A survey plat is typically an official document showing property lines of one parcel (or occasionally more) drawn out by a surveyor who is authorized to create land surveys in a specific geographic area. The plat often mentions bordering properties or a reference marker or point in order to establish the property’s relative position to other properties as well. Often these surveys are recorded in the local land records office and are legal documents establishing property lines. Survey plats were also done in areas of the United States under the federal domain before parcels were awarded via land claims or through outright purchase.
Survey plats are not a “one and done” situation. Many times a later survey plat may be done to clarfiy lines that have become ambiguous or to clearly indicate the lines of land parcel that has been carved out of a larger piece of property. They may also be done if a parcel is broken up into smaller pieces when an estate is being settled.
These maps are different from land ownership maps that are often printed or published private companies. These are often for an entire county and are often compiled from local deed and tax records. These land ownership maps are generally not official records and while they may be utilized and relied upon by individuals for a variety of purposes, they do not constitute a legal record of ownership or of property description and boundards. Those records are in the local land records office.
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