How to read a land survey

Quick summary: This guide walks through a recorded North Carolina survey plat, block by block: the title block, the certificates, the north arrow and scale, the line and curve tables, the corners, and the notes. It is for buyers, owners, and builders who hold a survey and want to know what it says. The key takeaway: the certificates and notes tell you what the surveyor measured, what was copied from records, and what the plat does not settle.

What a land survey plat is

A land survey plat is the sealed drawing a licensed land surveyor makes from an actual survey of a tract. It shows the boundary lines, the corners, and the features along the lines. Under the board’s surveying rule, the results of a survey go to the user as a map or a written report of survey.

A plat recorded at the register of deeds must meet G.S. 47-30. A plat that is not recorded still must meet the board’s mapping rule. For the difference between a recorded plat, a tax map, and a survey, see Plat map: what it is and how to read one.

Start with the title block

The title block tells you which land the plat shows and when the surveyor measured it. G.S. 47-30 requires it to list these items prominently, not in the notes:

• Property designation. The tract, lot, or subdivision name.
• Owner. The owner’s name, shown for indexing only. The statute says it is not a title certification.
• Location. The county, the State, and the township or city.
• Survey dates. The date or dates of the field survey.
• Scale. The scale in words or figures, and a bar graph.
• Surveyor. The name and address of the surveyor, with the firm name and license number.
• Revisions. The dates and descriptions of changes made after the original signing.

Check the survey date first. A plat shows the land on the date of the survey. A fence, a house, or an easement that came later is not on it.

Read the certificates and the seal

The certificates tell you how far to trust each line. Read them before the drawing.

The surveyor’s certificate. It names the deed and plat sources for the boundary by book and page. It states which lines were not surveyed and where their information came from. It states the ratio of precision before adjustments. The surveyor’s seal and signature certify that the map meets the state’s standards of practice.

The subdivision certificate. Under G.S. 47-30(f)(11), the surveyor certifies one of five statements:

1. The survey creates a subdivision where an ordinance regulates parcels.
2. The survey lies in an area no such ordinance regulates.
3. The survey shows an existing parcel, an existing feature, a control survey, or a proposed utility easement.
4. The survey is another category, such as a recombination or a court-ordered survey.
5. The surveyor could not make a determination.

Statements 1, 4, and 5 also need a local approval certificate, or a no-approval-required certificate, on the plat.

The review officer’s certificate. A plat goes to the county Review Officer before recording, unless an exception applies, such as a survey of an existing parcel. The officer certifies that the plat meets the statutory requirements for recording. The certificate is not a zoning approval.

A preliminary label. A plat marked “Preliminary Plat - Not for recordation, conveyances, or sales” is a draft. The mapping rule’s seal and content requirements do not apply to it, and you cannot rely on it as a final survey.

The class of survey

The ratio of precision tells you how tightly the survey closed. The classification rule sets four classes of boundary survey, each with a maximum error of closure:

Class	Land it covers	Maximum error of closure
AA	Local control networks	1 foot per 20,000 feet of perimeter
A	Urban land, within a town or city	1 foot per 10,000 feet
B	Suburban land	1 foot per 7,500 feet
C	Rural and farmland	1 foot per 5,000 feet

Each map must state its calculated ratio, or a statement of positional error, under the same rule. Compare the stated ratio with the class that fits the land.

The short version: Read the title block for the date, then the certificates for the sources and the unsurveyed lines. A line drawn from records is not a line measured on the ground, and the plat must tell you which is which.

Orient the drawing

The north arrow and the scale turn the drawing into directions and feet.

North arrow. The plat must state whether north is true north, magnetic north, North Carolina grid north, or north from an old deed or plat. If it is magnetic or from an old deed, the plat gives the date and the source. Two plats with different north references show different bearings for the same line.

Scale and bar graph. Every line must be plotted to the scale shown. An enlarged inset can break the scale, and the plat labels it.

Distances. Distances are horizontal ground or grid measurements, in U.S. survey feet or meters.

Read the lines, the line table, and the curve table

Each surveyed line carries a bearing or azimuth and a distance. When there is no room on the drawing, the surveyor may number the short lines and list them in a line table, such as L1, L2, and L3. Match each label to its row.

A curved boundary carries curve data in the same way, and the surveyor may list it in a curve table with labels such as C1 and C2. G.S. 47-30 requires actual survey data around the curve or standard curve data. Standard data must include the bearing and distance of the long chord, from the point of curvature to the point of tangency. For how a call reads, see Metes and bounds: how to read a land description.

