What Title Companies Expect to See in an ALTA Survey

A title company reviewing an ALTA survey has a mental checklist, and the survey either satisfies it or gets sent back. Behind that review is a simple need. The insurer has to decide whether it can write a policy on this land, and the survey has to give it enough to say yes. Knowing what a title examiner looks for explains why ALTA surveys are built the way they are, and why certain details make or break the review.

A Boundary That Can Be Compared Directly With the Insured Description

The examiner starts by comparing the survey’s boundary against the legal description being insured. For that comparison to work, the parcel has to be drawn clearly, with dimensions, in a way that lines up directly with the words in the commitment.

A clean, dimensioned boundary lets the examiner check the survey against the description point by point. Each distance and direction on the drawing should correspond to the legal description, so the reviewer can confirm they describe the same piece of land. When they match, the examiner gains confidence in the boundary.

When they don’t match, the survey needs to show it. A description that doesn’t close, or that describes land the survey measured differently, is exactly what the title company needs to know before insuring the parcel. The drawing has to make that comparison possible.

Record Matters Positioned Where Their Documents Allow

The examiner wants to see the recorded exceptions from Schedule B placed on the survey wherever the documents allow. An easement with a defined location should appear as a drawn line. An exception affecting a specific area should be shown or labeled.

Proper placement tells the examiner where each recorded interest actually sits. An access easement drawn across the parcel shows exactly which ground it covers. A utility easement plotted along one boundary shows how much of the property it affects. This turns abstract exceptions into visible locations the insurer can evaluate.

Where a document doesn’t define a clear location, the survey handles it differently. A blanket easement with no set position gets addressed in a note rather than an invented line. The examiner expects the survey to distinguish what could be plotted from what couldn’t, which keeps the drawing honest.

Observable Conditions That Could Affect Coverage

Beyond the records, the examiner looks for physical conditions that might affect the policy. Encroachments, overlaps, gaps, access concerns, occupation lines and improvement locations all get attention, because any of them can create a title problem.

These conditions signal risk. A building crossing a line, a gap between parcels, or a fence marking a different boundary than the deed all raise questions the underwriter has to consider. The survey documents each one so the title company can decide whether it needs special handling in the policy.

Showing these conditions is a core reason the survey exists. The insurer can research the records on its own, but it needs a surveyor to reveal what’s physically happening on the ground. The examiner reads the survey specifically to find these observable issues.

Notes That Separate Located Evidence From Unresolved Information

A good survey tells the examiner not just what was found, but what couldn’t be resolved. Notes, qualifications, source references and flagged discrepancies all help the reviewer understand the difference between solid evidence and open questions.

This separation matters for judging risk. A boundary confirmed by found monuments carries more certainty than one reconstructed from conflicting records. An easement plotted from a clear document differs from one estimated from a vague description. The survey’s notes let the examiner see which findings are firm and which remain uncertain.

Unplottable items belong in these notes too. When an exception can’t be shown as a location, saying so tells the examiner it was reviewed and acknowledged. The examiner relies on these qualifications to understand exactly what the survey verified and what it couldn’t.

Signatures and Certifications Consistent With Current Requirements

Finally, the examiner checks that the survey carries proper authentication. The signature, the seal, the date, the named parties and the certification language all have to meet current requirements, or the survey can’t do its job.

The certification names who may rely on the survey, and it has to match the transaction. The insured, the lender and the title company typically appear on it. The examiner confirms the certification includes the right parties and uses language consistent with the standards in effect, so the insurer can properly depend on the document.

The date matters as much as the signature. A survey has to be current enough to reflect the property as it exists now. An examiner reviewing an outdated or improperly certified survey will send it back, because the title company can’t attach a flawed document to its policy file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the title examiner compare the survey with Schedule B-II?

Schedule B-II lists the recorded exceptions affecting the property, and the examiner compares them against the survey to see which ones the surveyor could locate. This shows where each easement or restriction actually sits on the land. The comparison helps the insurer decide how each exception affects coverage and whether any need special treatment.

What should happen when an exception lacks enough information to plot?

The surveyor addresses it in a note rather than drawing an invented location. The note states that the exception was reviewed but couldn’t be plotted because the document doesn’t define a clear position. This tells the examiner the item was acknowledged, which is more honest and useful than forcing a line onto the drawing.

Do title companies require every available Table A item?

No. Table A lists optional items, and the parties choose only the ones the transaction needs. A title company requests items relevant to the specific deal and coverage, not the entire list. Ordering every item adds cost and time without adding value, so the selections are tailored to what actually matters.

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