Most Utah ALTA/NSPS surveys run $3,000 to $8,000; large and complex sites run more. Here’s what moves the price, which Table A items cost the most, what lenders and title companies need, and three real 2026 ALTAs from our files, from surveyors who have completed 170 since 2000.
In Utah, most ALTA/NSPS land title surveys cost $3,000 to $8,000. Small commercial lots usually fall at the low end; standard 2- to 10-acre commercial sites in the middle; and large tracts, resorts, multifamily and industrial sites above $8,000. The biggest drivers are the Table A items your lender selects, the amount of improvements and parking, the number of title exceptions, and how hard the boundary evidence is to recover.
Most take three to six weeks from receipt of the full title commitment.
Planning ranges from our Utah work. Your quote is a fixed fee for your property and Table A list, with travel shown separately.
| Property | Typical cost | Typical time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small commercial lot, under 2 acres | $3,000–$5,500 | 3–4 weeks | Single building, simple parking, recent plat. |
| Standard commercial, about 2–10 acres | $5,000–$8,000 | 3–5 weeks | Several buildings or larger parking areas. |
| Large rural or vacant tracts | $8,000+ | 4–6 weeks | Section-corner recovery, contours, long boundaries. |
| Multifamily, resorts, industrial | $8,000+ | 4–6+ weeks | Many buildings, plats, stalls and exceptions. |
| Item 11 underground utilities | Quoted | Adds time | Private locator plus survey of markings. |
Ranked by how much they usually move the price.
| Factor | Impact | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Table A items | High | Each item adds field time, research or drafting. Item 11 (underground utilities), Item 5 (contours) and Item 9 (parking) move the price most. |
| Site size and complexity | High | Acreage matters, but buildings, parking, curbs and utilities matter more. A busy 3-acre site can cost more than an empty 20-acre one. |
| Title commitment & Schedule B | Medium | Every exception document is reviewed and plotted. A commitment with 25 old easements takes longer than one with five. |
| Boundary evidence | Medium | Rural tracts need section corners recovered first. Missing or conflicting monuments add field days. |
| Number of parcels and plats | Medium | Several recorded plats, condo projects or “less and except” parcels on one survey, like a resort, add research and drafting. |
| Deadline | Medium | A closing next week means reshuffling crews. Order as soon as you have the title commitment. |
| Zoning information (Item 6) | Lower | The surveyor shows zoning from a report or letter you provide. Ordering that report is a separate cost. |
| Travel | Lower | Shown as its own line. We’re in Nephi, within about three hours of most of Utah. |
Every Table A item is optional unless a lender, law or regulation requires it. Choose them before the proposal is final.
| Item | What it is | Cost impact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monuments set at corners | Lower | Usually small; more on acreage with many corners. |
| 2–4 | Address, flood zone, land area | Lower | Little added cost. Almost always ordered. |
| 5 | Contours / vertical relief | High | A full topographic survey of the site. |
| 6(a)/(b) | Zoning and setbacks | Lower | Low survey cost; the zoning report is separate. |
| 7 | Building dimensions, area, height | Medium | Depends on the number and shape of buildings. |
| 8 | Substantial features | Medium | Scales with how much is on the site. |
| 9 | Parking counts | Medium | Large lots take real field time. 450 stalls on one 2026 job. |
| 11 | Underground utilities | High | Private locator and extra fieldwork. Often the biggest single add. |
| 13–14 | Adjoiners, nearest intersection | Lower | Mostly office research. |
| 16–18 | Recent earthwork, ROW changes, offsite easements | Medium | Item 18 can add significant research. |
| 19 | Professional liability insurance | Lower | A certificate, unless the lender wants unusual limits. |
| 20 | Encroachment summary table (new 2026) | Medium | Drafting time; worth it on busy sites. |
Full descriptions and a printable checklist: 2026 Table A checklist.
Three reviewers read the same survey for different reasons. Scope it for all three.
That the property, improvements and access match the loan, material encroachments are disclosed, the Table A items they require are included, and the survey is certified to them (and their successors and assigns, if requested) using the 2026 wording.
