\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. For example, the North Pole is at 90N, meaning it is 90 north of the equator. Plat Maps, Property Lines, and Land Ownership View a free map of ownership boundaries delineated by tax parcel property lines. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. "A township measures the north/south distance from its parallel base line. : I wrote a program to convert survey calls into a map overlay and a GPS input file. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Process to purchase a county owned property that will be declared as a surplus property. Civil engineers draw plat maps upon a homes initial construction. A plat map is an essential tool for homeowners, realtors, and land developers because of the exhaustive amount of information that it provides. Works well, but requires some computer skill. Later in the book I will be showing you the exact steps for preparing map data using a desktop GIS. You can use a plat map for numerous situations. 6 Tips for Reading Plat Maps: 1. While online maps make it easy to determine latitude and longitude with the click of a button, sometimes it is helpful to know how to do it on paper. If your longitude line falls about 2/10 to the left of the 12014E line, then the longitude is roughly 1201412E. How do you use a plat map? I have it somewhere, and have used it to locate the boundaries fo large rural properties. Understanding Bearing Coordinates Introduction These techniques apply to basic CAD programs such as AutoCAD. Take care not to confuse the latitude and longitude lines with. It may be worth memorizing the following numbers. Then, find the latitude and longitude markers that run along the top and side of the map. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Get the coordinates of a place. This may be (probably is) a very stupid question, but I know nothing about map coordinate systems etc. The property survey consists of two parts: the illustration and the written report. As a homeowner, knowing where these easements are located may be able to put your mind at ease if you spot someone else on your property. References. Consulting the plat map before you make an offer on a property can help you avoid making a purchase that youll later regret. With a property survey in hand, you can discover the boundary lines, zoning information, and underground utilities on and around your property. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. In the Search box in the left-hand panel, enter coordinates using one of these formats: Decimal Degrees: such as 37.7, -122.2 Degrees, Minutes, Seconds: such as. Thanks wikiHow!". Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. A survey is the best way to learn the exact location of boundary lines and other property elements. "I've never been curious enough to learn about map coordinates, but we just bought some land; it seemed to have the, "I just wanted to understand how latitude and longitude worked. Assessor Parcel Map PDF/DWG locator. Use a ruler to make a line going up and another one going to the side of the point to mark the measurements for your location. How to read plat map coordinates : The Plat May Also Show Any Storm. Step 2 Run the legal description if the land is described by metes and bounds. First, find out if you canfind your plat map online. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Understand how is elevation represented on map.follow. This tool is all about GPS coordinates conversion.As soon as you modify one end of the data (either the decimal or sexagesimal degrees coordinates), the other end is simultaneously updated by the coordinates converter, as well as the position on the map.. To read a plat, first locate the north arrow. 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). Is that a measurement? However, parcel boundaries and corners will only appear in street mode. The scale will be the ratio between the distance on the map and the distance of the actual property. Without this map, its possible that some of the shed could be situated on your neighbors land, which would undoubtedly create problems that you would rather avoid. SE: Subtract angle from 180. For information about how to understand the property boundaries, read on! The property lines that you see on the plat map will have numbers alongside them. The coordinates are along the edges of the map. What does a figure like 1160:144 mean? If you dont want anyone else to use your land, knowing if there are any easements could play a big part in whether or not you select the property. Sure seems like we're in violent agreement on the key points: as stated in the programs 'frequently asked questions:'. These numbers will be underlined and set in a bold typeface, which should make them easy to identify. County assessor. Find the latitude and longitude markers, and use a ruler and a pencil to draw a line from your point to the nearest east or west edge of the map. These numbers indicate the dimensions of the lot in question. This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. The first character is the y coordinate (a through z). Part 1 Understanding Latitude and Longitude 1 Access - Access is simply how someone can physically reach the property. Last Updated: September 19, 2022 Last Updated: February 15, 2023 wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. The second six miles would be T2N, T3N and so on. The information on a plat map serves as a legal description of the specific parcel of land, which can be helpful in a variety of situations. To learn how to put your measurements together to find the coordinates of your location, keep reading! The Earth is nearly 25,000 miles around, so once divided into 360 degrees, it means each degree is about 69 miles wide. Plat maps list the house number for each parcel, along with the shape of the parcel, or the parcel boundary. Using GPS to pinpoint your location, access key parcel data anywhere. If there have been property changes, the plat map will list these as well. