Parking looks simple from the curb. Paint some lines, count the spaces, move on. But for developers buying commercial property, parking is rarely that simple. An ALTA survey often turns up problems that never showed up in the listing photos or the purchase agreement. By the time buyers spot them on their own, the deal is usually too far along to fix cheaply. Here’s what an ALTA survey actually checks, and why parking deserves a closer look before you sign anything.
Redevelopment Demand Is Turning Old Parking Lots Into Legal Liabilities
Infill and adaptive-reuse projects are picking up across Pennsylvania municipalities. Old strip malls, warehouses, and office buildings are getting new life as apartments, mixed-use retail, or medical space.
The catch: the parking lot underneath was often designed decades ago, under a different code, for a different use. A layout that worked fine for a 1980s office building may not meet today’s requirements for a restaurant or a residential conversion.
Most purchase agreements never flag this. Sellers aren’t required to disclose it, and buyers rarely think to ask. The parking lot just sits there, looking fine, until a redevelopment application forces a closer look. An ALTA survey brings that gap into view early, while it’s still cheap to plan around.
What ALTA Table A Item 9 Actually Counts
Table A Item 9 is one of the optional items on an ALTA survey. When requested, it requires the surveyor to physically count and classify every striped parking space on the property.
That includes standard spaces, compact spaces, and accessible spaces. It’s a field-verified count, not a guess based on old site plans or county records.
Here’s the part that surprises most buyers: nobody else does this. Listing agents don’t count spaces. Sellers usually go off old plans, if they check at all. Title companies won’t catch it either. Item 9 is the only step in a typical deal that confirms what’s actually painted on the ground.
If Item 9 isn’t requested, the parking count simply isn’t verified. That’s a risk many buyers don’t realize they’re taking on.
Striped Spaces vs. Zoning-Required Spaces
A parking lot can look fully paved and still fall short. Striping is one thing. Meeting the municipality’s required parking ratio is another.
Zoning codes set a minimum number of spaces based on how the property is used. A retail store might need one space per 200 square feet. A restaurant might need one per 100. Change the use, and the required count changes too.
This is exactly where redevelopment deals get tripped up. A buyer converting an old office building into apartments may find the existing lot meets office parking standards but falls well short of residential requirements. Nobody notices until the survey or the permitting process flags it, and by then it can mean a smaller building footprint, an expensive variance request, or a stalled project.
Shared Parking and Cross-Access Agreements That Don’t Match What’s Actually Built
Older commercial corridors are full of shared parking arrangements. Two or three property owners agree to let each other’s customers use a common lot. These deals get recorded, filed away, and mostly forgotten.
The problem is that lots change over the years. Spaces get restriped. Curb cuts get moved. Accessible spaces get relocated. The recorded agreement often describes a layout that no longer matches what’s physically on the ground.
An ALTA survey compares the recorded easement language against current conditions. When the two don’t line up, it usually means someone made changes without updating the paperwork. That mismatch can create real headaches for financing, insurance, and future redevelopment, especially if the shared lot is central to the site’s usability.
ADA-Accessible Spaces: Where Survey Findings and Site Plans Quietly Diverge
Accessible parking gets less attention than it should. Buyers focus on total space count and forget to check whether the accessible spaces themselves meet current standards.
An ALTA survey looks at the count, location, and access-aisle dimensions of accessible spaces, and compares them against what the original site plan called for. It’s common to find spaces that were repainted or relocated over time without anyone checking compliance.
This matters more than most buyers expect. Lenders and title companies pay close attention to ADA compliance because it carries real liability. A shortfall here can affect financing, insurance terms, or expose the new owner to complaints after closing. Catching it during the survey, before the deal closes, is far less costly than catching it afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every ALTA survey include a parking space count?
Only if Item 9 is requested on Table A. It’s optional, not automatic. That’s why some buyers assume parking was verified when it actually wasn’t.
Can a parking shortfall actually delay or derail a commercial closing?
Yes. If the survey shows fewer compliant spaces than zoning requires for the buyer’s intended use, lenders may pause funding until the issue is resolved or a variance is secured.
What if the striped spaces don’t match the recorded site plan on file with the municipality?
That mismatch usually means changes were made without a permit. It can trigger a compliance review once redevelopment permitting begins.
Can an ALTA survey catch parking spaces that encroach onto a neighboring parcel?
Yes. This happens often in older shared commercial lots, where striping gets repainted over the years without regard to the actual recorded boundary line.
Who is responsible for fixing a parking deficiency discovered after purchase?
It depends on the purchase agreement and any title exceptions taken. That’s exactly why catching the issue during the ALTA survey, before closing, matters far more than catching it after.
