How to read a survey plat: bearings, monuments and the notes that matter
The most important part of a survey plat is usually the paragraph of notes in the corner that nobody reads.
A survey plat looks technical, but it is only a handful of elements repeated around a shape. Learn the six and you can read almost any plat in the country.
1. Bearings and distances
Each line is labelled something like N 45° 30' 15" E — 412.60'. Read it as a compass direction followed by a length in feet and hundredths. Start at the point of beginning and walk the calls in order; they should close back on themselves.
2. Monuments found versus set
"Found" means the surveyor recovered an existing marker — an iron pin, a pipe, a stone. "Set" means they placed a new one. A plat with mostly found monuments corroborates the old boundary. A plat with mostly set monuments is a new opinion of where the line goes, which is exactly the kind that draws a neighbor's disagreement.
3. The legend and scale
Every symbol on the drawing is defined in the legend, and the bar scale tells you what an inch means on the ground. Check the scale before you eyeball a setback.
4. Easement and right-of-way lines
Usually dashed, and usually labelled with a recording reference like "20 ft utility easement, Bk 412 Pg 88." Look those references up — the plat shows where it runs, but only the recorded document says what the holder may do inside it.
5. The acreage statement
Often given twice: gross acreage, and acreage net of the road right-of-way. The tax bill and the listing rarely agree on which one they are quoting.
6. The surveyor's notes
- "This survey does not constitute a title search" — the surveyor did not check ownership or liens.
- "Subject to easements of record" — anything recorded still applies, plotted or not.
- "No flood determination made" — the plat says nothing about flood risk.
- Gap, overlap or encroachment notes, and any statement about a boundary line in dispute.
- The date of the fieldwork, the surveyor's license number and seal, and the state they are licensed in.
The drawing is the surveyor's answer. The notes are the questions they refused to answer.
One last check: confirm the plat was recorded, and pull the recorded copy rather than working from a seller's PDF. An unrecorded plat is one person's drawing; a recorded one is part of the public record your future buyer will read.
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