What Does an ALTA Survey Deliver?
If you ordered an ALTA survey, or you are about to, you probably want to know what shows up when it is done. Many buyers, lenders, and title companies picture something like a home inspection report, with a short checklist and a summary page. An ALTA survey does not work that way. It produces a specific set of documents built around a drawing. Knowing what that drawing contains helps you use it the right way once it arrives.
An ALTA survey is also called an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey. It follows rules set by the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors. These rules spell out what the surveyor must include and how it should look. Here is what that means for the deliverable you will get.
The ALTA Survey Plat as the Primary Deliverable
The main deliverable from an ALTA survey is the plat. Some people call it the survey map. This drawing shows the property boundary, buildings, easements, and other features the surveyor found during fieldwork and research.
The plat is not a rough sketch. It follows a set format required by the ALTA/NSPS rules. That means a surveyor in Honolulu and a surveyor in another state will produce documents that look and read the same way. This matters because lenders, title companies, and attorneys across the country use these surveys. They need to find key information without guessing where to look.
How the plat gets delivered can change based on your contract. Digital images are common. An editable CAD file is a separate matter. If you need CAD data for design work, ask your surveyor before the project starts. Do not assume it comes standard.
How Survey Findings Are Organized on the Final Plat
The plat sorts information into clear sections. It does not scatter details across the page. Boundary lines and measurements come from the surveyor’s fieldwork and research into the legal description. Buildings, fences, and paved areas are shown next to those boundary lines.
Easements and other property matters usually appear after that. These often come from items listed in the title commitment. The surveyor plots what can be found on the ground or in the public record. Some easements are too general to draw as a line on a map. When that happens, the plat usually adds a note about it instead of leaving it out completely.
A legend, a notes section, and a small map showing the area round out the layout. These smaller parts matter more than they seem at first. The notes often cover flood zone information, zoning class if it was requested, and any gaps between what the surveyor found and what the title commitment said. Read the notes along with the drawing. You will get a fuller picture than looking at the boundary lines alone.
Why the Agreed Scope Shapes the Delivered Detail
Not every ALTA survey looks the same. The ALTA/NSPS rules include a list of optional items called Table A. These items range from zoning class to utility locations to flood zone data. The buyer, lender, or title company asks for the Table A items that fit their deal. The surveyor prices and does the work based on that list.
This means the level of detail on your plat depends on what got requested before the survey began. A survey scoped for a simple home purchase will look lighter than one scoped for a commercial deal with several easements and utility questions. If your plat seems to be missing something you expected, check the Table A items in the contract first. Do not assume the surveyor skipped a step.
Design grade topography is a good example of this. Under the current 2026 ALTA/NSPS rules, an engineering design survey must be added and priced as a separate item. A standard ALTA survey without that extra scope will not give an engineer the elevation data needed for site design.
What the Survey Certification Communicates
Every ALTA survey plat includes a certification from the licensed surveyor. This statement does two things. It confirms the survey followed the ALTA/NSPS rules and the Table A items in the contract. It also names the parties who are allowed to rely on the survey.
That second part matters a lot. The certification usually names the buyer, lender, title company, and any other party listed before the survey was done. If your name is not on that list, you generally cannot use the survey for your own deal or loan. This comes up often when a property sells again soon after a survey was made. The old certification may not cover the new buyer.
The certification does not guarantee ownership. It does not confirm zoning rules are being followed. It is not a legal opinion on title. It simply reflects what the surveyor measured and observed under the scope that was agreed to. Questions about ownership, title insurance, or zoning still belong with your attorney, title company, or the local planning office.
Coordinating the Deliverable With Honolulu Planning Data
Once you have the survey plat, it often needs to work alongside data from the City and County of Honolulu planning office. That office handles zoning, height limits, special district rules, and State land use districts. An ALTA survey plat is not built to answer those questions on its own.
Coastal and near coastal parcels add another layer. Some properties sit inside Special Management Area boundaries, which come with their own review steps. An ALTA survey will not tell you if a parcel falls inside one of these areas. You need to confirm that directly with the Department of Planning and Permitting.
Hawaii’s Statewide GIS Program can be a good starting point for early research. It gives you a general sense of zoning and land use before you even order a survey. The state has been clear about its limits, though. Mapped GIS features do not set legal boundaries and do not give you property rights. Use GIS data to narrow down what to ask your surveyor. Do not treat it as a stand in for the survey itself or for a check with Honolulu planning staff.
