Title companies order an ALTA survey because they need to insure a piece of land, and they can’t insure what they can’t see clearly. The survey is the bridge between the paper in the file and the dirt on the ground. When a surveyor prepares one for a title company, the whole effort points toward a single goal: giving the insurer enough certainty to write a policy. Every line drawn and every note added serves that purpose.

Matching the Commitment Description to the Land in the Field

The first job is comparing the legal description in the title commitment against what’s actually out there. The surveyor takes the words that describe the parcel and traces them on the ground, corner by corner. Where the description calls for a distance or a direction, crews measure it and check whether the land agrees.

That comparison pulls in more than just the one deed. The surveyor reviews the adjoining property descriptions, the recorded plats, and the way the land has been used and occupied. A fence line that’s held for fifty years, a driveway worn into the same path, and a row of old corner markers all become evidence.

When the field and the paper disagree, the surveyor shows the gap rather than smoothing it over. A description that doesn’t close, or that overlaps the neighbor, is exactly the kind of thing a title company needs flagged before it insures the boundary.

Locating Schedule B Exceptions That Can Be Plotted

Schedule B of the title commitment lists the exceptions, meaning the recorded matters that affect the property. The surveyor works through that list and sorts each item into one of two piles. Some can be drawn on the survey. Others can’t.

Handling those two piles correctly matters to the insurer:

• Easements with a clear recorded location get plotted on the drawing, showing width and position
• Access rights and rights of way get shown where the documents describe them
• Restrictions that affect a specific area get depicted or noted
• Exceptions describing something too vague to locate get listed as a note instead
• Items that clearly don’t touch this parcel get identified as not affecting the property

That sorting tells the title company which recorded interests actually sit on the land and where. An easement running straight through the middle of a proposed building site is far more useful to know as a drawn line than as a paragraph buried in a file.

Documenting Improvements That Could Affect Insurability

Buildings, fences, pavement, utilities and signs all get located, because any of them can reveal a problem the title company cares about. A structure sitting too close to the line hints at an encroachment. A driveway crossing onto the neighbor raises an access question.

The surveyor measures how each improvement relates to the boundaries and the easements. A warehouse wall three feet from the property line is fine. The same wall sitting one foot over the line is a title issue that needs attention before closing. Showing those relationships lets the insurer judge the risk.

Utilities deserve their own attention. A power line or a pipe crossing the property without a recorded easement can create a claim later. Locating that evidence gives the title company a chance to address it while the deal is still open.

Verifying Legal Access Without Treating a Driveway as Proof

A property can have a paved driveway leading right to the road and still lack legal access. That distinction trips up buyers constantly, and title companies need it drawn clearly. The surveyor separates the physical way in from the recorded right to use it.

Physical access is what you can see: the driveway, the curb cut, the gravel lane. Legal access is what the records grant: frontage on a public road, or a recorded easement across someone else’s land. A driveway that’s been used for years might cross a neighbor’s property with no recorded right at all.

The surveyor shows both and keeps them distinct. Where legal access depends on an easement, the drawing points to the document that creates it. Where a parcel appears to rely only on a physical route with no recorded backing, the survey makes that visible so the title company can dig into it.

Preparing a Certification That Matches the Transaction Parties

The certification is the surveyor’s signed statement, and it names who’s allowed to rely on the survey. Getting those names right matters, because the certification is written for the specific deal in front of everyone. The insured buyer, the lender, and the title company usually appear on it.

The surveyor writes the certification to match the parties in the transaction and no further. Adding names or expanding the language beyond what was agreed creates liability nobody signed up for. The certification says what the survey covers and who ordered it, tied to the current standards.

That precision protects everyone. A clean certification, dated and naming the correct parties, gives the title company the assurance it needs to attach the survey to its file and issue the policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which title commitment documents should be provided before ALTA fieldwork begins?

The title commitment itself, plus copies of every document listed in Schedule B. Easements, restrictions, agreements and prior surveys all help the surveyor plot recorded matters accurately. Starting fieldwork without those documents means guessing at exceptions, which usually forces a return trip and a revised drawing.

Can an unplottable Schedule B exception still appear in the survey notes?

Yes. When an exception describes something too vague to locate, like a blanket easement with no defined position, the surveyor lists it as a note rather than a drawn line. That way the title company sees the item was reviewed and acknowledged, even though it couldn’t be shown as a specific location on the map.

Why might a title insurer request revisions after receiving the first survey draft?

Insurers review the draft against their commitment and often spot items they want addressed. They may ask for an exception to be plotted differently, a note added, or certification language adjusted. This back-and-forth is routine. The draft exists precisely so the insurer can request changes before the survey gets finalized.

Does visible access guarantee that a commercial parcel has legal access?

No. A driveway or paved route shows physical access, not a legal right to use it. Legal access comes from public road frontage or a recorded easement. A commercial parcel can have an obvious entrance that crosses a neighbor’s land with no recorded right, which is a serious issue the survey is meant to reveal.

Who determines which optional Table A responsibilities belong in the order?

The parties to the transaction decide together, usually the buyer, lender and title company. Table A lists optional survey items, and the choices depend on what the deal needs. Those selections should be made before fieldwork starts, since several of them change how much time the survey takes.