HOA glossaryProperty & ownership

What is a plat?

The recorded survey map that shows lot lines, common area, easements and dedications for the community.

Also called: Plat map, Subdivision plat, Site plan

The plat is the picture that the declaration's words describe. It shows where one lot ends and the next begins, which land is common area, where the utility and drainage easements run, and which streets were dedicated to the public and which were not.

Most boundary and encroachment questions — a fence three feet over, a shed on a drainage easement, a neighbour parking on what turns out to be common area — are answered by reading the plat rather than by negotiating.

Whether the association or the municipality maintains a given street or stormwater facility is also usually visible here, in the dedications. That answer determines who pays for it for the next thirty years.

Why it matters to a board

Keep a legible copy with the governing documents. It is the reference for architectural review, maintenance responsibility and any dispute involving a line on the ground.

Where the answer lives

Your recorded declaration and bylaws first, then the act that governs associations in your state. Whichever is stricter is the one that binds you.

Related terms

DeclarationThe recorded instrument that creates the community, submits the land to the association's authority, and defines what is common and what is owned.Common areaThe land and improvements owned or controlled by the association for the benefit of all members.EasementA recorded right for someone else to use part of a lot or the common area for a defined purpose, such as utilities, drainage or access.LotThe individually owned piece of a community — a platted lot in a subdivision, or a unit inside a condominium building.Architectural reviewThe process by which proposed exterior changes to a lot are submitted, measured against published standards, and approved or denied.
General information, not legal advice. This entry explains what the term means, not what your association must do about it. Any notice period, cure window, fine cap, vote threshold or deadline comes from your recorded declaration and your state's act — those differ in all fifty states and are amended every session. Updated August 2026. Confirm the current requirements with an attorney licensed in your state before acting.
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