An ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey is one of the most demanding deliverables in land surveying. Title companies, lenders, and attorneys all review the same drawing — and even a small drafting oversight can trigger revision cycles that delay closing by weeks.

At RRA CAD SOLUTION, our QA/QC team reviews hundreds of survey drawings every month. Here are the five drafting mistakes we see most often.

1. Table A items shown on the drawing but missing from the certification

Every negotiated Table A item must be reflected consistently — on the face of the drawing, in the notes, and in the surveyor's certification. A mismatch between the three is the single most common reason title reviewers send a survey back.

2. Easements plotted without matching the title commitment

Each recorded easement in Schedule B-II should be plotted, labeled with its recording information, and cross-referenced. Missing document numbers or "blanket easement" notes without boundaries create instant review questions.

3. Inconsistent boundary calls between the drawing and the legal description

Bearings and distances on the face of the plat must match the written legal description exactly — including units, rounding, and curve data. We run a line-by-line closure check on every deliverable before it leaves QA.

4. Utility and improvement symbols without a legend

Reviewers should never have to guess what a symbol means. A complete, standards-based legend — matched to the client's CAD template — keeps the drawing self-explanatory.

5. Sloppy layer management in the delivered DWG

Title review may only look at the PDF, but the client's survey crew works in the DWG. Stray objects on wrong layers, unpurged blocks, and broken annotative scales cost your team hours downstream.

How RRA helps

Our drafting team works directly in your templates and standards, with a two-stage QA process built around ALTA/NSPS 2021 requirements. The result: drawings your licensed surveyor can review and certify faster.

Have an upcoming ALTA project? Talk to our team — we'll walk you through our workflow, turnaround times, and trial project options.