Plat map: what it is and how to read one

What a plat map is

A plat map is a drawing, prepared and sealed by a licensed surveyor, that shows how a tract is divided or combined. It shows lots, streets, easements, and rights-of-way. Once recorded, it becomes part of the public record. A deed can then describe a lot by its number on the plat instead of by a long written description.

Where a plat is recorded

In North Carolina, a plat is recorded with the register of deeds in the county where the land lies. Before recording, a review officer checks that the plat meets the state’s recording requirements. If the plat creates a subdivision, the local government usually approves it first, and its certificate appears on the plat.

The register files each plat in a plat book or map book, and some counties use a cabinet and slide. A deed cites the plat by that reference. Many registers of deeds put their plat images online.

How to read a plat map

You read a plat map from the edges inward: the title block first, then the lines, then the notes. These are the parts to find.

• Title block. The subdivision or tract name, the township and county, the date, the scale, and the surveyor.
• North arrow and scale. The direction and the ratio that turn the drawing into feet.
• Lot numbers. Each lot’s number, and often its area in square feet or acres.
• Bearings and distances. Each line carries a bearing, such as N 45°30’00” E, and a length in feet. A bearing starts at north or south and turns toward east or west. A curve carries its radius, arc length, and chord.
• Monuments. Symbols for iron pipes, rods, and other corners, found or set, explained in the legend.
• Easements and rights-of-way. Dashed or shaded strips labeled with a purpose and width, such as drainage, utility, access, or a street right-of-way.
• Notes. Statements on flood zones, setbacks, restrictions, and references to earlier plats and deeds.
• Certificates and the seal. The surveyor’s certificate, seal, and signature, the review officer’s certificate, and any approval certificates.

Read the notes as closely as the drawing. A note can restrict access, reserve an easement, or state that the lots depend on a system that was never built.

How a plat differs from a tax map and a survey

A plat divides land in the public record, and a tax map does not. The county tax map is a drawing for assessment, compiled from plats and deeds. Its lines are approximate and carry no legal weight.

A survey locates the lines of one tract on the ground at one time. A recorded plat is often the product of a survey. It still shows the lines as of its date. Later road widening, recombinations, and lost pins can change the ground since then. A current survey confirms where the lines sit today.

What a plat means for land

A plat tells you what the land was approved and recorded to be. Lots on a recorded plat with no streets or utilities built are one kind of paper lot. Easements and rights-of-way on a plat take area out of use. See gross acres vs net acres.

We read recorded plats when a parcel question needs more detail than the tax record holds. See parcel and boundary records.

Questions

How do I find the plat for my property?

Read your deed for a plat reference, then search the register of deeds by that book and page, or by subdivision name. The county tax record often lists the plat reference too.

Is a plat map the same as a survey?

Not exactly. A recorded plat comes from a surveyor, but it shows the lines as of its date. A current survey by a licensed surveyor confirms where they are on the ground now.

Does every property have a plat?

No. Many older and rural tracts are described only in the deed, by bearings, distances, and landmarks. A surveyor can prepare a plat for them when you need one.