ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys in Georgia

“Serving the Greater Atlanta and Chattanooga Area and everything in between”

What Commercial Buyers and Lenders Need to Know

When you’re buying commercial real estate, industrial property, or anything that involves serious money and multiple parties, a basic boundary survey won’t cut it.

Lenders, title companies, and commercial buyers need more detail, more certainty, and standardized information they can rely on. That’s what ALTA/NSPS surveys deliver.

ALTA stands for the American Land Title Association. NSPS is the National Society of Professional Surveyors.

Together, they created detailed standards that define exactly what goes into these surveys and how the information gets presented.

Everyone involved in the transaction speaks the same language because everyone’s looking at the same standardized format.

Why Commercial Transactions Require Different Surveys

Residential property surveys focus on boundaries and major structures. ALTA surveys dig deeper.

They show utilities, access rights, parking counts, setback compliance, zoning boundaries, easements (all of them, not just the obvious ones), and any condition that could affect the property’s use or value.

Commercial lenders require this level of detail because they’re lending millions of dollars secured by real property.

They need to know exactly what they’re taking as collateral. Title companies need it because they’re insuring the property for much higher values and they can’t afford to miss issues that could trigger claims.

Buyers need it because commercial property comes with complexity that residential properties don’t have.

Shared access agreements.

• • Utility easements that restrict development.
  • Encroachments from adjoining properties.
  • Parking requirements that must be met.
  • Setback violations that limit expansion.
  • All of this affects value and use.

What Gets Included in an ALTA Survey

The base ALTA survey includes boundaries, improvements (buildings, paving, parking areas, utilities), easements, rights of way, access points, flood zone information, and any encroachments in either direction.

We’re measuring everything and checking it against recorded documents, zoning requirements, and title commitment schedules.

Then there are optional items – Table A items in ALTA terminology. These are additional details that the surveyor can provide if requested.

Things like: locating utilities (water, sewer, gas, electric, telecom), showing parking space counts and dimensions, documenting setback compliance, identifying signs and fences, noting evidence of underground improvements.

Lenders and title companies typically specify which Table A items they need. It varies by property type and transaction specifics. An industrial property might need detailed utility locations. A retail center needs parking counts and access compliance.

An office building needs setback verification and evidence of any easement violations.

The Title Commitment Connection

ALTA surveys work hand-in-hand with title commitments. The title company provides a commitment that lists every easement, restriction, and encumbrance they’ve found in public records.

Our job is to go to the property and show where all of that actually sits on the ground.

We plot every easement the title commitment lists. If there’s a 20-foot utility easement along the rear property line, we show it on the survey and note whether any structures encroach into it.

If there’s a shared access agreement with the adjoining parcel, we show the access route and verify it matches the recorded document.

This verification catches problems. Sometimes recorded easements don’t match physical conditions.

Sometimes there are unrecorded easements or encroachments that need to be addressed before closing.

Finding these issues early – during due diligence rather than at closing – gives everyone time to fix them or renegotiate.

Where Commercial Deals Fall Apart

We’ve seen deals crater over survey findings that revealed problems nobody expected.

A warehouse where the loading docks encroached three feet into a drainage easement, requiring expensive relocation.

An office building where the parking lot was 15 spaces short of zoning requirements, killing the buyer’s plans for expansion.

Retail properties with access issues that weren’t disclosed. Industrial parcels with utility lines running through the middle of proposed building sites.

Land assemblages where deeds overlapped and nobody owned clear title to portions of the parcel.

These aren’t minor details. They’re deal-breakers that cost people money, time, and opportunities. An ALTA survey finds them before you commit rather than after you close.

The cost of an ALTA survey – typically $2,500 to $8,000 depending on property size and complexity – is minimal compared to discovering after closing that the property can’t be used as intended.

When you’re buying a $2 million property, spending $4,000 to know exactly what you’re getting makes sense.

Timing in Commercial Transactions

Commercial transactions move on compressed timelines despite their complexity. Due diligence periods might be 30-45 days, but surveys need to happen in the first half of that window.

Other aspects of due diligence – environmental assessments, engineering studies, market analysis – depend on having accurate survey information.

Order the ALTA survey as soon as you have a signed purchase agreement and title commitment. We need that title commitment to know what easements and encumbrances to research and plot.

Waiting for other due diligence items to complete before ordering the survey creates bottlenecks and extends timelines.

ALTA surveys take longer than residential surveys because there’s more to measure, more to research, and more to coordinate.

Plan on 2-3 weeks for most properties, longer for complex sites or properties where we’re dealing with multiple parcels, elaborate easement structures, or extensive improvements.

Special Considerations for North Georgia Properties

North Georgia commercial properties often sit on terrain that complicates surveying. A retail center built on a hillside has elevation changes that matter for grading, drainage, and ADA compliance.

An industrial park in the mountains might have parcels that span ridge lines, requiring more extensive fieldwork to establish boundaries.

Our work here also frequently involves older commercial properties where original surveys are missing or unreliable.

Mid-century industrial buildings, retail strips from the 1970s, office parks from the 1980s – many lack current surveys or have surveys that predate significant improvements.

