120 Chapter 6
- An arrow indicating north, usually towards the top right-hand corner of the sheet.
- Property-line bearings and directions: For most additions, property lines need to be physically
located. In many cases, a certificate of survey, signed by a licensed surveyor, is required. - The distance between buildings and between buildings and property lines.
- The dimensions of the existing buildings.
- Location of adjacent streets and any easements.
- A clear indication of any proposed addition or alteration.
- Utilities.
- Other information that is relevant to the project.
Plat Map.
A plat is a map drawn to scale (usually supplied by a land surveyor or civil engineer) of part of a city or town-
ship showing some specific area, such as a subdivision made up of several individual lots. A plat will often
consist of many sites or plots. A plat delineates the divisions of a piece of land (property-line bearings, dimen-
sions, streets, and existing easements) and represents the first of several stages in a site’s development (Fig-
ure 6.5). City, town, or village plats chart subdivisions into blocks with streets and alleys. For additional clar-
ification the blocks are split into individual lots, usually for the purpose of selling the described lots, usually
termed subdivisions. In order for plats to become legally binding, they must be filed in local jurisdictions, such
as a public-works department, urban-planning commission, or zoning board, which must typically review and
approve them. Legal descriptions become part of the public record and can be reviewed at any time.
There are three basic types of legal descriptions:
- Metes and bounds: This is a system that identifies a property by describing the shape and
boundary dimensions of a unit of land using bearing angles and distances starting from a de-
fined point of origin. The point of origin may be referenced to the corner of some section or quar-
ter-section described by the rectangular survey system. The metes are measured in feet, yards,
rods, or surveyor’s chains. These legal descriptions are frequently used to describe land that is
not located in a recorded subdivision. - Rectangular survey system: This system provides for a unit of land approximately 24 miles
square, bounded by a baseline running east and west and a meridian running north and south.
This 24-mile square is further divided into 6-mile squares called townships. A range is an east
and west row of townships between two meridian lines 6 miles apart. A township is divided into
36 numbered sections, each 1 mile square. Farm, ranch, and undeveloped land is often de-
scribed by this method. - Lot and block: This system is commonly used in many urban communities to legally describe
small units of land because of its simplicity and convenience. A map is created in which a larger
unit of land is subdivided into smaller units for the purpose of sale. The map is recorded after
each lot has been surveyed by a metes-and-bounds description. Deeds then need only refer to
the lot, block, and map book designation in order to describe the property. It is not necessary to
state the survey bearings and distances or the rectangular survey description in the deed.
Lot lines are laid out by polar coordinates: that is, each line is described by its length plus the angle
relative to true north or south. This is accomplished by the use of compass direction in degrees, min-