Editing Plat

{{Short description|Map showing divisions of a piece of land in America}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2024}}
[[File:Ottawahillsplatmap.gif|thumb|A plat map that shows the location of a [[Lot (real estate)|lot]] for sale]]

In the [[United States]], a '''plat''' ({{IPAc-en|p|l|æ|t}}<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=s.v. 'plat' |encyclopedia=American Heritage Dictionary |edition=3rd}}</ref> or {{IPAc-en|p|l|ɑː|t}})<ref>{{Cite magazine |year=1802 |title=Whimsical Peculiarities at Manchester Noticed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nc6JTJZxH4EC&pg=PA212 |magazine=The Gentleman's Magazine |location=London |page=212 |volume=72 |issue=1 |quote=... many attorneys ought to be whipt for not knowing how to spell; that ''plot'' a conspiracy and ''plat'' a piece of ground were pronounced exactly alike ...}}</ref> ('''plan''') is a [[cadastral map]], drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. [[United States General Land Office]] surveyors drafted township plats of [[Public Lands Survey System|Public Lands Surveys]] to show the distance and bearing between section corners, sometimes including topographic or vegetation information. City, town or village plats show subdivisions broken into [[City block|blocks]] with streets and alleys. Further refinement often splits blocks into individual [[Lot (real estate)|lot]]s, usually for the purpose of selling the described lots; this has become known as [[subdivision (land)|subdivision]].

After the filing of a plat, [[Land description|legal descriptions]] can refer to block and lot-numbers rather than portions of [[section (land)|sections]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Land Subdivision (Platting) |url=http://www.cctexas.com/?fuseaction=main.view&page=120 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010183544/http://www.cctexas.com/?fuseaction=main.view&page=120 |archive-date=2012-10-10 |access-date=December 13, 2012 |website=City of Corpus Christi}}</ref> In order for plats to become legally valid, a local governing body, such as a [[public works]] department, [[urban planning]] commission, [[zoning]] board, or another organ of the state must normally review and approve them.

==History==
[[File:BoiseInaugural1863Plat.jpg|thumb|A pamphlet for a walking tour of [[Boise, Idaho|Boise's]] original ten blocks]]
The creation of a plat map marks an important step in the process of [[incorporation (municipal government)|incorporating]] a [[town]] or [[city]] according to [[United States]] law. Because the process of incorporation sometimes occurred at a [[courthouse]], the incorporation papers for many American cities may be stored hundreds of miles away in another [[States of the United States|state]].  For example, to view the original [[United States General Land Office]] plat for the city of [[San Francisco, California]], filed in 1849, one must visit the Museum of the Oregon Territory in [[Oregon City, Oregon]], as at that time Oregon City was the site of the closest federal land office to San Francisco.<ref name="Clackamas">{{Cite news |date=1904-03-13 |title=First Plat of San Francisco Found |url=https://clackamascountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/first-plat-of-san-francisco-found/ |access-date=February 11, 2017 |work=The Oregon City Enterprise |via=Clackamas County Historical Society}}</ref>

== Types ==
A '''plat of consolidation''' or '''plan of consolidation''' originates when a [[landowner]] takes over several adjacent [[Lot (real estate)|parcels]] of land and consolidates them into a single parcel. In order to do this, the landowner will usually need to make a [[Surveying|survey]] of the parcels and submit the survey to the governing body that would have to approve the consolidation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 25, 2010 |title=What is a Plat? – Real Estate Advice |url=http://www.drodio.com/faq/main-category/buying-a-home/all-the-questions-you-were-afraid-to-ask/what-is-a-plat/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307005513/http://www.drodio.com/expert-advice/what-is-a-plat |archive-date=2012-03-07 |access-date=December 13, 2012 |website=DROdio}}</ref>

A '''plat of subdivision''' or '''plan of subdivision''' appears when a landowner or municipality divides land into smaller parcels. If a landowner owns an [[acre]] of land, for instance, and wants to divide it into three pieces, a surveyor would have to take precise measurements of the land and submit the survey to the governing body, which would then have to approve it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Platbooks and Land Ownership Maps &#124; Find Maps |url=http://www.sco.wisc.edu/maps/platbooks.php#about |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113063928/http://www.sco.wisc.edu/maps/platbooks.php#about |archive-date=November 13, 2010 |access-date=December 13, 2012 |website=sco.wisc.edu}}</ref>  A plat of subdivision also applies when a landowner/building owner divides a multi-family building into multiple units.  This can apply for the intention of selling off the individual units as condominiums to individual owners.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

