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New Standards go into effect February 23, 2026

Every five years, the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) jointly review and update the ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for Land Title Surveys. Last month, the organizations released their new Standards that go into effect February 23, 2026. They were last updated in February 2021.

For commercial real-estate professionals, ALTA/NSPS surveys are more than just a technicality — they’re often the foundation of a deal. Commercial lenders, title companies, investors, and buyers of real estate property rely heavily on the details that are provided in the survey, including boundaries, improvements, roads, parking, building details, as well as the legal description, and other items.

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Here are a few of the most important changes and clarifications that are included in the new Standards:

  • Refined definition and requirements for measurement precision (“Relative Positional Precision”)
  • More robust guidance on title evidence and record research
  • Clearer language and alignment with accepted surveying practices
  • New optional Table A item: Conditions & Potential Encroachments Table
  • Greater clarity around non-standard property interests and documentation

For your convenience, you can download a red-lined, marked-up version of the standard here.

We’ll be diving deeper into the changes, including hosting a webinar in January. Until then, if you need land survey expertise on your next transaction, reach out to CREtelligent. You can rest assured you’re dealing with a team that understands and complies with applicable standards.

About CREtelligent.com. Commercial Real Estate Due Diligence. Simplified.
Gold River, CA-based CREtelligent opened its doors in 2015 as eScreenLogic, a Commercial Real Estate (CRE) environmental due diligence firm focused on desktop, RSRA, Phase I, and Phase II site assessments. In late 2020, eScreenLogic rebranded to CREtelligent to better reflect the company’s vision. Since then, the company has grown quickly and today provides the full spectrum of property due diligence services to commercial real estate professionals.

Media Contact: Gary Kulik  | g.kulik@cretelligent.com