Buy an empty lot and a boundary survey might be all you need. Buy a strip mall, a warehouse, or an apartment complex, and your lender will likely ask for something else entirely: an ALTA survey.
Both surveys look at the same piece of ground. But they don’t look at the same things. A boundary survey draws the lines. An ALTA survey shows what’s happening inside those lines, and how the property connects to the world around it.
Here’s what that extra scope actually covers, and why it matters if you’re buying, financing, or building on property.
Zoning Classification and Setback Compliance (Table A Item 6)
A boundary survey tells you where your property ends. It won’t tell you if what’s already built on that property is allowed to be there.
An ALTA survey can pull the zoning classification for the parcel and check it against local rules. That means confirming setbacks, height limits, and parking counts against the zoning ordinance for that specific city or township.
This matters in Michigan because zoning rules aren’t set at the state level. Every township, city, and county writes its own. A building that meets code in one township could be sitting too close to the lot line in the next town over. Item 6 catches that before it becomes a problem at closing.
Skipping this check doesn’t just risk a fine. It can hold up financing if a lender’s underwriter spots a zoning conflict after the loan is already in motion.
FEMA Flood Zone Designation Tied to the Property (Table A Item 3)
A boundary survey has no reason to mention flooding. It’s not part of the job.
An ALTA survey can pull the exact FEMA flood zone for the parcel, along with the map panel number, and plot that information right on the drawing. That’s a direct answer, tied to your specific address, not a general area.
Michigan has plenty of land near lakes, rivers, and wetlands where flood zone lines cut through neighborhoods in ways that surprise buyers. A property two lots away might sit in a completely different flood zone than the one you’re buying. Guessing based on a neighbor’s flood status isn’t reliable.
This detail affects insurance costs and, in some cases, whether a lender will approve the loan at all.
Utility Line Locations and Service Connections (Table A Item 11)
Boundary surveys stop at property lines and corners. They don’t map what runs underneath or across the land.
An ALTA survey can show above-ground utility features, poles, meters, transformers, manholes, and where service lines enter the building. With added scope, it can also show underground utility lines based on locate marks and utility company records.
For commercial buyers, this is a real planning tool. Say you’re buying a building and plan to add a second unit or expand the parking lot. Knowing exactly where the gas line, water main, or electric service sits before you break ground saves a redesign later, and it keeps you clear of costly utility relocation fees.
A boundary survey simply won’t have this information. It was never built to answer that question.
Parking Space Counts and Striping Verification (Table A Item 9)
This one surprises a lot of first-time commercial buyers. An ALTA survey can count and classify every striped parking space on the lot, separating standard spaces from accessible ones.
Lenders ask for this because parking counts affect a property’s value and its use. A retail building that’s supposed to have 40 spaces but only has 34 due to a later addition has a real problem, one that a boundary survey would never flag.
For properties with older parking lots, restriping or asphalt patch work often shifts the actual count over the years from what’s on the original site plan. An ALTA survey catches the difference between what was approved on paper and what’s actually painted on the ground today.
Legal and Physical Access to a Public Street (Table A Item 4)
Every buyer assumes their property connects to a public road. Most of the time, that’s true. But not always, and a boundary survey won’t check it either way.
An ALTA survey confirms whether the parcel has legal, recorded access to a dedicated public street, not just a driveway that happens to reach one. It also flags contiguity issues if the property is made up of more than one parcel.
This shows up more often than people expect in parts of Michigan with private roads, shared driveways, or land that was split off from a larger parcel decades ago. A property can have a driveway that physically touches a road while having no recorded legal right to use it. That’s a landlocked parcel in disguise, and it’s a real problem for resale and financing.
A boundary survey draws the shape of the land. It doesn’t check whether the shape has a legal way out.
