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Access & Contiguity Endorsements
Can you actually get to the property, and do the parcels actually touch? These endorsements answer both with insurance.
DISCLAIMER: For informational and educational purposes only. Nothing here is legal advice, a title opinion, or a commitment to insure, and no attorney-client relationship is created. No one may rely on this content for any transaction or legal decision. Coverage is governed solely by the terms of an issued policy or commitment, and requirements vary by state and underwriter. Consult your own attorney and underwriter. Views are my own and not those of my employer.
The minute version
ALTA 17: access and entry
- The base policy insures a legal right of access. ALTA 17 goes further: the land abuts and has actual vehicular and pedestrian access to a named, open, publicly maintained street via existing curb cuts or entries.
- ALTA 17.1: the same idea where access runs over a specific insured easement to a named public street.
- ALTA 17.2: utility access: insures against lack of a right of access to the checked utilities over rights-of-way or easements benefiting the land because of a gap or gore, or termination of the easement.
ALTA 19: contiguity
- ALTA 19: two or more insured parcels are contiguous to each other with no gaps or gores along their common boundaries.
- ALTA 19.1: the land is contiguous to a specified parcel that is not insured in the policy.
- ALTA 19.2: specified parcels in the policy are contiguous to each other (at a common point or boundary) as shown on an identified survey.
What the insurer needs
- Access and contiguity coverage is usually survey-driven. The survey shows the curb cuts, the frontage and the common boundaries.
- Name the street precisely. ALTA 17 insures access to the named street, not just any road.
Topic quiz
8 questions on Access & Contiguity Endorsements
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