Plat Creation

Great question!?ÿ I can't offer the experience you need, but will be watching this to learn all I can.

Plat review is loads of fun.............not.?ÿ You are now the official nitpicker.?ÿ Does the bearing shown on the plat agree with the bearing in the description (and watch out for it saying north and west when it's really north and east).?ÿ Just because the label says Southwest Corner, doesn't make it the southwest corner, unless it is.?ÿ Oh look, three very different lines all have the same bearing and distance, when they should not.?ÿ What's the width of this alley??ÿ Anyone know??ÿ Why does the symbol indicating the setting of a stone 4"x 12" x 16" appear 18 times but the symbol for finding a capped one-half inch bar only appears once, at the center of the section??ÿ When did we start setting stones?

?ÿ

Enjoy.

I'm a bit confused here.

1.) Are both sides of the ROW shown on the same plat??ÿ If so, then the basis of bearing should be the same for the entire thing.

2.) If this area is platted then the deeds will just say the lot and block?

I'm not sure how you're mixing plat, deed, and PLSS bearings together.

One of the first steps is figuring out what the basis of bearing is.?ÿ Maybe there's a note, and maybe not.?ÿ If not, then did they assume one line matched an adjoining plat??ÿ

Sometimes you may have to find enough monuments from approximate coordinates to measure and then rotate the plat and put that info into your RTK search.

When I encounter something like this my first inclination is to check myself. More often than not I will be the reason a consistent error is cropping up.?ÿ

Are you very, very sure that your calcs match the plat.?ÿ

If so, is there some simple typo that can explain why the points are off.?ÿ

I would not contact the platting company until I've exhausted tracking down all the reasons some error is showing up.?ÿ

Maybe some of the CMONs are really C'MONs.

Posted by: @mightymoe

When I encounter something like this my first inclination is to check myself. More often than not I will be the reason a consistent error is cropping up.?ÿ

Are you very, very sure that your calcs match the plat.

Agreed. My first question would be "Are the ROW lines parallel on the plat?" Can't tell you how many times I have calculated a plat, offsetting ROW lines as I go, only to find upon checking closures one or more of the ROWs had a variable width.

@rover83

That they are measured all 2.5' off N-S is a huge red flag. I'm guessing the Road is running close to a cardinal direction.?ÿ

1. If you have several different deeds and surveys you are bound to have several different basis (bases?) of bearings. These differences always need to be resolved. And a plat should document said resolution.
2. Experience has shown me that anytime there appears to be a big discrepancy in calc'd positions the screwup is usually mine. Check your calcs.
3. 2.5 feet sounds a lot like the monuments are offsets. Or maybe there has been a taking.?ÿ Check the right of way width. This is the sort of thing where survey recording really adds value.

I'm starting some deed research. What is a special warranty deed, and how does it differ from a warranty deed?

Posted by: @bstrand

Are both sides of the ROW shown on the same plat?

Yes.

Posted by: @mightymoe

I'm guessing the Road is running close to a cardinal direction.

Some parts of it, yes; it's also curvilinear. The area I mentioned where there's a large discrepancy between calculated and measured distances is a tract. My research is ongoing.

Posted by: @field-dog

If deeds that predate those deeds as recorded on a property appraiser's website exist, how do I find them?

@field-dog

Are you asking how to find deeds that predate the deeds of record from the county, i.e. clerk and recorder, and or Assessor? Or the property appraisers 'deeds' as they represent them to the general population??ÿ

The county clerk and recorder and then the State archives and then the National Archives are the only other places with public access to search for stuff not privately held that I know of.

And when I'm referring to archives I'm using that as a blanket high level term for the many now available online portal type search engines and not the direct Natl Archives, and then them too.

There are always (warning:?ÿ that's an absolute and may be proven wrong) prior deeds to the one the appraiser is citing.?ÿ In my area there would be a patent from the US Government in about 1865-1885, then a series of ownership transfers at about every generation since then as a minimum?ÿ Some of the change in ownership may appear in court records that do not make it to the courthouse.?ÿ But, generally speaking.?ÿ nearly every tract has been conveyed or split and then conveyed at different times for each split roughly every 25 years as a minimum.?ÿ Everything in subdivisions has had multiple prior owners.?ÿ In one rare case of which I am aware the?ÿ patent to a specific tract was made to the Father operating a school to educate Osage Indians.?ÿ A portion of that land was split off about 30 years ago by the Catholic Diocese and has been held by the same entity since.?ÿ A facility for the elderly was built on that tract by a non-profit entity.

This forum is a valuable resource and learning tool.?ÿ The most valuable resource available to you should be your supervisor who will have direct knowledge of the project you are working on. Frankly, that is his job.

@field-dog

It isn't the deed that is special, it is the warranty.

I'd note that if you bought a lot in a subdivision recorded in the last 50 years you're pretty much good as gold and you own "Lot 10" of recorded blah-blah Subdivision.?ÿ There might be quibbling over exactly where your boundaries are by at worst a few feet due to no original monumentation and/or a really crappy subdivision map mathematically but your ownership of "Lot 10" is immutable.?ÿ Not worth having a survey done.

Contrast that with an ancient deeded parcel without benefit of subdivision review where the deed was scrivened by the seller and woefully inadequate concerning monumentation or adjacent ownership?ÿ calls.?ÿ Buying such a parcel means you'll have to defend your fences and hopefully be in repose with your neighbors.?ÿ In such cases a survey prior to purchase is good insurance.

OTOH I bought a deeded one acre parcel in Arizona.?ÿ I scoped the boundaries and found no monuments but did observe a few 100 year old mesquite/barbed wire fences.?ÿ The parcel was recently surveyed but the survey was a POS beginning from a 4,000 foot away Section corner with free calls along the boundary, mislocated County roads by tens of feet. Jackleg.?ÿ In my case I opted for no survey given the occupation stability.?ÿ Been ten years now and no problems.

So I'll stick out my thumb and say most land transfers do not require a contemporary survey if the record is solid.?ÿ We're like doctors, examine the patient and if he/she?ÿ is healthy do no harm, but if you detect problems proffer a $2,000-$5,000 survey to protect/negate their proposed investment.?ÿ Most purchasers will go bare and that's OK.?ÿ I suspect survey revelations affect less than 10% of simple deed transfers.