Lot Consolidation Plats

Lot consolidation plats are surveys of several parcels of land that are adjacent to each other and owned by the same person and that person wants to combine them into one parcel of land. This is a fairly simple process in most cases. Some county agencies and local government zoning agencies allow the lot consolidation process to be completed with a letter stating the owner’s intent to combine the separate lots into one parcel. But the land owner in most cases will need to have a professional land surveyor perform the field work on the parcels first to determine the exact dimensions of the land boundaries in question. Once the field survey is completed by a professional surveyor, a plat is drawn. This plat indicates the original parcels and the “new” combined parcel of land. The owner can then submit the plat and a request for consolidation to the governing body that is responsible for approval of land combinations. If, for example, a land owner lives next to a vacant lot or a run-down home and they want to purchase the property and consolidate it as part of their existing lot, they would need to file for this type of consolidation plat. It can also be more complicated with the owner wanting combine several separate lots into one combined parcel.

In order to better understand lot consolidation plats, people need to understand what a plat is. In basic terms, a plat is simply a drawing that is made to scale that is basically a map of an area. This map will show the divisions of parcels of land, including the exact property lines and dimensions. Using this map, a land owner can determine which adjacent properties they want to purchase, and a surveyor can use that information to compile the survey and ensure that their measurements are accurate as compared to the original map.

In many cases, surveys identify misprints or miscalculations in older land parcel maps, which is helpful to a land owner because they will know that they are getting the exact property that they are supposed to get. With lot consolidation plats, part of the success of the purchase is in having a professional land survey clearly identify the land in question. If you don’t have the proper information about the land that you want to consolidate, applications can be denied and cause you to have to go through the entire process again.

Lot consolidation plats can be applied for by individual land owners, as well as professional developers and builders. Getting the right amount of land is sometimes a difficult matter, which is why some land owners will buy multiple parcels and then seek a consolidation plat to combine them into one property for easy identification and property record purposes. Without a professional land surveyor, the entire process would not be successful or possible. Land owners always need to ensure that they have a reputable and experienced professional land surveyor to survey their parcels in the lot consolidation process. 

Charles Lee Iner, RLS
November, 2010