Every plottable Schedule B exception shown or explained, the boundary tied to the record description, and access and encroachments documented, so the survey exception can be removed or limited.
Limits, buildings, parking, easements, zoning and flood zone, before closing, when problems are cheapest to fix.
Three surveys we signed this year under the 2026 standard. Each landed in a different part of the range for different reasons. Click a drawing to see it full size.
What drove the cost: two lots, the apartment buildings and a clubhouse to dimension (Item 7a), 450 parking stalls to count by type (Item 9), a dozen Schedule B easements and plat notes to plot, and the new Item 20 encroachment table. Little boundary uncertainty, so the effort went into improvements.
Table A items
What drove the cost: section-corner recovery across four sections, rebar set at every corner (Item 1), 2-foot contours over 310 acres (Item 5), three transmission-line easements and utility evidence (Item 11). Almost no buildings, so the effort went into boundary and terrain.
Table A items
What drove the cost: several recorded resort plats and condominium projects, water rights, a conference center, hotel and villas, 412 parking stalls, zoning from a city letter, and drone mapping of the whole site. Moderate acreage, but many parcels and improvements.
Table A itemsWhat 170 ALTA surveys since 2000, and Utah boundary work since 1975, have taught us about where ALTA budgets go wrong.
Adding Item 11 or Item 5 after the crew has left means a second trip. Get the lender’s list in writing first.
Missing exception documents are the most common cause of delay and change orders. Send Schedule B and every recorded document it lists.
An older ALTA or boundary survey, even a decade old, shortens research and helps the crew find corners faster.
Section corners on acreage can take days to recover, and snow can stop the search. Order rural ALTAs before the closing date is tight.
Most ALTA/NSPS surveys we quote run $3,000 to $8,000. Small commercial lots usually fall between $3,000 and $5,500, standard 2- to 10-acre sites between $5,000 and $8,000, and large tracts, resorts, multifamily and industrial sites above $8,000, quoted by scope.
An ALTA includes a boundary survey plus review and plotting of the title commitment's exceptions, the improvements on the site, the Table A items the lender selects, and a prescribed certification to the lender and title insurer.
It's one factor. Improvements, parking, the number of title exceptions and the Table A list often matter more. A busy small site can cost more than a large empty one.
Item 11 (underground utilities) and Item 5 (contours) usually add the most, followed by Item 9 (parking counts), Item 7 (building dimensions) and Item 18 (offsite easements) on complex sites.
The client, usually with the lender, title company and attorney. Get the lender's list in writing before the proposal is final; adding items after fieldwork costs more.
Usually three to six weeks from receipt of the full title commitment and its exception documents.
Often. A prior ALTA or boundary survey shortens research and fieldwork, but the new survey must meet the 2026 standard and current conditions.
No. Requirements vary by lender, loan program and transaction. Send us the lender's survey requirements with the title commitment.
Not unless Table A Item 5 is ordered.
The address or parcel numbers, the title commitment with Schedule B documents, the lender's Table A list, certification parties and your closing date.
Related: ALTA surveys in Utah · 2026 ALTA standards explained · ALTA surveys in Utah County · drone ALTA surveys · all survey costs
Send the address, your lender’s Table A list and the title commitment. We’ll confirm the 2026 scope and send a fixed fee, usually within one business day.
Ludlow Engineering has surveyed and engineered Utah property for 51 years. Every survey and plan is prepared under a licensed professional, not handed off.
Professional Land SurveyorState of Utah No. 5331527
Directs our boundary, topographic, ALTA and subdivision surveys.
Professional EngineerState of Utah
Stamps our site plans, foundation designs and civil engineering.
Partner & Managing MemberMBA
Managing Member of Ludlow Engineers and Associates
170 ALTA/NSPS survey projects since 2000, in 14 Utah counties.
Most recent: Sep 2026.
Counts come from Ludlow Engineering's project records (2000–present, updated Oct 2026). Client names are never shown.