ALTA Survey: The Complete Guide
What ALTA/NSPS land title surveys are, who needs one, the full Table A breakdown, and what the process involves — from a licensed Florida PSM.
Quick Answer
An ALTA survey (ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey) is a comprehensive boundary and title survey that meets nationally recognized standards set by the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors — most recently updated effective 23 February 2026. They are quoted per project from the property and the Table A list your lender requires, and typically take 7-14 business days.
ALTA surveys are standard for commercial real estate transactions, construction loans, and refinancing. They include boundary determination, improvement location, easement mapping, flood zone classification, and optional Table A items — going well beyond a basic boundary survey to protect lenders, buyers, and title companies.
What Is an ALTA Survey?
An ALTA survey — formally an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey — is the most comprehensive type of land survey performed in the United States. The standards are published jointly by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS), creating a nationally uniform standard that lenders and title companies rely on for commercial real estate transactions.
Unlike a standard boundary survey, which focuses on establishing property lines and corners, an ALTA survey integrates boundary determination with title research, improvement mapping, easement identification, flood zone classification, and zoning analysis into a single certified document. The result protects all parties in a real estate transaction — the buyer, lender, and title company — from survey-related risks.
National Standard
ALTA/NSPS standards are recognized by lenders, title companies, and attorneys across all 50 states — providing consistency regardless of where the property is located.
Title Integration
The survey is tied directly to the title commitment — every exception, easement, and encumbrance in the title report is located and shown on the survey plat.
Certified Document
A licensed PSM certifies the survey to the specific parties named in the title commitment — buyer, lender, title company, and their successors and assigns.
Who Needs an ALTA Survey?
ALTA surveys serve multiple parties in a real estate transaction. Here are the primary stakeholders who request or require them.
Commercial Lenders
Banks and lending institutions require ALTA surveys before funding commercial mortgages, construction loans, and refinancing. The survey protects the lender's collateral by confirming the property boundaries match the deed and identifying encumbrances that could affect the loan.
Commercial Property Buyers
Buyers of office buildings, retail centers, industrial properties, and multi-family complexes use ALTA surveys for due diligence. The survey reveals encroachments, easements, and zoning issues before closing — information that can change the purchase price or kill the deal.
Title Insurance Companies
Title underwriters rely on ALTA surveys to identify survey-related exceptions to title coverage. Without a current survey, the title policy may exclude coverage for boundary disputes, encroachments, or unrecorded easements — leaving the owner exposed.
Real Estate Attorneys
Attorneys representing buyers, sellers, or lenders in commercial transactions use ALTA surveys to verify that the property description in the deed matches conditions on the ground. The survey is a critical part of legal due diligence.
Developers & Builders
Developers acquiring land for new construction need ALTA surveys to confirm buildable area, setback compliance, utility access, and easement locations before designing site plans. Table A items like zoning compliance (6a/6b) and utility locations (11a/11b) are essential.
Property Owners Refinancing
When refinancing commercial property, lenders typically require an updated ALTA survey — or at minimum, a recertification of an existing survey. This confirms no new encroachments or changes since the original survey.
ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements
The ALTA/NSPS standards define two categories of requirements: mandatory baseline elements (Sections 5 and 6) that every ALTA survey must include, and optional Table A items that the client selects based on the transaction's needs.
Current edition: The 2026 ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements became effective February 23, 2026, superseding the 2021 edition. Any survey certified after that date must be prepared to the 2026 requirements. For scoping purposes the change is undramatic — Table A items 1, 2, 3, 4, 6(a), 8, 11(a) and 19 all survive unchanged, so an item list assembled under the previous edition generally still describes the same work. What matters is that your surveyor certifies to the current standard.
Mandatory Baseline (Every ALTA Survey)
Boundary determination: Locate and establish all property boundaries per the legal description in the title commitment.
Rights-of-way and access: Identify and show all rights-of-way and evidence of access to public ways.
Visible improvements: Locate all visible improvements (buildings, structures, paving) on the property and within 5 feet of boundaries.
Easements and encumbrances: Locate all recorded easements and servitudes identified in the title commitment.
Surface utilities: Show surface evidence of underground utilities (manholes, valve boxes, utility markers).
Certification: The PSM certifies the survey to the parties named in the title commitment, bearing the surveyor's seal and license number.
