ALTA survey vs boundary survey: what each includes, cost and when you need one

What is an ALTA survey?

An ALTA survey is a land title survey prepared to the Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys, a national standard jointly adopted by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS). It is a boundary survey with extra title-related work, produced so that a title insurer can issue extended coverage and a lender can see exactly what it is financing.

The standard is revised every few years. The 2026 edition took effect on 23 February 2026 and replaced the 2021 requirements for surveys contracted on or after that date. Because the requirements are the same in every state, an ALTA title survey of a warehouse in Arizona and one of an office block in Ohio contain the same core items, while state licensing laws and minimum standards still apply on top.

The official text and updates are published by the national bodies; the National Society of Professional Surveyors is a good starting point. For the wider family of survey types, see our guide to types of land surveys.

What is a boundary survey?

A boundary survey is a survey that establishes or re-establishes the corners and lines of a parcel from the deed, plats and physical evidence, and marks them on the ground. It answers one question: where does this property begin and end?

The surveyor researches the legal description and adjoining deeds, searches for existing monuments, measures them, resolves discrepancies, sets missing corners where state law allows, and produces a signed plat. The content and accuracy requirements are set by each state's licensing board, so a boundary survey in one state can look quite different from one in another.

Homeowners typically order one for a fence, an addition, a dispute with a neighbour or a sale. If you only want an approximate idea of where your lines are, our article on finding property lines with GPS explains what consumer devices can and cannot tell you.

ALTA survey vs boundary survey: what is the difference?

The difference is scope: a boundary survey locates the property lines, while an ALTA survey locates the lines and then documents everything that affects title and use of the land, to a uniform national format.

In practice every ALTA survey contains a boundary survey, but very few boundary surveys meet ALTA requirements.

What does an ALTA survey include?

An ALTA survey includes the boundary, the record documents in the title commitment, and the physical features that might affect a title policy or a loan. The 2026 standard groups these into required items and optional Table A items.

Required items

• Boundary lines, corners and monuments found or set, with a record and measured description.
• Easements, servitudes and rights of way listed in the title commitment, plotted where possible or noted if they cannot be located.
• Visible improvements, such as buildings, paving, fences and walls, and evidence of use by others.
• Encroachments in either direction, gaps, overlaps and discrepancies with adjoining deeds.
• Access to public roads, observed evidence of easements such as utility lines, cemeteries, and water features where present.
• Notes on physical access restrictions and on statements by owners or occupants about title or boundary issues.

Optional Table A items

Table A is a list of extras the client selects, now numbered 1 to 21. Common choices include setting monuments, a flood zone classification, gross land area, topography and contours, building dimensions and height, zoning setbacks, parking counts, observed utilities and, new in 2026, a summary of significant observed conditions. Item 21 is a write-in for anything else the parties agree. Every item adds field and office time, so select only what the lender or title company actually requires.

What does an ALTA survey example or sample look like?

A typical ALTA survey sample is a large-format signed plat, often several sheets, with the drawing on one part and extensive notes, schedule references and the certification on another.

When you review an ALTA survey example from a surveyor or a lender, you will usually find:

• A title block naming the survey as an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey and the standard edition used.
• Record and measured legal descriptions, with a note on whether they describe the same land.
• A list of Schedule B exceptions from the title commitment, each marked as plotted, not plottable or not affecting the site.
• The selected Table A items and the results for each, such as flood zone, area and parking.
• Bearings basis, datum and coordinate information, monument descriptions and a legend.
• The certification to the buyer, lender and title company, with the date of the last fieldwork.

If a sample from another surveyor does not show which commitment it relied on and the date of fieldwork, treat it with caution.

How accurate does an ALTA survey have to be?

ALTA surveys must meet a relative positional precision of 2 cm (0.07 ft) plus 50 parts per million, at 95 % confidence, measured along the line between adjacent boundary corners. On a 100 m line that allows about 2.5 cm.

Relative positional precision is the uncertainty of one corner relative to its neighbour caused by random measurement errors. It is not an absolute accuracy figure, and the standard notes that a least squares adjustment is the method most commonly used to estimate it. Boundary surveys follow their own state standards, which are often expressed differently, for example as a closure ratio.

Both modern survey-grade GNSS and total stations meet this comfortably when used properly. Our engineers recommend:

• Fixed RTK solutions only, with redundant observations of each corner at different times or satellite geometries.
• Total station traverses or radial ties for corners under canopy or next to buildings.
• A network least squares adjustment that combines GNSS vectors and terrestrial observations, with the results documented in the job file.

Our GPS accuracy guide explains what RTK accuracy figures mean in the field.

How is an ALTA survey done step by step?

An ALTA survey follows a defined sequence from contract to certified plat; most of the time goes into research and reconciliation, not fieldwork.

1. Agree scope. The client, lender and surveyor agree the standard edition, Table A items, certification parties and deadline in writing.
2. Collect records. The surveyor obtains the latest title commitment and record documents, and researches adjoining deeds and plats directly.
3. Set control. The crew establishes control with GNSS, often a base and rover or network RTK, tied to the state plane or project coordinate system.
4. Search and measure monuments. Corners are located with RTK in open areas and with a total station under trees or along buildings.
5. Locate improvements. Buildings, paving, fences, utilities evidence, parking and any Table A features are measured.
6. Analyse the boundary. Record and measured data are compared, the boundary is resolved and the precision is checked.
7. Draft and review. The plat, notes and Schedule B responses are drafted, then reviewed by the client, title company and lender.
8. Certify and deliver. The surveyor signs, seals and certifies the final plat with the fixed certification wording.

Typical turnaround is two to six weeks, depending on site size, records and how quickly comments come back.

What equipment do surveyors use for ALTA and boundary surveys?

The core kit for both survey types is the same: a survey-grade GNSS RTK system for control and open-sky corners, a total station for obstructed points and building ties, and solid tripods and accessories.

Our E1 GNSS RTK receiver works as radio base, radio rover or CORS/NTRIP rover, and its IMU allows measurement with the pole tilted up to 60°, which helps on fence corners and building corners. For the obstructed part of the job, the STS2 total station measures up to 1000 m reflectorless and 5000 m to a prism, with dual-axis compensation and a laser plummet for quick set-up over control. Both mount on our aluminium survey tripod.

Which survey do you need, and how should you order one?

Order an ALTA survey when a lender, title insurer or commercial buyer requires it; order a boundary survey when you need lines marked for a fence, permit, residential sale or dispute.

• Commercial purchase or refinance: ALTA survey, with the Table A items in the lender's requirements letter.
• Residential sale, fence or extension: boundary survey, possibly with a separate topographic survey for design.
• Development site: ALTA survey plus a full topographic survey for engineers.
• Neighbour dispute: boundary survey by a licensed surveyor in that state.

Common mistakes are ordering every Table A item "just in case", ordering before the title commitment is available, and forgetting to name every party who needs the certification. For survey firms equipping crews for this work, our land surveying solutions page shows complete GNSS and total station kits, and you can request a quote for a base and rover set, total station and accessories.

Frequently asked questions