By the Rampart Title editorial team · October 07, 2026
When you buy a home you will usually be offered more than one kind of owner’s title policy. The differences are about what risks are covered beyond the public record — and the price difference is often smaller than people expect.
Standard coverage
A standard owner’s policy insures against defects in the public record, such as forged deeds, undisclosed heirs and missed liens. It contains standard exceptions for matters that are not in the record, such as unrecorded easements, boundary disputes a survey would reveal and rights of people in possession.
Homeowner’s (expanded) coverage
The ALTA Homeowner’s Policy is designed for one-to-four family homes. It removes many standard exceptions and adds protections such as certain building-permit and zoning violations, encroachments, and post-policy forgery. In Utah and Arizona it is priced at 110% of the standard premium under the schedules our calculators use; in Virginia it is the enhanced homeowner’s rate.
Extended coverage
Extended coverage removes the standard exceptions, usually with a survey or inspection, and is common for commercial property and for lender’s policies. In Utah and Arizona the extended owner’s policy is 150% of the basic rate.
Which should you choose?
- Most homebuyers get the most value from the homeowner’s policy.
- Commercial buyers typically need extended coverage plus endorsements.
- In Utah and Arizona the seller customarily pays for standard coverage, so the buyer pays only the difference to upgrade.
Compare prices in each state with our title insurance calculators.
