Selecting Table A Items for Commercial Development
Last Updated: October 22, 2026
Quick Summary
Selecting table a items for commercial development means choosing from a standardized checklist of optional survey elements that match your stakeholder requirements, project stage, timeline, and budget. Start by identifying what your lender, title company, and buyer require, then add items that change your go/no-go decision or design assumptions.
Lenders typically require items 10.01 (zoning), 10.02 (utilities), and 10.03 (easements) for commercial deals.
Topography (item 10.04) and utilities (item 10.02) account for a large share of incremental survey cost above baseline boundary work.
Item 10.02 documents utility easements and approximate locations but does not replace a separate pre-excavation 811 locate before digging.
Get a written scope agreement listing all selected items, deadline, deliverable format, and fee before the surveyor begins fieldwork.
Different project stages justify different survey scope: acquisition focuses on boundaries and zoning; pre-development adds topography and flood zones; pre-construction adds site improvements.
Table of Contents
Understanding ALTA/NSPS Survey Requirements and Table A Items
How to Build Your ALTA Survey Table A Checklist
Evaluating ALTA Survey Zoning Information for Your Project
Documenting ALTA Survey Utility Locations and Underground Services
What item 10.02 actually documents
Public versus private utility responsibility
Selecting item 10.02 by property and project type
Wording that protects you
The follow-up investigation you still need
Utility scope and the rest of your Table A checklist
Negotiating ALTA Survey Cost for Developers: Scope and Trade-Offs
What actually drives survey cost
How scope choices affect schedule
Structuring the quote for comparison
A stage-based budgeting framework
Removing items: the risk side of the trade-off
Negotiation levers beyond price
Practical Selection Workflow: From Scope Agreement to Deliverables
Conclusion
Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding ALTA/NSPS Survey Requirements and Table A Items
An ALTA/NSPS land title survey documents property boundaries, improvements, easements, utilities, and other features affecting value and development potential, prepared to standards set by the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (ALTA).
Table A is the core of every ALTA/NSPS survey: a standardized checklist of optional items that define the survey's scope. Not every item applies to every project, your job is selecting table a items for commercial development that matter for your deal, timeline, and budget.
Selecting the right items prevents costly surprises during due diligence, financing, or construction.
The 2021 edition of the ALTA/NSPS standards changed how items are organized and documented, important when comparing older surveys to current work.
How to Build Your ALTA Survey Table A Checklist
Start by identifying who requires what. Your lender, title company, and buyer (if selling) have specific demands, get them in writing before meeting your surveyor.
Common stakeholders and their typical needs:
Lenders often require items 10.01 (zoning), 10.02 (utilities), and 10.03 (easements and encroachments)
Title companies need items that resolve title exceptions or identify boundary issues
Buyers in commercial deals typically want comprehensive documentation of site improvements and access
Next, map your project stage: a land purchase survey might focus on boundaries and zoning, while a pre-development survey adds utilities, flood zones, and site improvements.
Here's a practical selection framework:
Project Stage | Priority Items | Why |
Land acquisition | 10.01, 10.02, 10.03, boundary detail | Confirm what you're buying and what encumbrances exist |
Pre-development | Add 10.04, 10.05, 10.06 | Enable site planning and identify constraints |
Pre-construction | Add 10.07, 10.08, 10.09 | Support design and permitting |
Financing/refinance | Lender-specified items | Meet financing requirements exactly |
Write down each item your stakeholders need, then ask: does this item change my decision about this property? If not, it's optional.
Evaluating ALTA Survey Zoning Information for Your Project
Zoning information (item 10.01) appears on most ALTA surveys, identifying the current zoning classification and sometimes referencing restrictions that affect land use.
Redefined Horizons
The survey itself does NOT interpret zoning. It documents what the zoning map shows.
Here's what item 10.01 typically includes:
Current zoning designation (e.g., C-2 commercial, R-3 residential)
Zoning district boundaries as they apply to your property
Reference to the zoning ordinance document
When selecting this item, ask: will financing or a buyer require zoning confirmation? For commercial development, almost always yes; for a residential fence or small addition, often no.
One critical limitation: the survey shows zoning as recorded on the map, NOT setback requirements, height limits, parking ratios, or use restrictions.
Documenting ALTA Survey Utility Locations and Underground Services
Utility locations (item 10.02) identify where water, sewer, electric, gas, telecommunications, and other services cross or touch your property. It's critical for development but frequently mis-scoped: item 10.02 documents utility evidence, not utility infrastructure. That distinction determines whether you select the item, how you word it, and what follow-up work you budget for.
What item 10.02 actually documents
The surveyor locates utilities by reviewing utility company records, easement documents, and recorded plats; conducting field investigation with locating equipment; identifying above-ground features (poles, transformers, meter boxes, pedestals, valve covers); and marking underground lines with electromagnetic tools where accessible.
