\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. You can use the search bar to find a general location or use the map view to locate it manually. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Finally, youll see any roads on or around your property, clearly outlined and likely with the road name written in its boundary. We can map your land. The Earth is nearly 25,000 miles around, so once divided into 360 degrees, it means each degree is about 69 miles wide. Once youve obtained a plat map, its important that you know how to read one, which can be difficult if youve never looked at one of these maps before. Coordinates for locations are provided using two sets of numbers on a simple Cartesian coordinate system. E. private road. I have a really old plan I'm trying to figure out. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. There is an extensive amount of information that can be found on a plat map, which is why this map can be used in numerous situations. Plat maps, also called land maps or land survey maps, come in a few different types depending on the purpose of the plat and the situation. These numbers will be underlined and set in a bold typeface, which should make them easy to identify. Step 3. the plat. Understanding your land survey. Add a CSV file containing latitude and longitude coordinates from a local or network drive to Map Viewer, or add CSV, TXT, or GPX files to Map Viewer Classic to draw features on the map for each row in the file. and the boundary (in most cases). List Latitude before Longitude in your spreadsheet. You can give any location on Earth latitude and longitude coordinates. CourthouseDirect.com is committed to providing fast, accurate and affordable courthouse documents and research by using the potential of the Internet to cut costs and save time associated with obtaining public records and thereby eliminating inefficiencies and revolutionizing the delivery of courthouse information nationwide. Reading the Land Survey Plat Step 1 Find the point of beginning if the land is described by metes and bounds. . As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). A map is easier to understand. For example, the North Pole is at 90N, meaning it is 90 north of the equator. To read a property survey, start by familiarizing yourself with the legend so you can get your bearings and make sense of the document. ". Water structures such as a lake or stream, Shared fencing, driveways or sidewalks with a neighboring property, Existing property points of entry or egress, Buildings, repairs, modifications or structural improvements on the property, Locations of utilities, including water pipes and other plumbing, electrical, cable and/or telephone lines, gas lines, and utility poles. One can gather the following information from a plat map: Learning how to read a plat map can help you during tasks such as buying or selling real estate, building additions to your property, taking on renovation projects, investing in solar power, and protecting your rights as a landowner. Use a ruler to get the most accurate reading of your plat map. At the largest scale (1:24,000) these maps show section (and quarter-section) corners (and, implicitly, most meander corners) and section lines; all sections are numbered, and towns and ranges are labeled. Metes and bounds are used on plat maps to describe the land and the properties that are found on the land. To read the coordinates of any location, start with the number of degrees on the latitude line, and clarify whether it is in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. Plat maps are supposed to provide an accurate description of a section of land, people, access ways, and things on the tract. the default coordinate system used in most GIS systems (WGS84) will be suitable 99% of the time. NE: Use angle as is. While the distance between degrees of latitude is constant (60 nautical miles or 111.12 km), the Earths shape causes the distance between degrees of longitude to decrease as you approach the poles. from the File menu. Parcel boundaries shown on the maps and the GIS data sets are approximate. If youre creating your own home, you might also want to use this map to determine which direction you should build the home. Each township is divided into 36 one-square-mile sections. The book number is 025 and the page number in the book is 13. Last Updated: February 15, 2023 Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. What does a figure like 1160:144 mean? If you want to construct a new building on your current property, you can address this map to guide the development process. Light detection and ranging (lidar) data are collected from aircraft using sensors that detect the reflections of a pulsed laser beam. 1. A lay person may be overwhelmed by all the text, lines and symbols presented on a survey plat. To get a more in-depth look at a property, hire a land surveyor. Learning to read a property survey will help you understand your rights as a landowner. Plat Maps, Property Lines, and Land Ownership View a free map of ownership boundaries delineated by tax parcel property lines. Ben Fry created an basic application called zipdecode that shows the location of all the ZIP codes in the United States. From Survey Markers to GPS Coordinates. These numbers indicate the dimensions of the lot in question. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. Not just anyone can come up with a plat map. You should check any third party involvement in the land. Free software from National Geodetic Survey or a program called Corpscon will do it if you can figure out how to use them. The correction for that may be a few degrees and depends on your location. The corners of your plat map will have the book and page number. View your land parcel map in the context of "townships" and "forties." The U.S. Public Land Survey System is a grid that divides land into 24-mile tracts that are subdivided into 16 townships of roughly 6 miles by 6 miles, or 36 square miles. During GIS-based research consultations, I often help people understand the importance of coordinate reference systems (or spatial reference systems if you prefer, aka "map projections"). The way to calculate a rectangular area is by measuring the length and width of your area then multiplying those two numbers together to get the area in feet squared. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. The addresses must match exactly as written on the homeowner's deed. If youre a homeowner, this map can be useful if ever you have a dispute with your neighbor about the borders of your land. A Basic Township and Range Grid. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. To do this we can divide 1 (minute) into 60 (seconds). These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. To import a raster dataset, select Import. All you have to do is provide your location below and submit. Unplatted lots are not recorded subdivisions. Later, real estate agents use plat maps in transactions as part oftitle searches. Seeing an easement in a plat map could influence your decision to purchase a property. Type (or paste) the coordinates into the text box and click one of the buttons to Pan to, Zoom to, Flash, Add a Point, Add a Point Labeled with Coordinates, or Add a Callout. For information about how to understand the property boundaries, read on! To find GPS coordinates, open the Google Maps app on your smartphone or tablet. This may affect future development of the property. The official Assessor tax parcel maps. Discussion in 'Mapping & Navigation' started by Gert, Apr 5, 2007. Reading a plat map starts with learning the different types of plats. It is drawn to scale and records the land's size, boundary locations, nearby streets, flood zones, and any easements or rights of way. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Start with a line segment if there is one. Map Coordinate Systems. Step 4. The fastest way to look up state owned land records is by using the "find" tool. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Latitude lines run horizontally across the Earth and are parallel to the equator. Select the appropriate file format from the file type menu at the bottom, select the file you want to import, and click Open. The small numbers along the bottom of the parcel is the width, and the number along the right side of the parcel is the depth. 2023 COURTHOUSEDIRECT.COM. Third three numbers of the assessor's parcel number (APN). in Texas and New Mexico. The lines that separate each piece of land will show you the dimensions of the property. If you need help buying or selling your Los Angeles County or Ventura County home, contact Nicki & Karen Southern California Luxury Real Estate today to find out more about what these processes entail. Source: instintodesupervivencia11.blogspot.com. If a piece of land is going to be divided into separate lots for building homes, a plat map is required. area's high point, and I wanted to know exactly where it was. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Before you fork over the cash for a new survey, there are a few ways you can find your property lines for free. When you buy a home, a plat map will likely be provided to you by your title company. "I found the bearing explanation very helpful. Once youve obtained the plat map, you can use it to make sure that youre buying exactly whats been advertised to you. Longitude lines hang down over the Earth from north to south and latitude run across it, parallel to the equator. The plat map that you receive for a title search or when you buy a home will include a significant amount of symbols and numbers, which are used to set the boundaries of property lines, trees, geography, and utilities. The first character is the y coordinate (a through z). You read an old plat from the 40's with metes and bounds rounded to the nearest degree. You miss figure the declination from the magnetic bearing shown on the plat by 2 degrees. For example, the description above would be read "The north 1/2 of the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 24, township 32 north, range 18 east." However, the easiest way to interpret descriptions is from back to front (or, right to left). % of people told us that this article helped them. Civil engineers draw plat maps upon a homes initial construction. These cookies do not store any personal information. Ensure the data frame is set to your geographic coordinate system. A survey is the best way to learn the exact location of boundary lines and other property elements. If youre trying to understand what a plat map is, this type of map: Whether youre looking to buy a home or place your property on the market, having a plat map on hand can prove useful for a wide variety of scenarios that could arise. While property lines can easily be obstructed or covered by plants, buildings, and other forms of development, the land wont need to be resurveyed as long as the plat map can be accessed. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Plat maps can look confusing, but with a bit of basic knowledge you can decode yours and use it to your advantage. For information about how to understand the property boundaries, read on! The map's scale tells you how detailed your map is. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. The image below this large map shows an enlargement of such a division along the top edge of the map (where the orange township boundary intersects the map edge). How to read a plat map. It is a legal document that a professionalland surveyor must createafter establishing boundary lines and assessing the property.