A '''correction plat''' or '''amending plat''' records minor corrections to an existing plat, such as correcting a [[surveying]] mistake or a [[scrivener|scrivener's]] error. Such plats can sometimes serve to relocate lot-lines or other features, but laws usually tightly restrict such use.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 9, 2012 |title=Land Development Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://www.flcondodocs.com/blog/2012/05/09/land-development-faqs/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201010639/https://www.flcondodocs.com/blog/2012/05/09/land-development-faqs/ |archive-date=2022-12-01 |access-date=June 18, 2017 |website=Florida Condominium Documents}}{{better source needed|date=August 2024}}</ref>

A '''vacating plat''' functions to legally void a prior plat or portion of a plat. The rules normally allow such plats only when all the platted lots remain unsold and no construction of buildings or public improvements has taken place.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

Other names associated with parcel maps are: land maps, tax maps, real estate maps, landowner maps, lot and block survey system and land survey maps. Parcel maps, unlike any other public real estate record, have no federal, state or municipal oversight with their development.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

== Reasons ==
[[File:Transitville, Indiana 1878.png|thumb|right|An 1878 plat map of Transitville (now [[Buck Creek, Indiana]])]]

* Subdivision of a property into multiple smaller lots, as described above.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaplan Gordon |first=Lisa |date=December 10, 2019 |title=What Is a Plat Map? A Survey That Can Tell You a Lot About Your Property |url=https://www.realtor.com/advice/buy/what-is-a-plat-map/ |access-date=December 29, 2019 |website=realtor.com}}</ref>
* Designation of [[road]]s or other [[Right-of-way (transportation)|rights of way]].
* Ensuring that all property has access to a public right of way. Without such access, a property owner may be unable to use his or her property without having to [[trespass]] to reach it. The platting process restricts the [[fraud]]ulent practice of knowingly selling lots with no access to public right of way without revealing that such access does not exist.  (Property that does not have access to public right of way may be sold, provided that the buyer is aware of the lack of a public means of access by water or land.)
* Creation or vacation of [[easements]].
* Dedication of land for other public uses, such as [[parks]] or areas needed for [[flood]] protection.
* Ensuring compliance with [[zoning]]. Zoning regulations frequently contain restrictions that govern lot sizes and lot geometry. The platting process allows the governing authorities to ensure that all lots comply with these regulations.
* Ensuring compliance with a [[Land use planning|land use plan]] established to control the development of a [[city]].
* Ensuring that all property has access to [[public utilities]].

==Reading==

Plats contain a number of informational elements:

* The property boundaries are indicated by bearing and distance. The bearing is in the format of [[Degree (angle)|degrees]], minutes, seconds with compass point letters before and afterward to indicate the compass quadrant. For example, '''N 38 00 00 E''' is 38 degrees into the northeast quadrant or 38 degrees east of [[north]]. Similarly, '''S 22 00 00 W''' is 22 degrees west of south. [[North]] here is true north, so magnetic orientation must be corrected for [[magnetic declination]].
* The certification note provides information on the surveyor and is the location where recent US plats place the flood survey code in accordance with the [[National Flood Insurance Act of 1968]].
* The [[north arrow]] is familiar to most map readers
* The title block and lot numbers provide information specific to a development or [[Land use planning|land use plan]]
* An [[easement]] is usually indicated by a dashed line, although it is also common to have to look them up in supplementary documents (such as a title report)
* Streets are usually indicated by a graphical outline of the [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right of way]]; the outline also sometimes depicts the paved area.

==See also==
* [[Site plan]]
* [[Lot and block survey system]]
* [[Zion (Latter Day Saints)#Plat of Zion|Plat of Zion]]

==References==

{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary-inline|plat}}

{{Commons category-inline|Survey drawings}}
*[https://www.archives.gov The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration]

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Geography of the United States]]
[[Category:Land surveying systems]]
[[Category:Map types]]