A commercial closing has a lot of moving parts, and an ALTA survey is one step that can throw off the whole schedule if something goes wrong. Many buyers and attorneys don’t pay much attention to the survey until it becomes a problem, and by that point, the closing date is already in trouble. Knowing what causes ALTA survey delays ahead of time gives everyone a better shot at staying on track.

Missing Title Commitment Documents Can Delay ALTA Survey Completion

Before a surveyor touches the property, they need the title commitment and its supporting documents. Those records show what easements, rights-of-way, and other recorded items need to appear on the survey. Without them, the surveyor can’t finish the job correctly.

When those documents come in late or incomplete, the surveyor has to stop work, wait for the missing pieces, and then go back and fix what was already done. That process eats up time fast. A 30-day escrow can lose a full week just from this kind of delay, and most people don’t notice until the closing date is right around the corner. The title company and the surveyor should be sharing documents at the very beginning of the due diligence period, not midway through when everyone is already behind.

Unrecorded Easements and Access Rights Can Create Last-Minute Questions

Not everything that affects a property shows up in the public record. Shared driveways, utility access agreements, and informal easements between old owners sometimes never got recorded properly, and the survey process is often when they finally come to light.

When that happens, attorneys need time to review what was found and figure out what it means for the deal. The title company also has to decide how to handle coverage before moving forward. None of this is anyone’s fault, but it takes time regardless, and older commercial properties that changed hands several times carry the most risk for this kind of surprise. If the closing date is already tight, any extra review time can push the schedule back.

Differences Between Existing Site Conditions and Public Records May Require Further Investigation

What’s physically on a property and what’s written in public records don’t always match. A building gets added, a parking lot gets expanded, or a utility line gets moved, and the paperwork never gets updated to reflect it. When a surveyor finds something on the ground that doesn’t line up with available records, that gap has to be explained before the survey can be wrapped up.

Lenders pay close attention to these situations. A structure that shows up on the survey but isn’t in any recorded document raises questions about permits and property boundaries, and those questions need answers before a lender approves anything. Getting those answers might mean more research, calls to local agencies, or another trip to the property, and each of those steps takes time. When this happens near the end of escrow, the closing date is usually what gets pushed back.

Table A Requests Added Late in the Process Can Extend Survey Timelines

An ALTA survey comes with a list of optional add-ons called Table A items. These can include things like flood zone details, building square footage, parking counts, and utility locations. The surveyor plans the fieldwork based on whatever Table A items everyone agrees on at the start.

Problems show up when someone adds new items after fieldwork has already started. A lender asks for utility locations after reviewing early drafts. An attorney realizes zoning information wasn’t requested. These changes seem small, but some of them mean the surveyor has to go back to the property or pull records that weren’t part of the original plan. That takes extra time, and in a commercial deal, extra time has a real cost. The best way to avoid this is simple: confirm the full Table A list with all parties before any fieldwork begins.

Why Waiting Until the End of Escrow to Order an ALTA Survey Creates Pressure

Most survey-related closing delays share a common starting point. Someone ordered the survey too late. It happens because other tasks felt more urgent, or because people assumed the survey would be quick and easy. By the time the surveyor finishes and sends over the results, there’s no time left to deal with anything unexpected without pushing the closing.

ALTA surveys on commercial properties take real time to complete. Scheduling can take several days on its own, and that’s before fieldwork, document review, or any follow-up work the findings might require. Ordering the survey in the first week of due diligence gives the team room to handle problems without a crisis. Ordering it in the final two weeks turns every finding into an emergency, and emergencies at closing are costly for everyone involved.

FAQs

What issues commonly delay an ALTA survey?
Missing title documents, unrecorded easements, gaps between site conditions and public records, and late Table A requests are the most common causes of delays.

Can an ALTA survey affect the closing date?
Yes. When survey findings need legal review or more documentation, the closing can get pushed back by days or more, depending on what turns up.

Why does a surveyor need the title commitment?
The title commitment shows recorded easements, rights-of-way, and other details that must appear on the survey. The surveyor can’t complete the work accurately without it.

Can additional Table A items delay the survey process?
Yes. Adding items after fieldwork has started may require a return visit to the property or more research, both of which add time.

When should an ALTA survey be ordered during a commercial transaction?
At the start of the due diligence period. Ordering early gives the team enough time to deal with any findings before the closing date becomes a hard deadline.