Name the 2026 standard in writing
Survey instructions, proposals and lender requirements should expressly request a 2026 ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey and list the negotiated Table A items.
2026 ALTA/NSPS Standards Explained: What Changed from 2021
Effective February 23, 2026 · Official standards, complete Table A guide and transaction tool
The 2026 ALTA/NSPS Standards, Explained for Real Transactions
See exactly what changed from 2021, what stayed the same, how every Table A item works, and what buyers, lenders, title professionals, attorneys and surveyors should coordinate before fieldwork begins.
Feb. 23, 2026Effective date
20 defined items2026 Table A options
Item 21Custom negotiated work
2 cm + 50 ppmRPP limit retained
What changed in the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards?
The 2026 standards replaced the 2021 version on February 23, 2026. The revision is primarily a clarity and coordination update—not a reinvention of the ALTA survey.
The most important changes are a more explicit written survey request, revised research responsibilities, technology-neutral fieldwork language, added water-boundary and oral-statement notes, expanded underground-utility limitations, a rewritten imagery option under Table A Item 15, and a new defined Item 20 for a keyed table of specified potential encroachments and access conditions.
The maximum allowable Relative Positional Precision remains 2 cm (0.07 feet) plus 50 parts per million.
2026Current required version
21Total numbered lines
4Core survey components
1Official certification form
01
2026 vs. 2021 standards at a glance
The changes most likely to affect scope, underwriting, survey review or closing timing.
| Topic | 2021 approach | 2026 requirement or clarification | Who should act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey request | The request identified an ALTA/NSPS survey and selected Table A items. | The written request must specifically identify a “2026 ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey,” identify selected Table A items and address unusual property interests before work begins. | Client / lender |
| Effective standard | The 2021 standards governed current work. | The 2026 standards superseded previous versions on February 23, 2026. Later “updates” are generally new surveys under current standards. | All parties |
| Measurement language | RPP used a more technical definition. | The definition and explanation were simplified. The numerical maximum remains 2 cm plus 50 ppm. | Surveyor |
| Records research | Title evidence and adjoining-property deeds were addressed in the prior structure. | The title insurer is no longer required to supply adjoining deeds; the surveyor still obtains records needed to establish the relationship with adjoining properties. | Title / surveyor |
| Fieldwork methods | The standards used more “on-the-ground” wording. | Technology-neutral language recognizes practices generally accepted by the surveying profession, including evolving tools, while leaving method and precision to the surveyor. | Surveyor |
| Water boundaries | Water features were located and shown under the prior language. | The survey must add a note identifying the measured water attribute, measurement date and the possibility that the feature may move or differ from the legal title limit. | Surveyor |
| Oral statements | Relevant evidence was evaluated under general survey practice. | The plat includes notation of parol statements by interested owners or occupants concerning title or boundary issues. | Surveyor |
| Table A Item 11 | Utility plans, reports and locate markings could be used. | The limitations of non-excavated utility information are stated more directly, and incomplete locate responses must be addressed on the survey. | Client / surveyor |
| Table A Item 15 | Specific imagery and remote-sensing methods were listed. | Imagery requires a written agreement on source, date/version and licensing, discussion of limitations, and a face-of-survey note. | Client / lender / insurer |
| Table A Item 20 | Item 20 was the blank custom line. | Item 20 is now a defined table of specified potential encroachments and access conditions. Custom work moves to Item 21. | Review team |
02
Eight changes that matter most
What the revised wording means during an actual commercial transaction.
Scope unusual property interests early
Marinas, leases, easements, mineral interests, campgrounds, mobile-home parks and other non-fee-simple interests may require a custom written scope before fieldwork.
Deliver complete title evidence
The surveyor needs the most recent title commitment—or other title evidence acceptable to the insurer—plus referenced documents needed to address the surveyed property and appurtenant rights.
Do not confuse precision with boundary correctness
RPP measures the quality of the measurements between corners. A precise measurement can still support the wrong boundary if the legal evidence is interpreted incorrectly.
