American Land Title Association (ALTA)

The American Land Title Association (ALTA) is a national trade association whose active members engage in the title industry and businesses relating to real estate, sales, construction and finance. ALTA and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) have jointly developed a general set of land surveying standards. The ALTA standards are a nationwide uniform set of standards and the survey often includes determining property lines, location of improvements, identifying all easements, utilities and other conditions affecting the property.

An ALTA survey is typically required for commercial development and determines the ownership of a building. The survey is specifically designed to satisfy the needs of lenders, corporations and title companies when dealing with valuable commercial properties.