Commercial Land Surveys in Utah
Commercial Land Surveys in Utah
ALTA/NSPS, boundary, topographic, and site-plan surveys for Utah commercial real estate — drone-led, engineer-stamped, and accepted by every major title insurer, lender, and municipality. Pricing from $1,800.
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Updated July 2026 · Commercial surveying statewide in Utah
A commercial land survey is any property survey performed for commercial real estate — and that covers far more than most buyers expect. Depending on the transaction, the right survey may be an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey, a boundary survey, a topographic survey, a site-plan survey, or a construction stakeout. Each is engineer-stamped; each serves a different purpose and carries a different price. Ludlow Engineering has performed commercial land surveys across Utah since 1975 — drone-equipped crews, Utah-licensed Professional Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers on staff, and working relationships with every major Utah title company, lender, and municipality. Pricing starts at $1,800 for simple commercial boundary work; commercial ALTA surveys start at $3,000. Call (435) 623-0897 or request a quote.
Tell us about the transaction. If a commercial lender or title insurer is involved, you almost certainly need an ALTA survey. Building or renovating? You may need a topographic survey alongside the boundary work. Refinancing a property you already own? An ALTA re-certification may be enough. Five minutes on the phone usually settles it. Get started →
Commercial Land Survey Types in Utah
Six survey types cover virtually every commercial real estate need in Utah — each offered in-house and engineer-stamped by a Utah-licensed Professional Land Surveyor.
ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey
The comprehensive survey commercial lenders and title insurers require — boundary plus every selected Table A item (utilities, easements, encroachments, flood zones, zoning, parking). The default for commercial purchases, refinances, and major investments.
ALTA survey details →Commercial Boundary Survey
Establishes property corners and the legal boundary of a commercial parcel. Less comprehensive than an ALTA — no Table A documentation — but sufficient where a lender or title insurer isn’t requiring full ALTA scope. Common for owner-financed deals, lot splits, and disputes.
Boundary survey details →Topographic Survey
Maps elevation, contours, and surface features of a commercial parcel — required by architects, engineers, and contractors for grading, drainage, building, or site work. Often paired with an ALTA or boundary survey, or produced standalone for design.
Topographic survey details →Site Plan Survey
Combines boundary and topographic work to support a commercial site plan — typically required for municipal site-plan approval, building permits, or zoning compliance. Often the foundation document for the civil and architectural design that follows.
Site planning details →UAV / Drone Aerial Survey
A delivery method more than a separate type — we use UAV photogrammetry as the primary field method on most commercial parcels 5 acres and larger, producing a centimeter-accurate orthomosaic and 3D point cloud usable downstream by your design team.
UAV surveying details →Construction Staking & As-Built
Field surveys that support construction — staking building footprints, road centerlines, utilities, and grading control, then as-built surveys at completion documenting what was built versus designed. Standard on most Utah commercial development.
Discuss your project →Which Survey Do You Need? Match by Transaction
The right commercial survey depends on what you’re doing with the property. Most situations fit one of these patterns:
| Your transaction | Survey type needed | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Buying commercial property with bank financing | ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey | $3,000 – $18,000+ |
| Refinancing commercial property | ALTA update or re-certification | $600 – $4,500 |
| Owner-financed commercial purchase | Boundary survey (ALTA often optional) | $1,800 – $3,500 |
| Subdividing or splitting a commercial parcel | Boundary survey + recorded plat/adjustment | $2,500 – $6,000+ |
| Building a new commercial structure | Topographic + boundary; site-plan survey | $3,500 – $9,000 |
| Major addition or renovation | Topographic + site-plan survey | $2,500 – $6,000 |
| Site-plan approval / zoning application | Site-plan survey (boundary + topo + features) | $3,500 – $8,000 |
| Commercial development due diligence | ALTA + topographic (often UAV-led) | $5,000 – $15,000+ |
| Commercial dispute / litigation | Boundary survey (sometimes ALTA) | $2,000 – $5,500+ |
| 1031 exchange acquisition | ALTA Land Title Survey | $3,000 – $12,000 |
| Construction execution | Construction staking + as-built | Project-based |
For how each survey type is priced and what drives the cost, see our Utah land & property survey cost guide.
Drone-Led Commercial Land Surveying in Utah
Most Utah firms still produce commercial surveys ground-only — a crew with a total station spending multiple days on site. We use UAV photogrammetry as the primary field method on most commercial parcels 5 acres and larger, with ground crews verifying control and capturing what the drone can’t see. The practical results:
- Faster delivery. Field work compresses from 2–4 days to about 1 day on parcels above 5 acres; total timeline runs 3–4 weeks UAV-led versus 4–6 weeks ground-only.
- Continuous site documentation. Every square foot is mapped, not just sample points between improvements.
- Centimeter-accurate orthomosaic included. A scale-correct aerial of the whole site, ready for your architect, engineer, or contractor.
- 3D point cloud for design. Topographic detail across the entire site, in CAD/GIS formats, ready for downstream engineering.
- Lower cost on medium and large parcels. Field-time savings produce roughly 15–30% cost reductions on parcels 5+ acres.
- Safer on hazardous sites. UAV covers active industrial sites, traffic corridors, and steep terrain without putting crew at risk.
Where ground-only still wins: dense urban infill with overhead obstructions, parcels in restricted airspace where authorization isn’t practical, and small parcels under 2 acres where setup time dominates. We tell you up front during scoping which approach fits your parcel. For how this applies to ALTA work specifically, see our drone ALTA survey page.
