An ALTA Table A list lets you add optional items to a land title survey. In Virginia, the right choices depend on what you plan to do with the property, not on a form someone handed you a few years back. This guide shows how to pick Table A items that fit your deal, your lender and your plans for the site.
Start With the Current ALTA Table A Version Before You Pick Anything
Confirm your survey order asks for a 2026 ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey. The standards changed on February 23, 2026, and older order forms may still point to the 2021 version. If your request cites the wrong year, you can end up with the wrong item numbers or wording.
Table A is a menu of optional items. The first twenty are optional unless a Virginia statute or local rule makes one required. When a rule requires an item, it stops being a choice and has to be part of the survey.
The 2026 update shifted some item numbers and wording. An old checklist can ask for something that no longer means what you think. Name the exact items you want, in writing, using the current version.
Match Each ALTA Table A Request to a Real Decision
Pick a Table A item because it answers a real question in your deal. Skip items that just fill space on a form. Every item you add should map to a choice someone has to make about the property.
It helps to group your requests by the decision they support:
- Site area: confirms how much land you’re buying or building on
- Building details: shows the size, height and location of structures
- Parking: reports the count and layout for zoning or leasing
- Offsite access: flags the roads and easements you rely on to reach the lot
A lender may want building and parking details before it funds the loan. A buyer planning to rebuild may care most about site area and access. Start from the question, then pick the item.
Identify the Records That Shape the Final Scope
Some Table A items only work if you give the surveyor the right records first. That usually means a title commitment, a zoning report, agency rules or easement records tied to the property. Without them, the surveyor can’t report on what the item asks for.
Send these records at the start, not halfway through. Early records let the surveyor set a scope they can actually deliver. They also keep you from paying for an item the available records can’t support.
If you don’t have a document yet, say so up front. The surveyor can tell you which items still work and which ones need to wait. That saves a round of changes later.
Pick Table A Items That Support Each Other
Some Table A items work as a set. Choosing one can make another more useful, and skipping one can leave a gap. It pays to look at your picks together, not one line at a time.
Zoning information you request under Item 6 can feed the setback part of the Item 20 summary. If you want that setback detail, the zoning report needs to be in hand. Offsite easement records can also change whether Item 18 is worth adding for your site.
Think about how the pieces connect before you set the final list. A coordinated scope gives you a survey that reads as one clear picture. A scattered list can leave items that don’t line up.
Put Special Needs Into a Written Item 21 Scope
If you need work beyond the listed Table A items, put it under Item 21 in writing. This is the spot for requests like engineering-design information or a deliverable specific to your property. Item 21 is the write-in place for negotiated work.
Describe the task, the fee and the expected deliverable in plain terms. A clear Item 21 scope tells the surveyor what to produce and tells you what you’re paying for. A vague request leads to guesswork on both sides.
Don’t assume Items 5 or 11 already cover engineering-design work. The 2026 standards say that kind of service belongs under Item 21 as negotiated work. Spelling it out keeps the survey and the design work from getting crossed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all ALTA Table A items come with an ALTA survey?
No. The first twenty Table A items are optional unless a law or rule makes one required. You and the surveyor agree on the selected items in writing before the work starts.
Can a client change the wording of an ALTA Table A item?
Yes. The 2026 standards let you negotiate the wording and fee for a selected item. When you change an item, the survey plat or map has to explain the change so everyone reads it the same way.
Does choosing Table A Item 6 mean the surveyor gives a zoning opinion?
No. Item 6 relies on a zoning report or letter you provide. The survey can show or list the stated zoning details, but it doesn’t replace a zoning review or legal reading.
When should a project use Table A Item 20?
Use Item 20 when the parties want a clear table of observed potential encroachments, access concerns and setback issues. It points to physical conditions on the site. It doesn’t decide who owns what or state a legal right.
Can an ALTA Table A request include engineering-design work?
Yes, but that work belongs under Item 21, not Items 5 or 11. The 2026 standards treat engineering-design survey services as negotiated work you spell out separately.
