ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys: Standards, Risk & Liability

Course Description:

This course provides a comprehensive technical and professional examination of ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey practice, focusing on the application of the Minimum Standard Detail Requirements (MSDR), title commitment interpretation, Table A scope management, field data collection methodologies, certification language control, and risk mitigation strategies. Participants will explore how surveyors synthesize record information with physical evidence to produce defensible survey deliverables relied upon by lenders, title insurers, attorneys, developers, and property owners.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Interpret and apply the current ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements (MSDR) within complex commercial surveying environments.
2. Analyze title commitments, legal descriptions, easements, and recorded restrictions to integrate title evidence accurately into ALTA/NSPS survey deliverables.
3. Distinguish ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys from conventional boundary surveys in terms of scope, reliance relationships, and liability exposure.
4. Evaluate boundary evidence, monumentation, and physical occupation indicators to reconcile record information with field conditions using defensible professional judgment.
5. Identify and document encroachments, evidence of possession, access conditions, and improvements relationships affecting property rights and stakeholder decisions.
6. Assess easement locatability and communicate limitations when title information is incomplete, ambiguous, or non-locatable.
7. Apply appropriate field procedures, measurement methodologies, and quality control practices to support accurate and defensible survey results.
8. Evaluate Table A optional items, define scope appropriately, and manage risks associated with third-party data, regulatory information, and mid-project scope changes.
9. Analyze certification language and reliance provisions to control liability exposure and maintain consistency with contractual obligations and professional standards.
10. Implement documentation, communication, and quality assurance strategies that reduce professional liability risk and support defensible decision-making.
11. Recognize common causes of ALTA/NSPS survey disputes and apply preventive risk management techniques throughout project execution.
12. Apply ethical principles, professional independence, and regulatory responsibilities when performing ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys under business and schedule pressures.
13. Evaluate the role of professional liability insurance, contractual risk allocation, and stakeholder coordination in managing exposure associated with commercial surveying projects.
14. Integrate technical competence, legal awareness, and ethical decision-making to produce reliable survey deliverables that support financial transactions and protect public trust.