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- What Are Netting Escrows & How Does It Work?: The Best Guide - January 2, 2024
- The Secret About Prescriptive Easement: Top Guide 1 Must Know - December 4, 2023
- About Home Equity Loans In Texas And How Can One Obtain It - November 27, 2023
About Plat Map
When you buy a new property, there are loads of documents with all types of real estate jargon that you might find difficult to understand.
While all the terms and jargons have their significance in a real estate transaction, one such important term that you may come across while buying a new property is plat map. In this post, we will understand what is a plat map in detail.
What Is A Plat Map?
A plat map is a field guide created and maintained by a licensed surveyor. It is a plan containing detailed information about real estate which is used by various stakeholders.
Land law and topographical laws appear simple, but plat laws are ambiguous because they are based on public law rather than contract law.
It derives from the concept of legitimate government, the right of the government to pass laws to protect the welfare of its citizens, rather than the concept of drafting documents that confirm the rights of the signatory.
What Is The Use Of A Plat Map?
You can use a plat map to get additional information about properties, including size and shape. It is a single-plan diagram showing property lines and locations concerning other nearby properties.
To develop, consolidate or subdivide land, you need a copy of the plat map to get accurate measurements and other important information.
As a homeowner, you may not be the only one looking at this map. Many professionals use this map for their work, including:
- Realtors
- Real estate and land developer
- Oil and Gas companies
There are many situations where professionals need to use this map in their line of work. For example, a gas company may need this map to understand the areas it serves in a better way.
This map could also be used by a realtor who needs to know the property configuration for the property he is selling.
What Are The Types Of Plat maps?
Here are some types of poster cards you might come across when viewing your property or using it as a reference.
1 – Subdivision Plat: This type of plat is used by property owners to divide a parcel of land into smaller parcels.
2 – Plat For Amendment: This type of plat is used by the landowners to slightly modify an existing map.
3 – Vacating Plat: This type of plat is used by the landowners to legally delete an existing plat.
4 – Short plat: This type of plat is used by landowners usually to divide a parcel of land into several parcels for selling purposes.
5 – Consolidation plat: This type of plat is used by landowners when multiple land parcels are combined into one large parcel.
It is suggested to talk to a professional or local government representative to determine which type of plat is best based on your requirement.
How To Read A Plat Map?
This map includes numbers and symbols to describe utilities, geography, trees, and property lines, among other things.
It shows the tract number and name of the zone provided by the builder with the source of the information. In most cases, the county assessor’s office is the source of information.
Each lot is listed with a street (house) number, and in the center of each property is a land parcel number assigned by the County Assessor’s office.
Usually, this number is bold and underlined. The number next to the land parcel number is the lot number given by the builder.
On the property line, you will find a number indicating the lot’s size. Real estate drawings show how the property will look.
If both sides of a line are the same length or a different size, no dimensions are shown in each plat.
The local assessor uses the assessor’s book number, the assessor’s book page number, and the individual lot number to assign each property an assessor’s parcel number (APN).
A hyphen separates each group of numbers. Book pages and numbers can be found in the corner of a plat mat sheet.
Plat maps are essential for real estate agents, homeowners, resource developers, and land developers.
They provide legal descriptions of certain land to prevent accidental encroachment and to provide information about the sale or transfer of property.
Not all plat maps are measured officially; as a result, some surveys could capture inaccurate information about the property.
It is best to approach professional help if you think that the information on the plat map does not match the property that you own or are planning to purchase.
Conclusion
Property plat maps are one of the most important pieces of information that you as a homeowner should know about.
It helps you understand not only your property but also the dimensions of your entire neighborhood.
If you need to get one for your property, you can visit the county assessor’s office or find the information online on the county website.