Document water-boundary limits
Where water defines or affects title, the survey must identify what was measured and when, while warning that natural movement may affect the physical feature or legal title limit.
Treat utility depictions as limited evidence
Item 11 can combine records, private-locate markings and observed evidence, but it does not replace excavation or a separately scoped subsurface utility investigation.
Agree before using imagery
Item 15 requires the source, date/version, licensing and limitations to be discussed and documented before imagery is used for qualifying non-boundary features.
Use Item 20 for reviewer navigation
The new optional table can centralize specified potential encroachments, setback concerns and undocumented access conditions, but it is not a legal opinion or necessarily a complete issue list.
03
What did not change
Important constants that prevent the update from being overstated.
The purpose remains title-insurance support
An ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey still combines fieldwork, a plat or map, requested Table A information and the official certification to support title and lender review.
Boundary law still controls the boundary
The surveyor must establish or retrace boundaries using the applicable legal principles and the facts and evidence found during research and fieldwork.
RPP is still 2 cm plus 50 ppm
The wording changed, but the maximum allowable Relative Positional Precision did not.
Table A remains optional and negotiated
The first 20 items are not automatically included. Each selected item must be negotiated between the surveyor and client unless a jurisdiction independently requires it.
The certification remains tightly controlled
The survey must use the unaltered Section 7 certification except where a more stringent applicable jurisdictional requirement controls.
State and local rules still matter
The ALTA/NSPS standards are national minimums. More stringent state or local surveying requirements must also be followed.
Do not order “an ALTA survey with everything.”
That phrase does not define a scope. The transaction team should identify the current standard, the exact property or interests, the title evidence, the selected Table A items, the certification parties, the intended use and the review deadline.
04
Complete 2026 Table A guide
A plain-English summary of all defined optional items plus the custom-work line.
Table A is a menu of optional responsibilities and specifications. The descriptions below are paraphrases for planning; use the official Table A language when requesting and contracting for the work.
| Item | Plain-English purpose | Common transaction use | 2026 note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Place monuments or reference monuments at major boundary corners when not already appropriately marked. | Long-term corner recovery and development planning. | Defined optional item. |
| 2 | Show the property address when disclosed in documents or observed during fieldwork. | Property identification. | Defined optional item. |
| 3 | Show flood-zone classification by scaled graphic plotting from the applicable map source. | Flood due diligence and underwriting. | Not an elevation certificate. |
| 4 | Report gross land area and any other client-specified areas. | Acreage confirmation. | Area scope should be explicit. |
| 5 | Provide vertical-relief information such as contours, datum, benchmark and source. | Preliminary design or site understanding. | Design surveys may require Item 21. |
| 6 | List or graphically depict qualifying zoning, setback, height, floor-area and parking requirements from client-provided reports or letters. | Zoning and setback review. | Surveyor does not independently interpret zoning law. |
| 7 | Provide selected building dimensions, footprint areas or measured heights. | Underwriting and redevelopment review. | Client must specify required subitems. |
| 8 | Show substantial observed features beyond the minimum Section 5 improvements. | Broader property-condition context. | Define desired features. |
| 9 | Count and categorize clearly identifiable marked parking spaces. | Parking compliance and asset review. | Includes specialized marked types. |
| 10 | Determine the relationship of selected division or party walls to adjoining properties. | Urban and attached-building transactions. | Client designates the walls. |
| 11 | Develop an underground-utility depiction from selected plans/reports and/or private-locate markings combined with observed evidence. | Utility due diligence. | Expanded caveats |
| 12 | Address specified governmental-agency survey requirements supplied by the client. | HUD, federal leases or other agency programs. | Provide the exact agency requirements. |
| 13 | List adjoining-property owner names from current tax records. | Reviewer and ownership context. | Tax-record names, not title opinions. |
