Understanding ALTA Table A Item 1: Monuments Placed

Table A Item 1 covers monuments on an ALTA/NSPS survey. It sounds simple. In practice, it raises real questions about what gets marked, what gets left alone, and what gets written down. 

What “Monuments Placed” Means in the Field

Table A Item 1 asks the surveyor to place monuments at the major corners of the property boundary, unless a monument or reference is already there. That’s the short version. The longer version matters more.

A survey always starts with a search for existing evidence. The surveyor looks for pins, pipes, rebar, or other markers left behind by past surveyors or property owners. Finding one of these is different from setting a new one. Finding is research. Setting is fieldwork done to mark a corner that has no adequate marker.

Item 1 applies to the major corners of the boundary, not every point along a line. When an existing monument or a witness to the corner is already close by and in good condition, a surveyor does not need to add a second marker next to it. The current 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards make this distinction clear. They separate what was found in the field from what was set because Item 1 was on the order.

When an Existing Corner Marker Means Nothing New Needs to Be Set

People sometimes assume Item 1 means a new marker goes in at every corner, no exceptions. That’s not how the standard reads.

If a monument or witness is already close to the corner, and it holds up under a closer look, it can satisfy Item 1 without a second marker being added. The surveyor looks at what’s on the ground: the type of marker, its condition, where it sits in relation to the corner, and whether it lines up with the record and the physical evidence around it.

A marker being visible doesn’t make it correct. Fences shift. Old pins get kicked out of place. A rock pile from decades ago might mark something other than the current corner. The surveyor has to work through that evidence before deciding a marker is good enough to stand as-is. The 2026 Table A wording spells this out directly: an existing monument or witness in close proximity to the corner can satisfy the Item 1 requirement instead of a new marker being required.

Why the Physical Form of a Monument Can Matter

Not every monument looks the same. A corner might be marked with a rebar and cap, an iron pipe, a concrete monument, a nail set in pavement, or something else entirely. The type matters, and so does its physical state.

A surveyor records the size, type, general condition, and how the marker sits in relation to the ground. Is it flush with the grade? Sticking up a few inches? Buried under sod that’s grown over it? All of that goes into the field notes and the final record. Saying “a monument was found” tells a reader almost nothing. Saying “a 1/2-inch rebar with a plastic cap, found flush with grade” tells a reader something they can check.

When a marker is bent, broken, buried deep, or otherwise altered from how it was likely set, that calls for a closer professional look before it gets treated as reliable. The 2026 standards call for this kind of detail directly, including the monument’s location, size, character, its relationship to the ground surface, and its type.

Reference Monuments and Witnesses: What Happens When the Corner Cannot Be Marked Normally?

Sometimes the actual corner sits somewhere a monument can’t reasonably go. It might fall in the middle of a paved road, inside a building, underwater, or in some other spot where driving a pin doesn’t make sense.

In those cases, a surveyor can set a reference monument, also called a witness. This is a separate physical point placed near the corner, tied to it by a measured bearing and distance. It gives anyone standing at that reference point a way to find the real corner using the numbers on the survey.

The survey needs to spell out that relationship clearly. It should state the bearing and distance from the reference point to the actual corner, and it should say plainly that the reference point is a witness, not the corner itself. Reading a reference monument as the boundary point is a mistake. It’s a marker that points to the corner. It isn’t the corner.

What Item 1 Adds to the Final ALTA Survey

By the time a survey is finished, Item 1 shows up in two places: the drawing itself and the surveyor’s notes tied to it. Both matter.

The map shows the location of each monument found and each monument set. The notes and legend explain what each symbol means and give the physical description for the markers involved. A corner marked as “found” on the map means the surveyor located something already there. A corner marked as “set” means the surveyor placed something new because nothing adequate was there before.

The plat or map should always be read next to the surveyor’s notes and the applicable standards, not as a standalone picture. Together, they give a record of what was physically located or placed during the fieldwork, not a guess.

Clients reading a finished survey shouldn’t assume every corner has a brand new marker sitting on it. Some corners will show existing monuments accepted as-is. Others will show new markers. The 2026 standards call for both to be reported: monuments found, and, when Item 1 is on the order, monuments set.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Item 1 require a new marker at every property corner? 

No. The Table A wording allows an existing monument or witness close to the corner to count, so a new monument isn’t automatically required at every corner.

What’s the difference between a monument and a witness to a corner? 

A monument is a physical marker tied to a boundary corner. A witness, or reference monument, gives another physical point near the corner when the corner itself can’t be marked in the usual way.

What does a surveyor record about a monument that’s already on the property? 

The surveyor records its location, size, character, and type, as called for under the applicable ALTA/NSPS standards. The 2026 standards also call for noting its relationship to the ground surface.

Can a surveyor simply accept any marker found near a property corner? 

Not always. Finding a marker and confirming it’s the right one are two different steps. A surveyor has to work through the evidence and apply the standards and boundary principles that fit the case.

Does setting a monument change the property boundary? 

No, not by itself. Setting a monument as part of an ALTA survey doesn’t create or change ownership on its own. It’s established or referenced as part of the surveyor’s boundary work, under applicable law and standards.