What the survey shows:
Utility easements (the legal right for the utility company to access and maintain lines)
Approximate locations of underground utilities observed or located
Above-ground utility infrastructure on or near the property
What it does NOT show:
Exact depth of underground lines (requires a separate utility locate before digging)
Condition, capacity, or age of infrastructure
Private utility lines (septic, private water wells, site drainage, fire loops)
A common pattern in commercial deals is treating item 10.02 as a complete utility picture. It is not, it's a snapshot of what can be observed, recorded, and located within the surveyor's standard of care.
Public versus private utility responsibility
One of the most misunderstood aspects of utility documentation is who owns and maintains what. Everything downstream, private water lines, sewer laterals, site lighting conduit, fire-suppression loops, and drainage, is the owner's responsibility and generally not shown on an ALTA survey unless specifically requested and separately located.
For a commercial developer, this matters: a private sewer lateral under a proposed building pad is a design constraint the survey may not reveal, and abandoned private lines from a prior use can create excavation hazards and environmental liability.
Selecting item 10.02 by property and project type
Use this matrix to decide whether item 10.02 belongs on your checklist and how much utility scope to buy:
Property / project type | Select 10.02? | Recommended scope | Reason to select or omit |
Undeveloped land, acquisition due diligence | Yes | Public utility easements and above-ground features only | Confirms access to service and reveals recorded easements that affect layout |
Industrial site with existing infrastructure | Yes, expanded | Public plus private utility locate; request abandoned-line research | Process piping, private laterals, and abandoned lines are common and expensive to discover late |
Multifamily redevelopment | Yes | Public utilities plus private site lighting and drainage if visible | Tenant safety and design coordination depend on knowing what is underground |
Retail pad or outparcel | Yes | Public utilities and easement locations; confirm service capacity separately | Utility easements often dictate building placement and drive-aisle geometry |
Pre-construction | Yes, plus 811 ticket | Survey documentation plus a separate utility locate before excavation | The survey shows general location; the locate provides depth and exact position |
Simple boundary confirmation with no development | Often no | Omit unless lender requires | If no construction or financing is planned, the cost may not be justified |
Wording that protects you
Item 10.02 is often selected with boilerplate language. Ask your surveyor to clarify in the scope agreement whether private utilities will be located and shown, whether abandoned lines will be researched or noted, whether utility company records will be requested, and whether the surveyor will rely on utility markings or perform independent locating. This doesn't change the ALTA/NSPS standard, but it documents the agreed scope and reduces disputes.
The follow-up investigation you still need
Selecting item 10.02 does not replace a pre-excavation utility locate. Before any ground disturbance, request a locate through your state's 811 call center, the survey shows general locations and easements, while the locate provides depth and exact position. For complex private infrastructure, a private locating firm may be needed.
Watch Out Do not treat an ALTA survey showing item 10.02 as a substitute for a pre-dig locate. The survey documents what was observed and recorded at the time of the survey; it does not guarantee the absence of unrecorded or abandoned lines.
Utility scope and the rest of your Table A checklist
Utility documentation interacts with other items. Item 10.03 (easements and encroachments) research often surfaces utility easements that inform 10.02, and with item 10.04 (topography), utility features like poles and pedestals become design constraints in the grading plan. Treat utility scope as an integrated selection, not an isolated checkbox.
Negotiating ALTA Survey Cost for Developers: Scope and Trade-Offs
Survey cost depends directly on scope: more Table A items mean more fieldwork, research, and documentation. What most guides omit is how to make the trade-off, which items drive cost disproportionately, how scope affects schedule, and how to structure a quote so you can compare options rather than accept a single lump sum.
What actually drives survey cost
Not all Table A items cost the same. Some are largely office research; others require field crews, equipment, and coordination:
Boundary and title research, baseline work every ALTA survey includes; cost scales with title complexity and record quality
Topography (item 10.04), field-intensive; cost scales with site area, terrain, and contour interval
Flood-zone research (item 10.05), office research plus possible elevation work; cost scales with FEMA map complexity and elevation-certificate needs
Topography and utilities together account for a large share of the incremental cost above a baseline boundary survey. If your budget is tight, scrutinize those first, not because they're unimportant, but because that's where the money goes.
How scope choices affect schedule
Cost and schedule move together, but not always as developers expect. Adding an item doesn't add a fixed number of days; it adds dependencies:
Utility coordination can add days or weeks depending on utility company response times
Flood-zone research can add time if FEMA map panels are ambiguous or an elevation certificate is required
Topography adds field time proportional to site size and terrain
Rush work compounds this: a survey needed in two weeks costs more than one you can wait six weeks for. Build schedule float into your timeline rather than paying a premium for avoidable compression.
Structuring the quote for comparison
A single lump-sum quote tells you the total but not the trade-off. Ask your surveyor to quote so you can compare options:
Baseline quote, boundary survey plus items your lender and title company require
Itemized add-ons, each optional Table A item quoted separately, with a short description of what the price includes
Schedule impact, estimated delivery time for the baseline and each add-on combination
Assumptions and exclusions, what the quote assumes (site access, record availability, utility responsiveness) and what would trigger a change order
This lets you see exactly what each piece costs and how it affects delivery, and gives you a documented basis for negotiating scope rather than price alone.
