If you’ve ever been looking into land surveying, you’ve likely run into the phrase ALTA/NSPS survey but may not have known what that meant. These acronyms are important because they represent a set of standards by which a professional land surveying must operate.
When you’re shopping around for a survey for your piece of property, look for a company that advertises an ALTA/NSPS survey. Here’s what you need to know about the matter:
What Is It?
The American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) have created a set of standards that govern how land surveys are completed. When a professional land surveyor is doing their job, they use these standards as a guide.
An ALTA/NSPS survey should determine and then show the existing features of a piece of property. These features can include title boundaries, buildings, access to rights away, improvements, encroachments, easements, water features and whatever else is relevant.
What Does It Include?
The governing standards of ALTA/NSPS surveys were intended to ensure quality and consistency standards for land title surveys, allowing title insurers to evaluate properties and provide the proper insurance coverage. The standards establish the elements that any ALTA/NSPS survey must cover at a minimum. Additionally, the standard lists optional items that clients can request be part of the survey.
When Will You Need Such a Survey?
Generally, you will only need an ALTA/NSPS land survey done under certain circumstances. These can include: to recognize any property line issues, to locate recorded and non-recorded matters, to remove survey exceptions from the title, to show the potential benefits and risk from owning the property, when a property is transferred or refinanced, to use the survey date as verification for another matter and to satisfy the title insurer’s requirements.
If you need an ALTA/NSPS survey for any of those reasons, Scholle’s Land Surveying Inc. can help you. For nearly 20 years, we’ve gone above and beyond the ALTA/NSPS standards. Call 812-663-6526 to set up a meeting today.
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