| 14 | Show the distance to the nearest intersecting street. | Access and location context. | Defined optional item. |
| 15 | Use agreed imagery for qualifying non-boundary features and document its source, date/version, precision and limitations. | Large sites and remote-feature mapping. | Rewritten |
| 16 | Show evidence of recent earthwork, building construction or additions observed during fieldwork. | Development and closing review. | Observed evidence only. |
| 17 | Show proposed right-of-way changes supplied by the jurisdiction and observed recent street or sidewalk work. | Roadway and access risk review. | Depends on available jurisdiction data. |
| 18 | Treat qualifying plottable offsite appurtenant easements as part of the surveyed scope. | Cross-access, parking and utility rights. | Can materially increase scope and fee. |
| 19 | Require specified professional-liability insurance and a certificate of insurance. | Risk-management requirement. | Not addressed on the face of the survey. |
| 20 | Create a keyed table summarizing specified potential encroachments and access conditions. | Title, lender and attorney review. | New defined item |
| 21 | Add precisely written custom negotiated requirements identified as 21(a), 21(b) and so on. | Design-grade data, unique lender needs or special deliverables. | Former Item 20 role |
Engineering design data is not automatically created by selecting Items 5 and 11.
The official Table A directs parties to negotiate an engineering design survey under Item 21 when design-grade information is desired as part of the ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey.
2026 Table A planning tool
Select the transaction needs below to generate a preliminary discussion list. The result is not a final scope and does not replace lender, title-insurer, attorney or surveyor instructions.
Start with the transaction questionSelect only items that support a real underwriting, title, development or review need.
05
2026 ALTA survey ordering checklist
Use this before the proposal is finalized—not one day before closing.
Commercial transaction checklist
For buyers, owners, lenders, title companies, attorneys, developers and property managers.
Request the correct standard.Use the exact phrase “2026 ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey.”
Identify the person or entity authorizing and paying for the work.Provide written authorization to proceed.
Send the complete current title commitment.Include Schedule A, Schedule B and every referenced exception document.
Confirm the legal description and property interests.Include appurtenant easements and discuss leases, minerals or other unusual interests.
Select Table A items deliberately.Do not use a recycled lender list without confirming the transaction need and fee.
Separate ALTA utility information from design-grade utility investigation.Discuss private locating, SUE or excavation when greater confidence is required.
Document any Item 15 imagery agreement.Identify source, date/version, licensing and limitations before work begins.
Decide whether Item 20 would improve review.Confirm the transaction team wants the keyed table of specified potential encroachments and access conditions.
Write custom Item 21 instructions precisely.Define required features, accuracy, formats and responsibility for supplied information.
Provide certification names early.List the insured, lender, insurer and any additional negotiated parties.
Secure access.Address access to the surveyed property, adjoining land and offsite easements when required.
Work backward from review deadlines.Allow time for title review, lender review, objections and revisions before closing.
06
Responsibilities by transaction role
Each participant controls a different part of a successful survey order.
Buyer, owner or developer
- Explain the intended transaction and future property use.
- Provide access and known property records.
- Coordinate design-team requirements before adding custom scope.
- Order early enough for meaningful review.
Lender
- Use 2026-compliant survey instructions.
- Identify required Table A items and certification parties.
- Clarify zoning, flood, parking, utility and encroachment expectations.
- Set a review deadline before the closing date.
Title company or insurer
- Provide current title evidence and readable exception documents.
- Identify appurtenant rights and survey-related title matters.
- Review the survey against the title commitment.
- Resolve certification and exception questions promptly.
Attorney or transaction manager
- Align contract deadlines with survey production and review.
- Write custom Item 21 requirements precisely.
- Separate survey facts from legal conclusions.
- Coordinate objections and curative work before closing.
07
How the 2026 standards affect Utah ALTA surveys
The national minimums must be applied alongside Utah requirements and local professional practice.