Look for lines drawn differently from the rest, such as dashed lines. The mapping rule requires the plat to mark any line not actually surveyed and to state its source.

Find the corners and monuments

The legend tells you what each corner symbol means. Every corner marked by a monument or a natural object must be identified.

• Found or set. The surveying rule requires reports to say whether each monument was found in place or set by the surveyor. A found iron pipe ties this survey to an older one. A set rod is new.
• Corners in a tree or stream. When a corner falls in a right-of-way, a tree, a stream, or a similar object, the surveyor places one or more monuments in the line so the corner can be found.
• Adjoiners’ corners. The plat shows the marked corners of adjacent owners along the boundary.
• Area. The plat states how the surveyor computed the area. Estimation, planimeter, scaling, and copying from another source are not acceptable, except for inaccessible areas.

Take action: Send the deed book and page or the recorded plat reference, and get the survey read against the deed and the county record. Start with One parcel. Everything the record says, in order.

Read the adjoiners, easements, and notes

The edges of the plat show who and what touches the tract.

Adjoiners. The plat shows the names of adjacent owners, or the lot, block, or other legal reference, or notes that it could not be determined. Compare those names with the deed calls.

Easements and rights-of-way. All visible and apparent rights-of-way, easements, watercourses, utilities, and roadways must be located where they cross or form a boundary line. A recorded easement with no visible sign may not appear. The title search finds those.

Encroachments. The surveying rule requires the surveyor to look for encroachments, gaps, and lappages along each line surveyed, and to locate any found. A building or fence over a line deserves a question to the attorney. See Adverse possession in North Carolina.

Flood note. A plat may carry a note on the flood zone and the flood map panel. Check the note’s map date against the current maps at flood.nc.gov. See Floodplain vs floodway: why the difference matters for what the zones mean.

Who answers what the survey cannot

The licensed land surveyor who sealed the plat answers questions about the lines and corners. A North Carolina real estate attorney answers whether an encroachment, a gap, or an easement affects title. Planning staff answer whether the lots meet the zoning.

Some questions need another survey. An ALTA survey maps recorded title matters on the ground. See ALTA survey vs boundary survey: what each one shows. A topographic survey maps the shape of the ground for design. See Topographic survey: what it shows and when you need one.

Key recap

• Read the title block and the survey date first. A plat shows the land on that date only.
• The surveyor’s certificate names the deed sources, the unsurveyed lines, and the ratio of precision.
• State rules set four survey classes, from 1 foot in 20,000 to 1 foot in 5,000 of perimeter.
• Line and curve tables carry the data for short lines and curves. Dashed or marked lines may come from records, not from the field.
• The legend separates monuments found from monuments set. Encroachments, easements, and a flood note sit at the edges and in the notes.
• A surveyor answers for the lines, an attorney for title, and planning staff for zoning.

Questions

How do you read the bearings on a land survey?

Each bearing starts at north or south and turns toward east or west, such as N 45°30’00” E, followed by a distance in feet. Check the north arrow to see which north the bearings use.

What does “found” and “set” mean on a survey?

“Found” means the surveyor located an existing monument in place. “Set” means the surveyor placed a new one. North Carolina’s surveying rule requires reports to say which.

What is a line table on a survey?

A line table lists short lines by label, such as L1, with the bearing and distance of each. The surveyor uses it when the drawing has no room for the full call.

Does a survey show every easement on the land?

No. A survey shows visible and apparent easements and the recorded easements the surveyor was given. A title search by a North Carolina real estate attorney finds recorded easements the drawing may not show.

References

Primary sources cited on this page, in APA style.

• 21 N.C. Admin. Code 56 .1602 (2026). http://reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac/title%2021%20-%20occupational%20licensing%20boards%20and%20commissions/chapter%2056%20-%20engineers%20and%20surveyors/21%20ncac%2056%20.1602.pdf
• 21 N.C. Admin. Code 56 .1603 (2026). http://reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac/title%2021%20-%20occupational%20licensing%20boards%20and%20commissions/chapter%2056%20-%20engineers%20and%20surveyors/21%20ncac%2056%20.1603.pdf
• 21 N.C. Admin. Code 56 .1604 (2026). http://reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac/title%2021%20-%20occupational%20licensing%20boards%20and%20commissions/chapter%2056%20-%20engineers%20and%20surveyors/21%20ncac%2056%20.1604.pdf
• N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47-30 (2025). https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_47/GS_47-30.html
• N.C. Gen. Stat. § 47-30.2 (2025). https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_47/GS_47-30.2.html
• North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program. (n.d.). Flood.nc: North Carolina's flood information center. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://flood.nc.gov/ncflood/