How can one check plot boundaries legally?

To legally check plot boundaries, you must refer to official records and certified surveys that define the exact location, dimensions, and limits of a parcel. Verifying these boundaries is essential before buying, selling, developing, fencing, or making improvements on the land.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the legal methods to check plot boundaries:

Professional Land Survey

Licensed Boundary Survey

• The most accurate and legally recognized method
  
• Conducted by a licensed land surveyor using:
  
  • GPS instruments
    
  • Historical deed records
    
  • Property markers (monuments, pins, or stakes)
    
• Results in a certified survey plat that legally defines:
  
  • Property lines and corner points
    
  • Total area in square feet or acres
    
  • Encroachments, easements, or overlaps with neighboring parcels
    
• Often required in:
  
  • Sales or financing
    
  • Permit applications
    
  • Legal disputes
    

ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey

• Required for commercial transactions or when requested by lenders
  
• Provides highly detailed data including:
  
  • Improvements (structures, fences)
    
  • Rights-of-way, easements, access points
    
  • Zoning and setback information

Deed and Legal Description

• The property deed includes a legal description using one of the following formats:
  
  • Metes and bounds (distances and compass bearings)
    
  • Lot and block (within a recorded subdivision)
    
  • Public Land Survey System (PLSS) (township, range, section)
    
• While descriptive, this alone does not physically mark boundaries and must be interpreted by a surveyor

County Recorder’s Office

• Houses all recorded deeds, plats, and easements
  
• Official plat maps show lot boundaries and subdivision layouts
  
• Documents are typically public and searchable by:
  
  • Parcel number
    
  • Legal description
    
  • Property owner

Geographic Information System (GIS) and Parcel Viewer Tools

• Many counties offer online GIS mapping portals
  
• Users can:
  
  • View lot boundaries over aerial imagery
    
  • Access zoning, flood zones, and property size
    
  • Print unofficial parcel maps
    
• Helpful for preliminary research but not legally binding for disputes or development

Title Company and Title Report

• During a transaction, title companies provide:
  
  • Boundary description verification
    
  • Identification of recorded easements or encroachments
    
• A title commitment or policy may flag legal issues affecting the boundaries

Utility Marking and Easement Review

• Request a utility locate (e.g., 811 call in the U.S.) to identify underground service lines
  
• Check for recorded easements that affect boundary usability
  
• Important when planning fences, landscaping, or excavation near the edges

On-Site Evidence and Physical Markers

• Look for existing iron pins, rebar stakes, survey caps, or monument stones
  
• Markers may be identified in a previous survey and located with a metal detector
  
• Must be verified by a licensed surveyor for legal use