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. . wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. How do you read latitude and longitude on a map? Open Google Earth. First let's look at how to break down an APN or Assessor's Parcel Number. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Ben Fry created an basic application called zipdecode that shows the location of all the ZIP codes in the United States. The map will show the size of the land, any nearby streets, boundary locations, easements on the land, and possible flood zones. Be careful with that. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. A platted property is the one a developer creates. 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. The Public Land Survey System is based on a principal meridian - an imaginary north-south line - and a baseline or imaginary east-west line from which other survey lines are projected. Let's work our way around it. Keeping in mind a few easy conversions between seconds and decimal minutes will help when working with maps that use degrees, minutes and seconds. Current & Historical Deeds, Mortgages, Easements, Plats, Property Info, and Oil & Gas Records in over 3,000 Counties nationwide. Latitude and longitude are measurements of location on the globe. These maps are updated every night. For information about how to understand the property boundaries, read on! Ensure the data frame is set to your geographic coordinate system. While a plat map can give you a wealth of information about your property, it might not be hyper-accurate or the latest version of events on your land. 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. Latitude coordinates should be between -90 and 90, and longitude coordinates should be . Open the tool from the toolbar, then select a coordinate format. If a piece of land is going to be divided into separate lots for building homes, a plat map is required. These are slightly different than the ones posted by QOCMike, but they're pretty close (138 feet) to his first point. Use the degree symbol to indicate degrees. Knowingwhat your property plat meansis a great skill to develop as a property owner, buyer, real estate agent, lawyer, builder, and just in general. If youre creating your own home, you might also want to use this map to determine which direction you should build the home. Third three numbers of the assessor's parcel number (APN). wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. How to Write Latitude & Longitude in Degrees, Minutes, Seconds, & Decimals, How to Find Out What Indigenous Land You're On (Using Native Land Digital). There's also pictures and examples of the coordinates; also very helpful. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. The app is able to transform coordinates within EPSG , ESRI, IAU2000 references from online database, and convert X & Y coordinates, geodetic datums and projected systems. 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. In this concept, you will learn how to use coordinates to locate a place on a map. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. There are sixty seconds in a minute (60" = 1') and There are sixty minutes in a degree (60' = 1). 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. If you hold down the shift key and type the first digit (or number) of the ZIP code, the region of the United States is highlighted. Unplatted lots are not recorded subdivisions. it will give you the lat/long coordinates of that point. This includes Run Sheets, Property Reports and Mineral Ownership Reports. A plat of subdivision, for example, might have information about the parcel as well as the division of land. The three groups of numbers are readily separated by a hyphen. Land survey plats show adjacent land and its utilities and easements. Plat maps show the south, north, east, and west orientation of the property, which is why these maps are necessary when adding a solar power array to your home or when building a home that requires directional placement of a kitchen or bedroom. Whether youre a homeowner or prospective buyer, these maps can be used to your benefit. It is a legal document that a professionalland surveyor must createafter establishing boundary lines and assessing the property. A link is exactly 66100 of a foot, or exactly 7.92 inches. After youve read the legend, use the compass illustrated on the survey so you can orient yourself, which will allow you to find important features like physical boundaries, roads, fences, sidewalks, as well as the structures. A. Assessor's Book Number. DWF or DWG files: Due to compatibility issues we have decided to focus our support efforts more toward the Adobe's PDF file format, we still do provide access to Autodesk's DWG and DWF file formats.