Optional Table A Items
Table A items expand the survey scope beyond the mandatory baseline. There are twenty numbered items (plus item 21 for anything the surveyor and client negotiate on top) covering everything from flood zones to parking counts to building heights. Your lender and title company will specify which items are needed. Each additional item adds fieldwork, research, or both — increasing the survey cost and timeline. See the complete Table A breakdown below, or visit our ALTA survey cost guide for item-by-item pricing.
Complete Table A Items Breakdown
Every Table A item explained — what it is and why it matters. For pricing, see our ALTA survey cost guide.
| Item | Description | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monuments placed (or a reference to an existing monument) at all major corners of the boundary of the surveyed property. | Ensures permanent physical markers exist at every property corner so boundaries can be found in the future. |
| 2 | Address(es) of the surveyed property if disclosed in the title commitment or documents provided. | Confirms the street address matches the legal description — catches addressing errors before closing. |
| 3 | Flood zone classification, with proper annotation based on the federal Flood Insurance Rate Maps (or the state or local equivalent), depicted by scaled map location and graphic plotting only. | Shows the lender and title company which FEMA flood zone the property plots in. It is a scaled map location and graphic plotting only — if measured elevations are needed, that is a separate elevation certificate. |
| 4 | Gross land area of the property (to the appropriate degree of mathematical precision). | Confirms total acreage or square footage. Discrepancies between deed area and measured area can affect property value. |
| 5 | Vertical relief, with the source of the information (ground survey, aerial mapping), the contour interval, the datum, and the originating benchmark where appropriate. | Shows the topography of the site. Important for drainage analysis, building design, and grading plans. |
| 6(a) | Where a zoning report or letter supplied by the client sets out the current zoning classification, setback requirements, height and floor space area restrictions, and parking requirements for the property, those items are listed on the plat or map with the date and source of the report. | Puts the zoning conditions the client already holds in writing onto the survey. The surveyor lists what the report says — the item is not a zoning opinion, and it does not apply without a report. |
| 6(b) | Where the client-supplied zoning report or letter sets out the zoning setback requirements and those requirements do not need interpretation by the surveyor, the setbacks are depicted graphically on the plat or map, with the date and source of the report. | Draws the setback lines on the map so you can see where the report says you can and cannot build. Only setbacks are drawn — height and floor space limits stay in the listed text under 6(a). |
| 7(a) | Exterior dimensions of all buildings at ground level. | Documents the exact footprint of every building on the property — essential for confirming improvements stay within boundaries. |
| 7(b)(1) | Square footage of the exterior footprint of all buildings at ground level. | Provides the measured building area — useful for comparing against tax records, insurance coverage, and floor area ratio calculations. |
| 7(c) | Measured height of all buildings above grade at a location specified by the client. If no location is specified, the point of measurement is identified on the survey. | Gives a measured building height for zoning height review. Because the height is measured at a single specified point, agree that point with whoever needs the number. |
| 8 | Substantial features observed in the course of the survey — parking areas, signs, swimming pools, landscaped areas, etc. | Documents everything on the property beyond buildings. Identifies potential issues like a pool overlapping an easement. |
| 9 | Number and type of parking spaces, both on surface lots and within structures. | Verifies parking meets zoning requirements. Critical for commercial properties where parking ratios are enforced. |
| 10 | As designated by the client, a determination of the relationship and location of certain division or party walls with respect to adjoining properties. | Clarifies where a shared wall sits relative to the boundary — a recurring question in attached retail, office, and townhouse-style buildings. |
| 11(a) | Evidence of underground utilities on or serving the property, as determined from plans and/or reports provided by the client (with reference to the sources). | Locates buried utilities that could conflict with construction. Depends entirely on the as-built drawings and reports the client supplies. |
| 11(b) | Evidence of underground utilities on or serving the property, as determined from markings coordinated by the surveyor or client under a private utility locate request. | Adds a field locate to the record research. Even then, without excavation the exact position of buried lines cannot be depicted with certainty. |
| 12 | Governmental agency survey-related requirements specified by the client — HUD surveys, for example, or surveys for leases on Bureau of Land Management land. | Aligns the survey with a specific agency program. The client or their representative has to supply the relevant agency requirements. |
| 13 | Names of adjoining property owners from current tax records. | Identifies neighbors for easement negotiations, boundary agreements, and construction notification requirements. |
| 14 | Distance to the nearest intersecting street. | Ties the parcel to the surrounding street grid — useful for access review, addressing, and locating the site from the public way. |
