What Is ALTA/NSPS Survey Drafting? A Practical Overview

What an ALTA/NSPS survey is

The ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey is a standardized survey product used in US commercial property transactions. It follows the Minimum Standard Detail Requirements agreed by the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors, giving lenders, title companies, and buyers a consistent picture of the property.

Table A items, in plain terms

Table A is a menu of optional items — utilities, parking counts, flood zone notes, adjoining features, and more — that the client selects for the survey to address. Each instructed item adds drafting work: additional features to show, notes to place, and references to cite.

Where drafting support fits

The surveyor directs; the drafting team produces. In a typical supported workflow, the surveyor supplies the field data, the instructed Table A selections, their template, and their checklist — and the drafting partner prepares the plan sheets, annotates the instructed items, and turns revisions around as directed.

What stays with the licensed surveyor

Everything professional: boundary determination, records research decisions, resolution of conflicts, certification, and the final stamp. Drafting support accelerates production; it never replaces the surveyor's judgment or responsibility.

Typical inputs and deliverables

For firms running ALTA volume, our ALTA/NSPS survey drafting service is built around your checklist and your certification workflow.

• Inputs: field data, title commitment references, Table A selections, template, checklist
• Deliverables: plan sheets on your template, instructed items annotated, PDF plots for review