If you're closing on commercial real estate, your lender, your title company, or your buyer's counsel has probably asked for an "ALTA survey." It sounds like jargon, but the requirement is simple: they want a single, comprehensive, sealed survey performed to a known national standard before money changes hands.
What ALTA/NSPS actually means
ALTA stands for the American Land Title Association. NSPS stands for the National Society of Professional Surveyors. Together, they publish the "Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys" — the rulebook every ALTA survey must follow.
Because the standard is national and uniform, an ALTA survey performed in Detroit, Dallas, or Denver looks the same and means the same thing. That predictability is exactly what lenders and title underwriters need to clear a commercial transaction.
What's on an ALTA survey
A typical ALTA survey includes:
- The legal boundary of the parcel, monumented and verified on the ground
- All recorded easements and encumbrances plotted in their actual locations
- Visible improvements — buildings, parking, drives, walks, fences
- Encroachments (improvements crossing the boundary, in either direction)
- Access points and roadway frontage
- Above-ground utilities and evidence of underground utilities
- Flood zone information
- Any of the optional "Table A" items the title company requests
Table A — the optional menu
Beyond the required items, the ALTA standard includes a list called "Table A" that the title company and the surveyor agree on up front. Common Table A items include zoning verification, parking count, building setbacks, topographic contours, and tree locations.
Confirming Table A items at the start saves time and money — adding them after the survey is complete usually means a return trip to the field.
Why your lender requires one
A title insurance policy protects against title defects, but it can't cover risks the underwriter doesn't know about. The ALTA survey is how the underwriter sees the property in detail. Without it, the lender's collateral has unknown exposure: encroachments, access disputes, missing easements, or boundary issues that don't show up in the recorded chain of title.
"We needed an ALTA on a tight closing window and Latitude delivered. The title underwriter signed off the first time — no revisions, no delays." — Jen P., Commercial Developer
How long it takes
Standard ALTA delivery is four to six weeks from authorization, depending on parcel complexity, weather, and how long it takes to receive the title commitment. Expedited timelines are possible — let us know the closing date and we'll commit to a delivery date up front.
The bottom line
If you're buying, selling, or refinancing commercial property in Michigan, you'll almost certainly need an ALTA/NSPS survey. Get it ordered as soon as you have a purchase agreement — the survey is often the long pole in a commercial closing.
Need an ALTA on a closing clock? Send us the title commitment and your target date and we'll quote the work and lock in a delivery.