plus coordination with the title company, add time. If you have a closing date, tell your surveyor upfront and provide all documents early. Starting the order as soon as the contract is signed gives the best chance of hitting your deadline.
A commercial closing moves fast, and the survey is usually the longest-lead item on the checklist. Starting it late is the most common way deals slip. CDB Surveying delivers boundary, topographic, and ALTA/NSPS surveys for property owners and developers, with detailed terrain analysis, FEMA-compliant elevation certificates, and expert handling of LOMA applications for flood zone removal. Request a quote from CDB Surveying and get your survey moving before the closing clock starts.
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