How much does commercial real estate due diligence cost in 2026?

For a standard commercial parcel in Q3 2026, the core due-diligence stack — an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey plus a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment — runs $5,000 – $12,500 nationally (ALTA $3,000 – $8,000 + Phase 1 ESA $2,000 – $4,500). State figures scale from that baseline by a regional cost index, so Hawaii runs about 45% above the national baseline while Arkansas runs about 20% below.

Which states have the most and least expensive due diligence?

In Q3 2026 the most expensive due-diligence markets are Hawaii at $7,250 – $18,125 (+45% vs national), driven by higher regional labor and licensing costs. The least expensive are Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia at $4,000 – $10,000 (-20%).

What do due-diligence providers actually charge in 2026?

Across 13 providers whose published pricing we re-verified on July 16, 2026, Phase 1 ESAs start between $1,400 and $2,500 and ALTA surveys start between $2,000 and $3,000, depending on property size, complexity, and location. Many national firms quote each project individually rather than posting rates.

How is the CRE Due Diligence Cost Index calculated?

Each state figure is the national combined baseline ($5,000 – $12,500) multiplied once by that state's regional cost index. Provider counts are aggregated from 69 tracked providers by coverage area. Provider prices are taken only from firms that publish a rate, each re-verified against the firm's own website in July 2026. Figures are a modeled baseline for comparison, not a quote.

Original quarterly data · Q3 2026 · Updated July 16, 2026

CRE Due Diligence Cost Index — Q3 2026

What the core commercial-real-estate due-diligence stack — an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey plus a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment — costs across all 50 states and DC, indexed to a national baseline of $5,000 – $12,500. This edition also aggregates market coverage across 69 tracked providers and lists 13 firms' published prices, each re-verified July 2026. Get an exact figure with the ALTA survey calculator or Phase 1 ESA calculator.

$5,000 – $12,500

National combined baseline (ALTA + Phase 1)

Hawaii

Most expensive · $7,250 – $18,125 (+45%)

Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia

Least expensive · $4,000 – $10,000 (-20%)

13 firms

Published prices re-verified July 16, 2026

First edition. This is the inaugural quarterly index, so it reports current levels — there is no prior quarter to show change against. From Q4 2026 onward, each edition compares against the figures published here.

Total due-diligence cost by state, ranked

Combined cost = ALTA survey + Phase 1 ESA baseline, scaled by each state's regional cost index (applied once). "Providers" counts tracked firms that cover the state for either service. Click a state for its full ALTA and Phase 1 breakdown.

#	State	Cost index	Total due-diligence cost	vs national	Providers
1	Hawaii	1.45×	$7,250 – $18,125	+45%	45
2	New York	1.40×	$7,000 – $17,500	+40%	45
3	California	1.35×	$6,750 – $16,875	+35%	48
4	District of Columbia	1.35×	$6,750 – $16,875	+35%	45
5	Alaska	1.30×	$6,500 – $16,250	+30%	45
6	Massachusetts	1.30×	$6,500 – $16,250	+30%	45
7	New Jersey	1.30×	$6,500 – $16,250	+30%	45
8	Connecticut	1.25×	$6,250 – $15,625	+25%	45
9	Maryland	1.20×	$6,000 – $15,000	+20%	45
10	Washington	1.20×	$6,000 – $15,000	+20%	47
11	Colorado	1.15×	$5,750 – $14,375	+15%	46
12	Oregon	1.15×	$5,750 – $14,375	+15%	47
13	Illinois	1.10×	$5,500 – $13,750	+10%	47
14	Virginia	1.10×	$5,500 – $13,750	+10%	45
15	Florida	1.05×	$5,250 – $13,125	+5%	48
16	Arizona	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	46
17	Delaware	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
18	Idaho	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
19	Iowa	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	47
20	Kansas	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
21	Louisiana	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
22	Maine	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
23	Minnesota	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
24	Montana	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
25	Nebraska	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
26	Nevada	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	46
27	New Hampshire	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
28	New Mexico	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
29	North Dakota	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
30	Pennsylvania	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
31	Rhode Island	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
32	South Carolina	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	47
33	South Dakota	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
34	Texas	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	46
35	Utah	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
36	Vermont	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
37	Wisconsin	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	47
38	Wyoming	1.00×	$5,000 – $12,500	0%	45
39	Georgia	0.95×	$4,750 – $11,875	-5%	48
40	North Carolina	0.95×	$4,750 – $11,875	-5%	47
41	Michigan	0.90×	$4,500 – $11,250	-10%	47
42	Ohio	0.90×	$4,500 – $11,250	-10%	46
43	Tennessee	0.90×	$4,500 – $11,250	-10%	48
44	Alabama	0.85×	$4,250 – $10,625	-15%	48
45	Indiana	0.85×	$4,250 – $10,625	-15%	47
46	Kentucky	0.85×	$4,250 – $10,625	-15%	46
47	Missouri	0.85×	$4,250 – $10,625	-15%	47
48	Oklahoma	0.85×	$4,250 – $10,625	-15%	45
49	Arkansas	0.80×	$4,000 – $10,000	-20%	45
50	Mississippi	0.80×	$4,000 – $10,000	-20%	46
51	West Virginia	0.80×	$4,000 – $10,000	-20%	45

