What is ALTA Table A?

ALTA Table A is a standardized list of optional items that can be added to an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey. Lenders specify which items they require based on their underwriting guidelines. These items provide additional property information beyond the standard survey.

Ask your lender for their specific survey requirements, or use our Table A Configurator to see standard requirements for major lender types including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, SBA, CMBS, and conventional lenders.

Summing the per-item estimates across each lender's own required list gives $900 to $4,950 on top of the base survey, so the range is wider than the round numbers usually quoted. Individual items run from about $0 to $2,500: Item 5, vertical relief and contours, is the one that dominates a package when a lender asks for it. The total depends on how many items your lender requires and on the surveyor's own pricing, and a bundle is normally priced below the sum of its lines.

The 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards (effective February 23, 2026) added a new Item 20 requiring a structured encroachment summary table with five categories, revised Item 15 to formalize aerial imagery use with written agreements and disclosure requirements, and renumbered the former Item 20 (write-in) to Item 21. The Table A introduction now also reminds parties that "the law must be followed" and all items are negotiable.

Yes, you can request any Table A items you want. Some buyers add extra items for due diligence purposes even when not required by the lender. However, stick to required items if budget is a concern.

The 2026 standards define 21 numbered Table A items (Items 12 and 14 are reserved and unused). The 2021 standards had 19 numbered items; the 2026 revision added Item 20 (encroachment summary table) and renumbered the former custom write-in Item 20 to Item 21.

Item 20, added in the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards, requires the surveyor to deliver a structured 5-category encroachment summary on the face of the plat: (1) encroachments across boundary lines, (2) encroachments into rights of way and easements, (3) setback encroachments, (4) physical access without documented easement, and (5) use of adjoining parcels without documented easement. It replaces the generic "no encroachments unless shown hereon" disclaimer from prior standards and is expected to be universally required by commercial lenders.

Item 6(a) has the surveyor list zoning classification, setback, height, floor space area and parking restrictions on the plat, and cite the date and source. Item 6(b) has the surveyor graphically depict the setback requirements. Both apply only where that information is set out in a zoning report or letter the client provides, so the client buys the zoning work separately either way. Item 6(b) carries one extra condition: the surveyor depicts the setbacks only where they need no interpretation, which is why a setback that varies with building height often stays in text rather than on the drawing. Lenders for development, redevelopment, or setback-sensitive properties typically require both items together.

Item 11(a) requires the surveyor to plot only utility evidence observed during fieldwork (visible utility poles, valves, meters, manholes, etc.) and is sufficient for most commercial transactions. Item 11(b) additionally requires the surveyor to contact each utility company for record information about subsurface lines — slow ($200-$400 extra) and only required when ground-up construction or trenching is contemplated. For most acquisitions, Item 11(a) alone is sufficient.

Fannie Mae multifamily underwriting typically requires Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 6(a), 6(b), 7(a), 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, 18, and 20 (encroachment summary, under the 2026 standards). Fannie Mae's Multifamily Underwriting Standards specify a 360-day recency window with recertification permitted. Item 1 may be omitted if the property has a lot-and-block legal description, and Item 10 may be omitted if no party walls exist. For the official requirements, see our Fannie Mae ALTA requirements guide.

CMBS programs typically require Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 6(a), 6(b), 7(a), 8, 9, 10, 11(a), 13, 16, 18, and 20 — most servicers follow Fannie Mae's list with the addition of Item 11(a) for underground utilities. CMBS surveys are typically required within 180 days of closing. Requirements vary by servicer and securitizer; the CMBS ALTA requirements guide has the servicer-specific detail.

Most items remain functionally identical. The two material changes in 2026: Item 20 is brand-new (encroachment summary table), and Item 15 (aerial / drone / LiDAR use) now requires a written agreement with the client on imagery source, date, and accuracy limitations before the surveyor can use these methods. The former Item 20 (custom write-in) was renumbered to Item 21.