We also deal with properties that have been assembled over time through multiple purchases, creating complex boundary situations where adjoining parcels were never properly combined or where easements overlap in ways that nobody documented clearly.

What Happens When Problems Surface

ALTA surveys reveal issues that require action. Sometimes it’s simple – the title company adds an exception to the policy for a specific encroachment, and everyone moves forward with eyes open.

Sometimes it’s complex – the seller needs to fix a problem or the buyer needs to renegotiate price and terms.

Encroachments into easements might require easement modifications or releases. Parking deficiencies might require creative solutions or zoning variances. Access problems might need recorded agreements with adjoining property owners.

The survey gives you leverage to address these issues while you’re still in due diligence. Once you close, they’re your problems to fix on your dime.

Better to know now and deal with it before money changes hands.

Lender and Title Company Requirements

Commercial lenders have specific requirements for ALTA surveys. They want current information – typically within 6 months, often within 90 days. They want specific Table A items included based on property type and loan structure.

They want the survey signed and sealed by a licensed surveyor in the state where the property sits.

Title companies have equally specific requirements. They’re issuing extended coverage policies based on survey information, so they need complete, accurate documentation of everything that could affect the title.

Miss something and they either exclude it from coverage or refuse to insure the transaction.

Both lenders and title companies reject surveys that don’t meet ALTA standards or that cut corners on requirements. Getting it right the first time avoids delays and keeps deals on track.

Long-Term Value Beyond the Purchase

The ALTA survey you get when buying commercial property serves you for years. When you want to expand buildings, reconfigure parking, install new utilities, or redevelop portions of the site, you start with that survey. It’s your base map for all future work.

When you eventually sell, having a recent ALTA survey makes the property more attractive to buyers and smooths the transaction.

You’re providing documentation that saves them time and reduces their due diligence risk.

The survey also matters for ongoing management. Lease negotiations with commercial tenants sometimes involve space measurements and parking allocations – information that comes from the survey.

Insurance and tax matters sometimes require documentation of property improvements – again, that’s survey information.

Cost Factors and What Drives Pricing

ALTA survey costs vary widely based on multiple factors. Property size obviously matters – a half-acre retail pad costs less to survey than a 50-acre industrial park.

Terrain affects cost because steep, wooded, or otherwise difficult sites take more time in the field.

Complexity of improvements matters. A single-building property is simpler than a multi-building office park with extensive parking, signage, and site improvements.

Number of easements and encumbrances matters – plotting and researching five easements costs less than dealing with twenty.

Research requirements affect cost. Properties with clear title and recent surveys cost less than properties where we’re working from 1950s deeds and reconstructing boundaries from limited information.

Table A items add cost. Each additional item requires specific fieldwork, research, or analysis. A survey with ten Table A items costs more than a base survey with two or three items.

Working with Multiple Parties

ALTA surveys involve coordination between surveyors, title companies, lenders, buyers, sellers, and sometimes engineers or architects working on redevelopment plans.

We work directly with title companies to ensure the survey addresses everything in the title commitment.

We coordinate with lenders to include required Table A items and certifications.

If there are issues, we’re often on conference calls with buyers, sellers, and attorneys discussing findings and options.

ur role is to provide accurate information and explain what we found – not to make legal determinations about how to resolve problems, but to give everyone the facts they need to make informed decisions.

Red Flags We Look For

We’re looking for conditions that could affect the transaction. Buildings or paving that encroach into easements. Parking that doesn’t meet current zoning requirements. Access points that don’t match recorded agreements.

Utilities that cross property lines without documented easements.

We’re checking setback compliance. Many commercial properties were built decades ago under different zoning rules.

Current setback requirements might not match what’s actually built. That matters if you want to expand or rebuild – you might be grandfathered for existing structures but unable to add space in certain areas.

We’re noting flood zones and wetlands. Federal and state regulations restrict development in these areas. Knowing where they sit on your property affects what you can build and what permits you’ll need.

We’re documenting survey monuments and property markers. Commercial properties should have permanent markers at corners and angle points. Missing or disturbed markers create ambiguity about boundaries and can cause problems down the line.

Why This Level of Detail Matters

Commercial real estate transactions involve serious money and complex legal structures. Mistakes cost more than on residential deals.

An encroachment that would cost $15,000 to fix on a house might cost $150,000 to fix on a commercial property where you’re relocating loading docks or reconfiguring parking.

Lenders have recourse against borrowers when things go wrong. Title companies have exposure to claims.

Buyers have invested capital that could be impaired by property defects. Everyone needs certainty, and ALTA surveys provide it through standardized, comprehensive documentation that leaves nothing to assumptions or guesswork.

For more information regarding boundary surveys and other surveying services offered by The Land Surveying Company,

Please call us at 706-237-8319 or request a quote through our online quote form.

The Land Surveying Company provides ALTA/NSPS surveys for commercial transactions throughout Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky.

We’re licensed in all four states and we work regularly with regional and national title companies and commercial lenders.

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We are a land surveying firm in Georgia dedicated to fast and friendly service in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. We service residential, commercial and industrial surveys.