Page 325 - ALTA Endorsements Guide

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Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys
(Effective February 23, 2021)

the monument or witness marking an immediately adjacent boundary corner of the surveyed property resulting from random errors in
the measurements made in determining those positions at the 95 percent confidence level. Relative Positional Precision can be estimated
by the results of a correctly weighted least squares adjustment of the survey. Alternatively, Relative Positional Precision can be estimated
SAMPLE
by the standard deviation of the distance between the monument or witness marking any boundary corner of the surveyed property and
the monument or witness marking an immediately adjacent boundary corner of the surveyed property (called local accuracy) that can
be computed using the full covariance matrix of the coordinate inverse between any given pair of points, understanding that Relative
Positional Precision is based on the 95 percent confidence level, or approximately 2 standard deviations.
ii. Any boundary lines and corners established or retraced may have uncertainties in location resulting from (1) the availability, condition,
history and integrity of reference or controlling monuments, (2) ambiguities in the record descriptions or plats of the surveyed property or
its adjoiners, (3) occupation or possession lines as they may differ from the written title lines, or (4) Relative Positional Precision. Of these
four sources of uncertainty, only Relative Positional Precision is controllable, although, due to the inherent errors in any measurement, it
cannot be eliminated. The magnitude of the first three uncertainties can be projected based on evidence; Relative Positional Precision is
estimated using statistical means (see Section 3.E.i. above and Section 3.E.v. below).
iii. The first three of these sources of uncertainty must be weighed as part of the evidence in the determination of where, in the surveyor’s
opinion, the boundary lines and corners of the surveyed property should be located (see Section 3.D. above). Relative Positional Precision is
a measure of how precisely the surveyor is able to monument and report those positions; it is not a substitute for the application of proper
boundary law principles. A boundary corner or line may have a small Relative Positional Precision because the survey measurements were
precise, yet still be in the wrong position (i.e., inaccurate) if it was established or retraced using faulty or improper application of boundary
law principles.
iv. For any measurement technology or procedure used on an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey, the surveyor must (1) use appropriately trained
personnel, (2) compensate for systematic errors, including those associated with instrument calibration, and (3) use appropriate
error propagation and measurement design theory (selecting the proper instruments, geometric layouts, and field and computational
procedures) to control random errors such that the maximum allowable Relative Positional Precision outlined in Section 3.E.v. below is not
exceeded.
v. The maximum allowable Relative Positional Precision for an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey is 2 cm (0.07 feet) plus 50 parts per million (based
on the direct distance between the two corners being tested). It is recognized that in certain circumstances, the size or configuration of
the surveyed property, or the relief, vegetation, or improvements on the surveyed property, will result in survey measurements for which
the maximum allowable Relative Positional Precision may be exceeded in which case the reason shall be noted pursuant to Section 6.B.x.
below.

4. Records Research - It is recognized that for the performance of an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey, the surveyor will be provided with appropriate and,
when possible, legible data that can be relied upon in the preparation of the survey. In order to complete an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey, the surveyor
must be provided with the following:
A. The current record description of the real property to be surveyed or, in the case of an original survey prepared for purposes of locating and
describing real property that has not been previously separately described in documents conveying an interest in the real property, the
current record description of the parent parcel that contains the property to be surveyed;
B. Complete copies of the most recent title commitment or, if a title commitment is not available, other title evidence satisfactory to the title
insurer;
C. The following documents from records established under state statutes for the purpose of imparting constructive notice of matters relating
to real property (public records):
i. The current record descriptions of any adjoiners to the property to be surveyed, except where such adjoiners are lots in platted,
recorded subdivisions;
ii. Any recorded easements benefitting the property to be surveyed; and
iii. Any recorded easements, servitudes, or covenants burdening the property to be surveyed; and
D. If desired by the client, any unrecorded documents affecting the property to be surveyed and containing information to which the survey
shall make reference.

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