ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey
The detailed, standards-based survey commonly required in commercial transactions and commercial lending.
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What It Is
An ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey is prepared to national standards jointly adopted by the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors. It ties the surveyed boundary directly to the title commitment.
The surveyor plots each recorded exception from the title commitment, shows improvements, access, utilities, and encroachments, and can add optional items from Table A such as zoning classification, parking counts, or flood zone designation.
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When It's Commonly Used
- Commercial real estate purchases and refinances
- Commercial lender or title underwriter requirements
- Removing or modifying survey exceptions from a title policy
- Investment acquisitions where access, easements, and encroachments carry real value
- Multi-parcel or multi-tenant properties
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Why It Matters
This is the survey that connects the legal record to the physical property. It frequently reveals access limitations, unrecorded use, utility crossings, or easements that affect development and value.
It also supports extended title coverage. The scope, and which Table A items you order, should be coordinated with your lender, title company, and attorney before the survey begins.
04
Questions to Ask
- Which Table A optional items does my lender or title company require?
- Will you work directly from the current title commitment and plot every exception?
- What is the schedule, and can a preliminary draft be issued for review?
- Will zoning, flood zone, or parking counts be included?
- Who will coordinate revisions if the title commitment is updated?
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Related Reading & Resources
The most successful real estate decisions often involve collaboration between several professionals working toward the same goal. Understanding each person's role helps you ask better questions and make more confident decisions.
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Other Types of Surveys
- Topographic SurveyA mapping of elevation, slope, and physical features used for design, drainage, and construction planning.
- Easement SurveyLocating, describing, or creating the rights that allow access, utilities, and shared use across land.
- Subdivision PlatThe recorded map that divides land into new legal parcels, with the dedications and approvals that make them real.
Questions About Property Boundaries or Land Development?
Surveying often plays an important role in understanding property boundaries, development potential, and legal descriptions. I'd be happy to help you identify the questions worth asking and connect you with local surveying professionals as you evaluate your options.
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