ALTA/NSPS Surveys in San Francisco, CA

An ALTA survey in San Francisco is a records exercise as much as a field one. Because most public records before 1906 burned, the earliest surviving title documents for many blocks are the McEnerney decrees that re-established ownership after the fire, and the County Surveyor's subdivision regulations still point to them. Every boundary we resolve is tied to the city's monument lines — Public Works' map checklist requires at least two monument lines with two monuments each — and to CCSF-CS13, the coordinate system the County Surveyor requires as a basis of bearings. Where a transaction turns up a discrepancy between record and occupation, we can file a Record of Survey through the Bureau of Street-Use and Mapping, which reviews it before it is recorded with the Assessor-Recorder.

The city adds Table A wrinkles you will not see elsewhere. Bay windows, marquees, and other projections over the sidewalk are governed by Public Works' minor encroachment rules, so we locate them precisely against the property line and the right-of-way. Zoning is block-by-block under the Planning Code — height and bulk districts, special use districts, and neighborhood commercial overlays — so the zoning-classification item usually needs a zoning report plus our confirmation of setbacks and building footprint. Lenders on SoMa, Mission Bay, and Dogpatch properties routinely ask about the mapped liquefaction zone; we report the parcel's position against the state seismic hazard maps. Utilities, easements, and encroachments from adjoining zero-lot-line buildings are located and shown, and parking counts, building measurements, and square footages come straight from our laser scan of the site rather than from a tape.

Scanning is the practical advantage: a single visit documents the building envelope, parking, and site improvements for the ALTA, and the buyer's design team can reuse the same point cloud after closing for renovation or repositioning — see our San Francisco as-built surveys. We coordinate with the title company on the commitment and Schedule B exceptions, and deliver a certified plat, DWG, and the point cloud.