Utah commercial properties may combine recorded subdivision plats, metes-and-bounds descriptions, public-land survey evidence, private access, irrigation or water features, appurtenant easements and rapidly changing development conditions. A 2026-compliant request does not eliminate those local complexities; it creates a clearer framework for addressing them.
Utah and local requirements can be more stringent
Where an applicable state or local surveying requirement exceeds the ALTA/NSPS minimum, the more stringent requirement controls.
Water and irrigation features need careful scope
Visible water features, title-defined water boundaries and irrigation rights are different issues. The title package and intended transaction use determine what must be researched and shown.
Appurtenant easements can expand fieldwork
Item 18 may require offsite access, parking or utility easements to be treated much like fee parcels, which can materially change time and fee.
ALTA data may not be a design base
When architects or engineers need design-grade topography or utilities, coordinate a separate design scope under Item 21 rather than assuming the title survey automatically provides it.
This guide is educational—not legal or title-insurance advice.
The final survey scope should be confirmed by the surveyor, client, lender and title insurer for the actual Utah property and transaction.
08
Official sources and research method
How this guide was checked and where to verify the controlling language.
Primary official documents
Method and limitations
- The comparison prioritizes changes that affect ordering, scope, title review, fieldwork, map presentation or transaction timing.
- Table A descriptions are paraphrased planning summaries; the official wording controls.
- The page does not interpret title ownership, legal rights, underwriting coverage or Utah law for a specific transaction.
- Standards documents and agency instructions can be supplemented or clarified. Verify current official materials when ordering.
Continue through the ALTA survey resource cluster
09
Request a 2026 ALTA project review
Send the property, title package and deadline so the correct scope can be evaluated.
Commercial ALTA survey intake
Upload the current title commitment and any lender or buyer survey requirements when available.
10
2026 ALTA/NSPS standards FAQ
Direct answers to the questions transaction teams ask most often.
When did the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards take effect?
The 2026 standards became effective February 23, 2026 and superseded previous ALTA/ACSM and ALTA/NSPS versions as of that date.
What are the biggest changes in the 2026 standards?
The most consequential changes involve the written survey request, research responsibilities, technology-neutral fieldwork language, water-boundary and oral-statement notes, utility limitations, imagery under Item 15, and the new defined potential-encroachment and access table under Item 20.
Did Relative Positional Precision change?
The definition and explanation were simplified, but the maximum remains 2 cm (0.07 feet) plus 50 parts per million based on the direct distance between the corners tested.
How many Table A items are there?
There are 20 defined optional items. Custom negotiated requirements are placed under Item 21 and identified as 21(a), 21(b) and so forth.
What is new Item 20?
When selected, Item 20 requires specified potential encroachments and access conditions to be summarized in a table and keyed to the face of the survey. It is a reviewer-navigation tool, not a legal opinion.
What changed in Item 15?
Qualifying imagery use now requires written agreement on the imagery source, date or version and licensing, discussion of accuracy and completeness implications, and a note on the face of the survey describing the source and qualifications.
Does Item 11 guarantee underground utility locations?
No. It can combine records, reports, private-locate markings and observed evidence, but without excavation underground features cannot be shown with complete accuracy, completeness or reliability.
Is an update of an older ALTA survey a new survey?
Official guidance treats an update as effectively a new survey because current conditions are being certified. New work generally follows the standards in effect for the new contract, subject to narrow transition circumstances.
Can an ALTA survey include engineering design data?
Yes, but design-grade services should be expressly negotiated under Item 21. Selecting topography or utility items alone does not automatically create a full engineering design survey.
Where can I order a 2026-compliant ALTA survey in Utah?
Visit Ludlow Engineering’s Utah ALTA Surveys service page to review scope, pricing factors, service areas and the proposal process.
Order the survey around the transaction—not the closing date alone.
Send the title commitment, selected Table A items, property interests, certification parties and review deadline early enough for the survey, title and lender teams to resolve issues.
ALTA survey servicesRequest project reviewCall (435) 623-0897