ALTA/ACSM Surveys – The Accredited Land Title Surveys for Commercial Purposes

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Land surveys must be conducted for lenders and title companies before mortgage insurance or the title is issued. For this purpose, ALTA/ACSM surveys must be accomplished by professional land surveyors. Those surveys are accredited land title surveys conducted for commercial purposes. ALTA stands for ‘American Land Title Association’, and ACSM stands for the ‘American Congress on Surveying and Mapping’. ALTA/ACSM surveys must adhere to the set of national standards established by those groups. For example, ALTA specifies data that must appear on the survey and these include boundary lines, easements, and improvements.

ALTA/ACSM surveys are complex and they tend to be expensive. Hence, they are conducted mostly on commercial properties. Despite such difficulties, they are necessary and helpful when you need information on easements and boundaries of the property, and information on certain features of the property that may determine or affect ownership. The surveys can reveal improvements and easements, encroachments, and encumbrances on the property, too, making them crucial in preventing future disputes with neighboring property owners and avoiding expensive lawsuits. This way, ALTA/ACSM surveys can be cost-effective in a sense that they help protect your investment by providing highly detailed results, which can aid in your decision-making.

Some commercial property owners will require ALTA/ACSM surveys to gain information on setback requirements, zoning laws, and the property’s height requirement. It is essential for the surveys to be conducted with a high degree of accuracy, and this can be achieved only with high-end technologies and by complying with the guidelines for conducting them. ALTA/ACSM surveys can be conducted to produce documentation proofs for security, claims, and other insurance requirements, too. That way, they can serve as reliable documentation when you need to secure insurance for your commercial property.

Reputable and seasoned land surveying companies are licensed to conduct ALTA/ACSM surveys. They follow a set of uniform standard code for performing surveys for construction purposes. Likewise, they aim to meet the survey standards set by the government and authorized institutions that create and implement rules for conducting a reliable and accurate survey service. Be sure to hire professional land surveyors who are licensed to conduct ALTA/ACSM surveying in your area, so you can count on their knowledge of local government guidelines and regulations when conducting accredited land title surveys for commercial purposes.

About the Author:

Armando Dupont, a professional land surveyor, started his career in surveying in 1977 and has extensive experience in managing personnel and projects. His experience includes: topographic mapping, boundary surveys and analysis, construction and control surveying, preparation of tract and parcel maps, earth work calculation and quantities, targeting and control for photogrammetric, and land title surveys in accordance with the American Land Title Association and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. Mr. DuPont founded Calvada Surveying, Inc. in 1989 and is a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in the State of California.