A stage-based budgeting framework
Different development stages justify different levels of survey investment:
Development stage | Typical survey scope | Budget posture | Schedule posture |
Acquisition due diligence | Boundary, zoning, easements, utilities (public) | Moderate; focus on items that change the go/no-go decision | Allow 3-6 weeks; do not compress unless the deal requires it |
Design and entitlement | Add topography, flood-zone data, site features | Higher; design accuracy depends on these items | Allow 4-8 weeks; coordinate with design milestones |
Permitting | Add items required by the jurisdiction or lender | Targeted; buy only what the permit requires | Align with permit submittal dates |
Financing / refinance | Lender-specified items only | Match lender requirements exactly; avoid over-scoping | Meet lender deadlines; confirm requirements in writing early |
Pre-construction | Survey documentation plus separate locate and staking | Moderate; do not substitute survey for construction layout | Coordinate with contractor schedule |
Removing items: the risk side of the trade-off
Removing items saves cost but creates risk that shows up as specific downstream costs:
Skipping zoning leaves you unaware of use restrictions that could block your intended use
Omitting utilities means surprises during construction, when redesign is most expensive
Excluding topography makes site design guesswork and can force redesign after grading begins
The right question isn't "which items can I cut?" but "which items change my decision or my design?" If an item would change a go/no-go decision, a design assumption, or a financing condition, it belongs on the checklist.
Negotiation levers beyond price
Price is only one lever. Others include:
Scope phasing, buy the items you need now and defer items that can be added later without redoing fieldwork
Deliverable format, digital deliverables in multiple formats may reduce downstream conversion costs
Schedule flexibility, a longer delivery window can reduce rush premiums
Key Takeaway Negotiate scope, schedule, and deliverables together. A quote that is cheap but late, or complete but unusable by your design team, is not a good deal. The goal is a documented scope that matches your stage, your stakeholders, and your timeline.
Practical Selection Workflow: From Scope Agreement to Deliverables
Start with a written scope agreement. Before the surveyor sets foot on your property, document exactly what you're paying for.
Your scope agreement should include:
List of all Table A items selected
Property address and legal description
Deadline for completion
Once scope is locked, the surveyor conducts fieldwork: boundary survey (locating corners and lines), measurement of buildings and improvements, utility and easement research, and any additional items you selected (topography, flood zones, etc.).
Before accepting the survey, review it against your scope agreement: confirm all selected items are documented, check the plat is legible and complete, and ask the surveyor to explain any notations you don't understand.
A practical selection checklist:
Confirm all stakeholder requirements are documented
Get a written quote showing each item and cost
Decide which items you'll actually use
Pro Tip Request digital files in multiple formats (PDF, DWG, shapefile). You may need to share the survey with architects, engineers, and contractors. Different tools read different formats. Having multiple versions prevents delays later.
Conclusion
Selecting Table A items for commercial development requires balancing stakeholder requirements, project needs, timeline, and cost. The right selection prevents financing delays, construction surprises, and expensive rework.
CDB Surveying delivers precise, reliable land surveying services to property owners and commercial developers, ensuring legal compliance and informed real estate decisions. Our authoritative insights and detailed terrain analysis provide the critical data necessary for seamless commercial transactions, property protection, and successful land development projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most important Table A items for commercial development projects?
The essential items depend on your project stage and lender requirements. Most commercial developments require boundary lines, easements, rights-of-way, encroachments, and building footprints. For development sites, zoning information, flood-zone classification, and utility locations are critical for site planning and due diligence. Your title company and lender will specify minimum requirements; additional items address project-specific risks like wetlands, topography, or adjacent improvements. Work with your surveyor to identify which items directly affect your development timeline, budget, and regulatory compliance.
How do Table A items affect ALTA survey cost for developers?
Each optional item adds fieldwork and research time, directly increasing survey cost. Boundary verification, utility identification, and flood-zone research require different expertise and data sources. Topographic surveys with contours cost more than flat-site documentation. Underground utility location work often involves third-party utility locating services. Rather than selecting every item, prioritize items that support your specific development decision or lender requirement. Pricing depends on quantity, dates, and delivery, and you can request a quote to understand the costs for each item upfront, allowing you to make informed trade-offs between scope and budget.
Who decides which Table A items to include in the survey?
The decision is collaborative. Your lender or title company may mandate minimum items for financing or title insurance. Your development timeline and budget constraints shape practical choices. The surveyor advises on feasibility and cost. Document the agreed scope in a written agreement before fieldwork begins to avoid scope creep and cost surprises. For commercial transactions, your real estate attorney and title company should review the selected items to ensure they address title exceptions and due diligence concerns.
Are Table A items required, or are they truly optional?
The ALTA/NSPS 2021 standards define a minimum baseline of required items for all surveys. Table A items are optional additions beyond that baseline. However, lenders and title companies often require specific optional items as a condition of financing or title insurance. Your project's risk profile, property type, and transaction stage determine which optional items become practically necessary. A residential fence installation may need only boundary lines, while a commercial development site typically requires 8-12 optional items for due diligence and construction planning.
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