| 15 | Permission to show features away from the boundary using imagery, subject to a written agreement on the imagery source and date and a qualifying note on the face of the survey. | Lets aerial or satellite imagery stand in for fieldwork on interior features, with the accuracy limits disclosed on the plat. |
| 16 | Evidence of recent earth moving work, building construction, or building additions observed in the course of the fieldwork. | Flags recent site activity that may not yet appear in permit or property records — a signal of unrecorded improvements or work in progress. |
| 17 | Proposed changes in street right of way lines, where the controlling jurisdiction makes that information available, plus evidence of recent street or sidewalk construction or repairs observed in the field. | Warns of planned road widening or right-of-way takings that could reduce the usable area of the site. |
| 18 | Plottable offsite (appurtenant) easements disclosed in documents provided to or obtained by the surveyor. | Maps easements that cross neighboring properties but serve this property — a shared driveway, or a utility line running to the parcel across a neighbor's land. |
| 19 | Professional liability insurance carried by the surveyor in the minimum amount written into the item, in effect throughout the contract term. | Sets a contractual insurance floor for the survey work. The certificate is furnished on request rather than shown on the plat. |
| 20 | A table on the face of the plat summarizing observed potential encroachments across boundaries, into rights of way and easements, and across setbacks, plus undocumented physical access to or use of adjoining parcels. | Collects the survey's risk findings into one reviewable list for the lender, the title underwriter, and the buyer. |
| 21 | Any additional items negotiated between the surveyor and client, identified as 21(a), 21(b), and so on. | The open slot for scope outside the standard list — an engineering design survey, for instance, belongs here rather than under items 5 or 11. |
Table A contains twenty optional items; any additional items negotiated between the surveyor and client are listed as Item 21.
The ALTA Survey Process: 8 Steps
From title commitment to certified plat delivery — here is what a licensed PSM does to complete an ALTA/NSPS survey.
Title Commitment Review
The surveyor receives the title commitment, deed, and supporting documents from the title company or client. This identifies the legal description, recorded easements, liens, and exceptions that the survey must address.
Deed and Easement Research
The surveyor researches the chain of title at the county clerk's office, reviews prior surveys, recorded plats, and adjacent property deeds. All recorded easements, rights-of-way, and encumbrances are identified and located.
Table A Item Coordination
The client, lender, and title company specify which Table A items are required. The surveyor reviews the scope and discusses any items that may require additional documents (zoning letters, utility plans) from the client.
Field Reconnaissance and Monumentation
Using GPS receivers, total stations, and metal detectors, the survey crew locates existing monuments, measures boundary lines, and identifies property corners. Missing monuments are set (iron rods with PSM caps).
Improvement and Feature Mapping
All buildings, structures, paving, fences, walls, utilities, and other improvements are measured and located relative to the boundary. Encroachments — where improvements cross boundary or easement lines — are identified.
Table A Item Completion
The surveyor completes each requested Table A item: flood zone determination, zoning compliance analysis, adjoining owner research, parking counts, building dimensions, and any other selected items.
Drafting, Calculations, and Quality Control
Office work to prepare the survey plat: boundary calculations, area computations, easement plotting, improvement dimensioning, and annotation of all findings. A second PSM reviews the work for accuracy.
Certification and Delivery
The licensed Professional Surveyor and Mapper (PSM) signs, seals, and certifies the survey to the parties named in the title commitment — typically the buyer, lender, and title company. The certified plat is the final deliverable.
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How to Read an ALTA Survey
An ALTA survey plat is a dense, information-rich document. Here is what each major section contains and how to interpret it. For general survey reading skills, see our guide to reading land survey maps.
Title Block
Located in the lower-right corner. Contains the surveyor's certification, PSM seal and license number, survey date, legal description reference, and the names of parties the survey is certified to (buyer, lender, title company).
Boundary and Dimensions
The property boundary is shown as a bold line with bearing (direction) and distance (length) labels on each segment. Curves show radius, arc length, and chord data. Monuments are marked with symbols indicating whether they were found (existing) or set (new).
Easements and Encumbrances
Shown as hatched or dashed areas with labels referencing the recording information (Official Records Book and page number). Each easement is cross-referenced to the title commitment exception it addresses.
Improvements
Buildings, pavement, fences, walls, pools, and other structures are shown with dimensions and distances to the nearest property line. Any improvement that crosses a boundary or easement line is labeled as an encroachment.
Table A Notes
A schedule on the plat lists which Table A items were selected and any modifications to the standard language. This is where you find flood zone classification (item 3), zoning data (items 6a/6b), and adjoining owner names (item 13).