Commercial Property Types We Survey
From our Nephi office, our commercial work spans every major Utah commercial property type:
- Office buildings & office parks — single-tenant, multi-tenant, and campus environments along the Wasatch Front and Utah County corridors
- Retail & shopping centers — from single-pad strip retail to anchor-tenant centers; acquisitions, expansions, refinancing
- Industrial & warehouse — distribution, manufacturing, flex-industrial; complex utility-easement documentation
- Multi-family & apartments — acquisition due diligence, refinancing, and pre-development surveys for new construction
- Hospitality & hotel — including Table A scope for parking, ADA compliance, and ground-lease boundary work
- Mixed-use developments — integrated commercial / residential / retail, often across multiple ALTA scopes
- Vacant land for development — pre-acquisition surveys for parcels intended for future commercial use
- Agricultural-to-commercial conversion — Utah-specific work with significant PLSS records research
- Self-storage facilities — commercial boundary plus standard Table A documentation
- Medical office & healthcare — acquisitions and refinancing for healthcare real estate
- Religious & institutional — Utah-specific volume given the regional density of these property types
Why Commercial Clients Choose Ludlow
Survey + Engineering, One Roof
Boundary, ALTA, topographic, site planning, and civil engineering all in-house. On projects that need surveying plus engineering, you get one point of contact and integrated deliverables.
Drone-Equipped, FAA Part 107
Most Utah firms don’t operate UAVs internally. We do — every commercial parcel above 5 acres is a candidate for UAV-led work, with certified pilots and proper airspace coordination.
Fixed-Fee, Scope Attached
Every commercial survey is quoted fixed-fee in writing, with scope of work and confirmed deliverables attached. No hourly billing, no reimbursable surprises, no scope creep at delivery.
2026 ALTA/NSPS Compliant
Certifications, plat templates, and Table A documentation updated for the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards (effective Feb 23, 2026), including the face-of-plat imagery notes under Table A Item 15.
Statewide From Nephi
Our central base gives efficient access to the Wasatch Front, central Utah, and southern Utah commercial corridors. We coordinate directly with title companies statewide.
Family-Owned, Second Generation
Utah-based and family-operated since 1975, with the second generation running the firm today. Continuity matters when clients return for repeat surveys five and ten years apart.
Counties & Commercial Corridors We Serve
Our commercial crews work statewide, with deepest coverage along Utah’s major commercial corridors — the Wasatch Front, central Utah, and the southern Utah / St. George metro:
We also work Davis, Weber, Wasatch, Tooele, Juab, Millard, Iron, and Washington counties. Travel to outlying counties is disclosed up front in every quote. For commercial work anywhere in Utah, call (435) 623-0897.
Request a Commercial Survey Quote
Tell us about the property and the transaction — upload your title commitment or prior survey if you have one. We identify the right survey type and send a fixed-fee proposal within 1–2 business days.
Commercial Land Survey FAQ
What’s the difference between a commercial and a residential land survey?
The methods are similar — measuring boundaries, locating monuments, documenting improvements — but commercial surveys usually require broader scope. Commercial transactions typically involve a lender and a title insurer, both of which require ALTA/NSPS documentation rather than the simpler boundary survey sufficient for most residential work. Commercial parcels are also larger and more complex, with higher liability stakes — all of which drive cost up.
How do I know which type of commercial survey I need?
Start with the transaction. If a lender or title insurer is involved, you almost certainly need an ALTA survey. Building new construction? You also need a topographic survey. Applying for municipal site-plan approval? You need a site-plan survey. Doing pre-acquisition due diligence on development land? An ALTA-plus-topographic combined survey is usually most efficient. Call with your details and we’ll identify the scope.
How much does a commercial land survey cost in Utah?
Pricing varies by survey type and complexity. Commercial boundary surveys start around $1,800. Commercial ALTA surveys start at $3,000 and can reach $18,000+ for large industrial sites. Topographic surveys typically run $1,500–$6,000 standalone. Staking and as-built work is project-based. See our Utah survey cost guide for the full breakdown.
How long does a commercial land survey take?
A commercial boundary survey typically takes 2–4 weeks; a commercial ALTA survey 3–4 weeks UAV-led or 4–6 weeks ground-only; a topographic survey 2–3 weeks. Construction staking happens on the construction schedule, often within days of needing it. Expedited timelines are available with added fees.
Do you provide commercial surveys statewide?
Yes — from our Nephi office we cover the entire state: the Wasatch Front (Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Utah), central Utah (Juab, Sanpete, Sevier, Millard, Wasatch, Carbon, Emery), and southern Utah (Washington, Iron, Kane). Travel to outlying counties is disclosed up front in every quote.
Can I combine multiple survey types in one engagement?
Yes, and on UAV-led work it’s often the most efficient approach. A single field effort can produce boundary documentation, topographic data, and ALTA scope simultaneously — saving a second engagement when your architect or engineer needs topo data later. Tell us the full scope when you request a quote.
Do you work directly with title companies, lenders, and attorneys?
Yes. Most of our commercial work originates through title-company referrals or commercial real estate attorneys. We coordinate directly with title officers to confirm Table A scope, share field findings as they emerge, and respond to review revisions before final delivery — and we’re familiar with the major national title insurers’ scope preferences.
What if I’m not in Utah but own commercial property here?
Common — many of our commercial clients are out-of-state investors and national operators. We handle the engagement remotely: email and phone coordination, electronic delivery of all documents, and direct coordination with your Utah title company and counsel. Most clients never travel to Utah for the survey.
Do you handle full development projects?
Yes — pre-acquisition due diligence, ALTA survey, topographic survey, site-plan survey, civil engineering for the site design, and construction staking through completion. We provide the full continuum from acquisition through occupancy.