Title Insurers have particular requirements related to title insurance matters, and when asked to provide an insurance policy without any exception relating to survey matters, a set of standards governing ALTA surveys was developed by the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS).
The ALTA Survey is a comprehensive map of the parcel showing all existing improvements of the property, utilities, and significant annotations within the insured estate. The survey details the surveyor's findings concerning the property boundaries and how it relates to title. Additionally, the survey defines or makes note of all easements and exceptions cited within the title commitment for insurance of the secured party. ALTA’s may also show zoning and flood zone restrictions or areas indicating potential future use of the property. In summary an ALTA survey is a combination of a boundary survey, title survey, and a location survey. The ALTA standards govern the content of all ALTA surveys and are denoted in the "2016 MINIMUM STANDARD DETAIL REQUIREMENTS FOR ALTA/NSPS LAND TITLE SURVEYS" as adopted by American Land Title Association and National Society of Professional Surveyors.
https://www.alta.org/forms/download.cfm?formID=483&type=word
The above link is an ALTA form which is entitled “MINIMUM STANDARD DETAIL REQUIREMENTS FOR ALTA/NSPS LAND TITLE SURVEYS”. This document explains and provides a list of all items that can be included in an ALTA survey.
Helpful Links for Additional Information:
American Land Title Association
National Society of Professional Surveyors