An ALTA survey tells a commercial buyer what they are really getting when they close on a property. Property lines, easements, encroachments, and building locations all show up on this one document. Since February 23, 2026, a new version of the rules behind that survey has been in place, and it changes what buyers should be asking for. 

Confirm the Survey Is Ordered Under the 2026 ALTA/NSPS Standards

The first thing to check is simple, but easy to miss. Your survey request needs to say, in writing, that you want a 2026 ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey. Not just “an ALTA survey.” Not a leftover request template from a deal you closed a few years back.

The current standards took effect on February 23, 2026, and they replaced the older 2021 version. Any survey contract signed on or after that date is expected to follow the new rules. If your paperwork still references the old version, or doesn’t specify a version at all, that’s worth fixing before fieldwork starts. Surveyors, lenders, and title companies are all working off the updated language now, and a mismatched request can lead to a survey that doesn’t match what everyone else expects to see.

Choose Table A Items Based on the Property and Transaction

Table A is the list of optional items a surveyor can add to the base survey. Nothing on that list gets included automatically. A buyer has to ask for it, item by item, based on what actually matters for the deal.

This part takes some coordination. Sit down with your lender, your title company, and your attorney before the surveyor starts work. Depending on the property, you might need gross land area, information on vertical relief, zoning-related details, or exact building dimensions. A warehouse deal has different concerns than a shopping center or a piece of raw land. This conversation is how buyers end up with a survey that’s technically accurate but missing the one detail their lender needed to approve financing.

Request the Right Title and Property Documents Before Fieldwork Begins

A surveyor working in the field needs more than a legal description and a pair of boots. Before that work starts, buyers typically need to gather current title evidence and other property records relevant to the transaction.

Getting these documents together early does more than speed things up. It gives the surveyor something concrete to compare against what they find on site, whether that’s a fence in the wrong spot, a driveway that crosses onto the neighbor’s land, or a recorded easement nobody mentioned. When these documents show up late, or not at all, the survey can miss issues that only become obvious once someone is standing on the property with a title commitment in hand. Early coordination here saves real time later.

Identify Special Property Conditions That Need a Custom Scope

Some properties don’t fit neatly into a standard survey scope. Marinas, mobile home parks, parcels with mineral interests, or land tied up in complicated leases and easements all fall into this category. These situations often need extra written coordination before the surveyor even shows up.

Buyers sometimes assume the standard ALTA scope will cover whatever comes up, but that’s not a safe bet for unusual properties. If your deal involves anything outside a typical office building or retail pad, raise it early. Talk to the surveyor about what the property actually involves, and put the agreed scope in writing. This step is easy to skip when a deal is moving fast, but skipping it is exactly how buyers end up with a survey that leaves out something the title insurer needed.

Coordinate Survey Requirements With the Lender and Title Insurer

None of the previous steps work in isolation. Table A choices, document requests, and special scope items all need to line up with what the lender and title insurer actually expect to see on the finished survey.

This means talking to all parties, not just the surveyor, before ordering any optional work. A lender might have its own list of required Table A items. A title insurer might need specific information to clear an exception on the title commitment. Getting everyone aligned before the survey is ordered means the final product supports both the title review and the closing, instead of triggering a round of revisions right when the deal is supposed to be wrapping up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Table A items should a commercial buyer request on a 2026 ALTA survey? 

There’s no single list that works for every property. The right items depend on the property type, lender requirements, title concerns, how the buyer plans to use the property, and whatever due diligence questions are specific to that transaction.

Does every 2026 ALTA survey automatically include all Table A items? 

No. Table A items are optional. The buyer or their representative has to identify which specific items apply and request them when the survey scope is set.

Should a buyer speak with the title company before ordering the ALTA survey? 

Yes. Early coordination helps confirm what survey information the title insurer expects to see, and it can prevent unnecessary revisions or delays later in the deal.

Can a commercial buyer request work beyond the standard Table A items? 

Yes. Additional items can be negotiated and added under Table A Item 21 when needed, with the scope agreed upon directly between the surveyor and the client.

When did the 2026 ALTA/NSPS survey standards take effect? 

The current standards became effective February 23, 2026, replacing the prior version of the ALTA/NSPS minimum standards.