Reading and Understanding a Plat Map for Los Angeles County
We understand that most people don’t deal firsthand with plat maps every day. At first glance, they can be confusing to read and understand.
A plat map, also known as a “plat,” shows you how a tract of land is divided into lots in your county. It is drawn to scale and records the land’s size, boundary locations, nearby streets, flood zones, and any easements or rights of way.
A plat map is required if a piece of land is to be subdivided into lots for building homes or if the land is to be made into a public-access location, like a park. This map is also typically included in the paperwork you get when you buy a home.
Plat maps are drawn by a civil engineer when a development is first created, and approved by the county planning department and they are used in real estate transactions as part of the title search and insurance. Title records are searched to make sure the seller has the right to convey the property described and the buyer is buying exactly what they think they are buying. For Example, below, you will find a helpful guide on reading a Sample Guide Plat Map. This guide can assist you in understanding what the different terminology and symbols mean.
An assessor's parcel number is a series of fourteen numbers/digits that are used as a file number to inventory or identify property. The first three numbers of the series are used to identify the map book the real property is located in. The next three digits represent the page number within the map book.
The “APN” for this this entry and Sample Guide Plat Map is 5785-007-046. Please see “Letter Guide” below for your reference.
A. Assessors “BOOK” number:
B. “PAGE” number of assessors book
C. “PARCEL” number of the assessor parcel number
D. Approximate lot dimensions (feet)
E. Lot line (solid line)
F. Tax parcel line (dotted line)
G. Indicates lot dimensions are equal to adjoining lot
H. Indicates two or more parcels are assessed as one parcel or parcels (tie line)
I. Lot number
J. Directional indicator (north/south arrow)
K. Tract number
L. Recording information of tract (map book and page reference)
