The joint committee of the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors released its regular five-year update of survey standards, effective as of February 23, 2026. These “Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys” dictate what must be taken into account and included on an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey, which is the baseline in land surveys used by purchasers, lenders, and title insurers. All surveys begun on or after February 23, 2026, should reference and comply with the 2026 standards in place of the 2021 standards. 

In essence, the 2026 standards are about clarity, transparency, accuracy, and communication in surveying. Rather than a complete overhaul, these updates refine and improve how surveys are conducted and reported. 

While this is not meant to be a comprehensive summary of all changes to the standards, a few notable changes are highlighted below.

How the New Requirements Improve Clarity Around Encroachments and Risk

The most significant change to the standards is in Table A. Table A survey items are “add-ons” to a survey order that are commonly requested by customers, particularly but by no means exclusively lenders. The 2026 standards create a new Table A Item 20, which obligates the surveyor to, upon request, include numerous opinions regarding significant observations including potential encroachments (while making clear that the surveyor should not express a legal opinion or opinion as to ownership). Including the new Item 20 on survey orders will require the surveyor to include a table of potential encroachments on the survey if observed: 

• Over the boundary line, in either direction 
• Into rights-of-way or easements
• Into setbacks 

In past practice, surveyors opined on encroachments using a variety of language and methods, or declined to opine at all. But especially in commercial transactions or refinances, the surveyor is commonly the only neutral third-party who has set foot on the property. Therefore, the title company relies on the surveyor’s impressions not only for survey purposes but also to waive a physical inspection of the property otherwise required by title insurance underwriters. 

Gathering the surveyor’s impressions about potential encroachments and problems is crucial, and the new Item 20 creates a standardized collection method for doing so. It also eliminates the need for the title insurer to require revisions to the survey to include a statement of encroachments observed, which has been a common practice.

In addition to encroachments, the surveyor is now asked to memorialize his or her opinions on use of the property by third parties without the benefit of an easement and property access available only by virtue of common ownership with an adjacent parcel. Both of these observations are critical for obtaining accurate title insurance coverage and mitigating risk. 

When reviewing a survey under the new standards, keep in mind that the addition of Item 20 changes the former numbering of the Table A Items, so that an owner’s or lender’s standard survey order request list may need to be updated. The catch-all “custom” order item for Table A will now be in Item 21, where the ordering party may request deal-specific layers such as airport conical zone, building stories, and internal tax parcel division lines. 

Other Updates

Other notable changes to the standards include: 

• An expanded acceptance of the use of aerial or satellite imagery 
• Specific permission for the survey to be certified to a lender’s successors and assigns if requested
• Deletion of the former requirement to provide copies of adjoining deeds, which was impractical in many markets
• Requiring the surveyor to note any parol statements made by interested landowners or occupants as to title or boundary issues relating to the property

These changes will help potential purchasers, developers, lenders, and title insurers gather property information in a more efficient and useful way. They will also create a standardized process for requests that many parties have been making for years, reducing some of the common negotiations and revisions between surveyors and their customers. 

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