Certification Language
The ALTA/NSPS standards prescribe specific certification language. The surveyor certifies that the survey was made in accordance with the Minimum Standard Detail Requirements, identifies the edition used, and names the certified parties.
When Is an ALTA Survey Required?
ALTA surveys are not legally mandated by Florida law, but they are standard practice — and often contractually required — in these situations:
Commercial Property Purchase
Standard due diligence for office, retail, industrial, and multi-family acquisitions. Required by most commercial lenders and title underwriters.
Commercial Mortgage
Banks require ALTA surveys before funding commercial mortgage loans. The survey protects the lender's collateral by confirming the property description matches actual conditions.
Construction Loans
Lenders require ALTA surveys before disbursing construction loan funds. The survey confirms buildable area, setback compliance, and utility access before construction begins.
Commercial Refinancing
When refinancing commercial property, the new lender typically requires an updated or recertified ALTA survey to confirm nothing has changed since the original survey.
Title Insurance Issuance
Title underwriters use ALTA surveys to identify survey-related exceptions. Without a survey, the title policy excludes boundary, encroachment, and easement coverage — leaving significant gaps.
High-Value Residential
Jumbo mortgages, waterfront properties, and estates with complex boundaries may require ALTA surveys even for residential transactions, depending on the lender's requirements.
Not sure if you need an ALTA survey? See our ALTA vs boundary survey comparison to determine which survey type fits your transaction, or request a free quote and we will advise you.
Florida-Specific ALTA Survey Requirements
Florida ALTA surveys must comply with both the national ALTA/NSPS standards and the state's own surveying regulations. Here are the key Florida-specific requirements.
PSM Licensing (Chapter 472, Florida Statutes)
All ALTA surveys in Florida must be performed by or under the direct supervision of a Professional Surveyor and Mapper (PSM) licensed by the Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers. Under section 472.015(12), Florida Statutes, the PSM or firm must either carry professional liability insurance or notify the client in writing that it does not, and licensees must complete continuing education to renew.
Standards of Practice (Rules 5J-17.050–.053, FAC)
The Florida Administrative Code sets standards of practice that apply to all surveys performed in Florida, including ALTA surveys. These cover accuracy requirements, monument standards, and documentation requirements beyond what ALTA/NSPS specifies.
Florida State Plane Coordinate System
Survey measurements in Florida are tied to the Florida State Plane Coordinate System (NAD 83). Florida has three zones (East, West, North) based on geography. The coordinate system ensures all surveys can be accurately related to each other and to the national geodetic framework.
Flood Zone Determination
Florida's extensive flood zones make Table A item 3 (flood zone classification) particularly important. Many Florida properties are in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) — zones AE, VE, AH, or AO — which trigger mandatory flood insurance requirements and affect construction standards.
Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL)
Coastal Florida properties may require the surveyor to locate the CCCL — a line established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection seaward of which construction requires special permits. The CCCL is particularly relevant for ALTA surveys on beachfront commercial properties.
ALTA Survey Resources
Explore our in-depth resources on ALTA surveys — pricing, comparisons, provider selection, and more.
ALTA Survey Cost Guide
Detailed pricing breakdown with Table A item costs, residential vs commercial, and regional Florida pricing.
ALTA vs Boundary Survey
Side-by-side comparison of scope, cost, deliverables, and when each type is required.
Best ALTA Survey Companies (2026)
Compare top Florida ALTA/NSPS survey providers by expertise, coverage, and turnaround.
Boundary Surveys in Florida
Complete boundary survey guide — the foundation that ALTA surveys build upon.
Survey Cost Calculator
See the scope and published rates your ALTA survey quote gets built from.
ALTA/NSPS Survey Service
Request an ALTA survey — pricing, process, and Florida-wide coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an ALTA survey?
What does ALTA survey mean?
What is the difference between an ALTA survey and a regular survey?
How much does an ALTA survey cost?
Who pays for the ALTA survey in a real estate transaction?
What are ALTA Table A items?
Do lenders require an ALTA survey?
How long does an ALTA survey take?
Can I update an existing ALTA survey instead of getting a new one?
What are the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards changes?
What does a Florida PSM need to perform an ALTA survey?
What happens if the ALTA survey reveals problems?
Related Guides
Boundary Surveys in Florida
Complete guide to the boundary survey that forms the foundation of every ALTA survey.
Land Survey Cost by State
National pricing comparison for all survey types including ALTA surveys.
Construction Surveying in Florida
ALTA surveys in the context of the full construction survey workflow.
Get Your ALTA Survey Today
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