You ordered an ALTA survey for a commercial property and now the surveyor wants your title records. What you hand over, and how fast, decides how smoothly the work goes. Send the right title records early, and the surveyor can research the property with fewer questions. Send partial or dated records, and the survey can stall while everyone sorts out the gaps.
Start With the Most Recent Title Commitment
The surveyor needs the full title commitment your deal is using right now, not a few pages and not last year’s copy. Give them the complete commitment when you have it. Make sure it’s the current version tied to the transaction, since title records change as a deal moves along. An older commitment might miss a new easement, a payoff or a corrected exception. The 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards list a complete copy of the most recent title commitment among the records the surveyor works from. When no commitment is available, those standards allow other title evidence the title insurer accepts.
Match the Survey Order to the Record Description
The property description on your survey order should match the parcel the surveyor is about to measure. Send the current record description that goes with the survey request. If the parcel came out of a larger tract, include the parent-parcel description too, when that applies. Commercial sites often sit on more than one parcel, and a missing description makes it hard to tell where one ends and the next begins. A description that’s outdated or cut short raises questions before the surveyor finishes fieldwork. The 2026 standards call for the current record description of the property being surveyed, and they allow for a parent parcel in some original-survey cases.
Assemble the Recorded Documents Behind the Title Exceptions
Pull the recorded documents tied to the exceptions in your title commitment, and send legible copies. Two kinds matter most. First, recorded easements that benefit the property, meaning rights your parcel holds over land nearby. Second, recorded easements, servitudes or covenants that burden the property, meaning rights or limits others hold over yours. Include any other recorded records the surveyor may need to look at as well. Each copy should be clear enough to read, with enough detail for the surveyor to match it to the right record. The 2026 standards name recorded easements that benefit the property and recorded easements, servitudes or covenants that burden it among the records to provide for an ALTA survey.
Flag Unrecorded Information Before the Survey Begins
Some things that affect a property never get recorded, and the surveyor should hear about the ones you want reflected. Under the 2026 standards, a client can provide unrecorded documents that affect the property when they want the survey to reference them. That might be an existing agreement about how the land gets used, or an unrecorded record the client already knows about. Other property information worth a look can count too. Not every offhand comment or informal note turns into a survey item, though. Set the scope with the surveyor and the transaction professionals so everyone agrees on what the survey will and won’t cover.
Create a Clean Document Package for the Surveyor
Put everything in one organized package before you send it, so the surveyor isn’t chasing files one at a time. A solid package for a commercial deal usually holds:
- The current title commitment
- The current record description
- The relevant recorded documents
- Any supporting title records that apply
- The unrecorded documents you want considered
- Details about the intended transaction, when they fit the agreed scope
- Any specific instructions from the client, lender, title insurer or other authorized party
For a commercial purchase or refinance, the sooner the surveyor gets usable title records, the less time the project loses to clarifying them later. One clean handoff up front beats a string of follow-up requests. The surveyor’s exact research duties can shift with the local rules that apply and the scope you agree on. The 2026 standards recognize that difference, so confirm who’s gathering what with your surveyor and your transaction team.
Frequently Asked Questions
What title documents does a surveyor need for an ALTA survey?
The 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards point to the most recent title commitment, the current record description, certain recorded easements and other recorded records, plus any unrecorded documents the client wants the survey to reference.
Can I send an old title commitment for an ALTA survey?
It’s better not to. An older commitment may miss changes made since it was issued. When a current one exists, the 2026 standards call for the most recent complete title commitment.
Does the surveyor need the entire title commitment?
Yes. When it’s available, the 2026 standards ask for a complete copy of the most recent title commitment, not just a handful of selected pages.
What if a recent title commitment isn’t available?
The 2026 standards allow other title evidence the title insurer finds acceptable. Depending on the situation and local rules, the surveyor may still need to do extra research.
