Nationwide Providers: One Vendor for ALTA Surveys and Phase 1 ESAs
If you are buying a portfolio rather than a building, the useful question is not "who does ALTA surveys" but "who can do every asset, in both disciplines, on one contract". Of the 70 firms in this directory, 13 perform both ALTA/NSPS surveys and Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments, and 12 of those state coverage in all 50 states plus DC. That shortlist is below.
The short answer
Most firms that call themselves national do one discipline. Only 13 of 70 here do both, so the moment a deal needs a survey and an environmental report on the same asset, the field narrows sharply. 37 firms offer ALTA surveys and 46 offer Phase 1 ESAs, but the overlap is the constraint, not either number on its own.
Firms covering all 50 states for both services
Ordered by our Reputation Score, a first-party measure built from credentials, track record, pricing transparency and contact completeness. It deliberately contains no review data. A lower score usually means something is missing from our record rather than that the firm fell short, so read it as research completeness as much as quality.
| Firm | HQ | Stated coverage | Reputation | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECS Limited | VA | 51 states | 71/100 | No rating on file |
| American National | OH | 51 states | 62/100 | No rating on file |
| Blew & Associates P.A. | AR | 51 states | 61/100 | 3.6 (55) |
| Bureau Veritas (BVNA) | - | 51 states | 58/100 | No rating on file |
| NV5 | FL | 51 states | 55/100 | No rating on file |
| Bowman Consulting Group | VA | 51 states | 48/100 | No rating on file |
| AEI Consultants | CA | 51 states | 47/100 | No rating on file |
| Andersen Environmental | CA | 51 states | 45/100 | 5 (28) |
| CREtelligent | CA | 51 states | 45/100 | No rating on file |
| Partner Engineering and Science | CA | 51 states | 31/100 | No rating on file |
| BBG Real Estate Services | TX | 51 states | 27/100 | No rating on file |
| National Due Diligence Services | - | 51 states | 21/100 | No rating on file |
Coverage is as stated by each firm on its own site. We have not verified licensure in all 51 jurisdictions for any of them, and you should not assume it: surveying is licensed state by state, and a national brand often means a national contract rather than in-house crews everywhere. The question to ask is in the verification section below.
There is almost no middle ground
Grouping the 37 ALTA firms by how many states they claim produces a distribution with a hole in it:
- 15 firms state 50 or more jurisdictions
- 1 firms state 20 to 49
- 8 firms state 5 to 19
- 13 firms state 1 to 4
Firms position as national or they stay close to home, and very few occupy the middle. That matters if your portfolio sits in a handful of adjacent states, because the natural fit for that job barely exists as a category. In practice you are choosing between a national firm that will subcontract some of the fieldwork and several regional firms that you coordinate yourself. Neither is wrong; they fail in different ways, and the failure modes are worth knowing before you sign.
What single-vendor actually buys you
On a single asset, consolidating is rarely worth a premium. On a portfolio it changes the shape of the work in four specific ways:
- One plat format across the set. Reviewers compare assets against each other. When every survey is drawn to a different convention, the comparison work lands on your team instead of the vendor's.
- One schedule to manage. Portfolio closings fail on the slowest asset. A single vendor sequences its own crews; several vendors each optimise their own queue and nobody owns the critical path.
- Consistent Table A interpretation. Items get read differently by different surveyors, which is exactly what a lender review will catch. See the Table A Configurator for what each program expects and what the items mean.
- Survey and environmental findings that reference each other. An access easement on the survey and a neighbouring dry cleaner in the Phase 1 are related facts. Separate vendors will not connect them for you.
For securitised debt in particular, the review is against the rating agency's criteria rather than your own. Consistency across the set is worth more there than a modest per-asset saving, which is why portfolio buyers concentrate vendors even when the unit price is higher. Our CMBS requirements page covers what that review expects, and lender requirements compared sets it alongside the other programs.
How to check a nationwide claim in one call
"All 50 states" is a marketing sentence until you test it. Three questions separate a genuine national capability from a brokered one:
- Who signs and seals in this state, and are they your employee? The seal carries the liability. If the answer is a subcontractor, you want to know that before a deadline slips, not after.
- How many surveys did you complete in this state last year? A firm licensed everywhere but active in twelve states is a different proposition from one with standing crews in yours.
- Who is my single point of contact, and what happens when an asset is late? On a portfolio this determines your actual experience more than any credential on the website.
Frequently asked questions
Are there nationwide companies that provide both property surveys and environmental reports?
Yes, but fewer than the market implies. Of the 70 firms in this directory, 13 perform both ALTA/NSPS surveys and Phase 1 ESAs, and 12 of those state coverage across all 50 states plus DC. They are listed above with our Reputation Score and any Google rating on file. Most firms that market themselves as national do one discipline only, so the both-services requirement is what actually narrows the field.
Which land surveying firms can handle commercial deals across multiple states?
15 of the 37 ALTA survey firms here state coverage in 50 or more jurisdictions, and 1 state a footprint between 20 and 49 states. That gap is real: firms tend to be national or local, with little in between. For a multi-state portfolio the practical choice is a national firm that may subcontract some fieldwork, or several regional firms that you coordinate. Ask any national firm who seals the drawing in each state and whether that person is their employee.
Is a nationwide provider worth paying more for on a portfolio?
On a single asset, usually not. On a portfolio the argument is consistency rather than price: one plat format across the set, one schedule with a single owner of the critical path, consistent Table A interpretation, and survey and environmental findings that reference each other. For securitised debt the review runs against rating agency criteria, where inconsistency between assets costs more than the per-asset saving.
Does "licensed in all 50 states" mean the firm has crews everywhere?
No. Surveying is licensed state by state, and a national footprint is often a national contract rather than in-house crews in every market. Both models work, but they fail differently, and the difference shows up when a deadline is at risk. Coverage shown on this page is what each firm states about itself; we have not verified licensure in all 51 jurisdictions for any of them.