Commercial closings run on ALTA/NSPS surveys — and every one starts with the same question: which Table A items does this deal actually need? Order too few and the lender balks; order everything and you pay for data nobody reads.
What the minimum standards always include
Every ALTA survey shows the boundary resolved from record and field evidence, all improvements and encroachments, easements from the title commitment, access and road frontage, and flood-zone status. That baseline satisfies most cash deals and many lenders — it is the “minimum” the standards promise.
Table A: the options worth knowing
Zoning (Item 6). Required by most institutional lenders — setbacks, height limits and current use confirmed with the jurisdiction.
Topography and utilities (Items 2, 11). Essential when the buyer plans to build or redevelop; skip it for a pure investment hold.
Parking and signage (Items 9, 17). Retail and office lenders routinely require striped-space counts and pylon sign locations.
“Send your surveyor the title commitment and the lender's checklist before we quote. Matching Table A to the deal saves clients hundreds on every closing.”
Timing and cost drivers
ALTA surveys take 2–4 weeks: title work must arrive first, jurisdictions answer zoning letters slowly, and large sites need more field days. Fixed quotes depend on acreage, improvements and Table A selections — share the commitment early and the price (and schedule) firms up fast.
Closing on commercial property?
Send the commitment — we'll scope the right ALTA survey.