To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: Earlier this year, the American Land Title Association (ALTA) and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) implemented the revised 2021 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements (“2021 Standards”) for surveys. If a contract to provide an ALTA/NSPS survey is executed after February 23, 2021, the survey must comply with the updated 2021 Standards. With the transition to the 2021 Standards, project developers are wrestling with the changes to an optional item, Table A Item 11, which adds certain specifications regarding the depiction of evidence of utilities. Table A Item 11 is a standard survey requirement from financing parties and purchasers of renewable energy projects. With the previous 2016 Standards, if Table A Item 11 was requested, the surveyor identified evidence of utilities existing on the surveyed property through observed evidence, utility company’s plans requested by the surveyor, and an 811 utility locate request. The 2021 Standards limit Table A Item 11 to underground utilities and shift the burden on the project developer to determine what type of evidence is used to depict locations of underground utilities in Table A Item 11, but all ALTA/NSPS surveys require the surveyor to depict observed evidence of utility locate markings and allow the utility locate markings to be used as evidence of easements and utilities. While the mandatory depiction observed utility locations is beneficial for a project infrastructure encroachment analysis, it may not paint the entire picture of the project property and could be problematic if the project is installing underground facilities.