What providers actually charge (Q3 2026)

Published rates from firms that post pricing — every figure below was re-verified against the provider's own website on July 16, 2026. Firms that quote each project individually (most national providers) are excluded rather than estimated. Phase 1 ESAs start $1,400–$2,500; ALTA surveys start $2,000–$3,000.

Provider	Service	Published price	HQ	Coverage
Anderson Engineering	ALTA Survey	$2,000 – $15,000	UT	state
B & B Surveying	ALTA Survey	$3,000 – $25,000	TX	regional
SurveyALTA	ALTA Survey	$3,000 – $20,000	—	national
Essel Environmental	Phase 1 ESA	$1,400 – $4,600	CA	national
Phase One Enviro	Phase 1 ESA	$1,650 – $4,000	NJ	regional
Alfa Environmental	Phase 1 ESA	$1,700 – $2,500	CA	state
CREtelligent	Phase 1 ESA	$1,800 – $2,500	CA	national
Florida Commercial Building Inspectors	Phase 1 ESA	$1,800 – $6,500	FL	state
CRG Texas Environmental Services	Phase 1 ESA	$1,850 – $6,500	TX	regional
Phase 1 Environmental Consulting	Phase 1 ESA	From $1,850	FL	national
GEO Forward	Phase 1 ESA	$1,900 – $7,000	CA	national
Hyde Environmental	Phase 1 ESA	$2,000 – $5,000	WI	regional
CORE Environmental Consultants	Phase 1 ESA	$2,500 – $5,000	NY	national

Published prices are starting/typical figures posted by each firm; final quotes vary with acreage, boundary and environmental complexity, and required Table A items. See the full provider directory, ALTA companies compared, and Phase 1 ESA providers compared.

Provider market coverage

Across 69 tracked providers — 36 offering ALTA surveys, 46 offering Phase 1 ESAs, and 34 with nationwide coverage. Coverage is thickest in the largest CRE markets and thinnest in smaller states, where buyers more often rely on national firms.

Best-served states

Alabama — 48 providers
California — 48 providers
Florida — 48 providers
Georgia — 48 providers
Tennessee — 48 providers

Thinnest coverage

Wyoming — 45 providers
West Virginia — 45 providers
Virginia — 45 providers
Vermont — 45 providers
Utah — 45 providers

How property type moves due-diligence cost

Property type has a modest effect on ALTA survey cost (driven mostly by acreage and Table A items) but a large effect on Phase 1 ESA cost, where environmental risk sets the price. These multipliers reflect that environmental-risk premium.

Property type	Risk multiplier	Premium	Why
Brownfield	1.80×	+80%	Known contamination history
Junkyard / Salvage Yard	1.60×	+60%	Hazardous materials, soil contamination
Gas Station	1.50×	+50%	Underground storage tanks, higher environmental risk
Industrial Heavy	1.50×	+50%	Heavy industrial use
Dry Cleaner	1.40×	+40%	Chemical contamination risk
Manufacturing Facility	1.40×	+40%	Industrial processes, potential contamination
Hospital	1.40×	+40%	Radioactive materials, medical waste
Shooting Range	1.35×	+35%	Lead contamination

Methodology

State cost. Each state figure is the national combined baseline ($5,000 – $12,500 — ALTA $3,000 – $8,000 plus Phase 1 ESA $2,000 – $4,500, for a standard commercial parcel) multiplied once by that state's regional cost index, which captures differences in surveyor and environmental-consultant labor rates, licensing, and demand. The index is applied a single time — no property-type premium is layered on for the state ranking.

Provider coverage is aggregated from 69 tracked providers by their stated service lines and coverage areas (national firms count toward every state). Provider prices are taken only from firms that publish a rate, and each was re-verified against the firm's own website in July 2026; firms that publish no price are shown in the directory but omitted here rather than estimated. Figures are a modeled baseline for comparison, not a quote: an actual price depends on acreage, boundary and environmental complexity, title-exception count, and the Table A items your lender requires.