Lot And Block Description

Definition of "Lot and block description"

Written by

Marcanne Green

Marcanne Green Real Estate

You can often bump into the question of what is lot and block in real estate before selling or purchasing a piece of land. This entry will shed light on the lot and block definition. 

However, the best action is to find a real estate agent in your area. They know the drill and proceedings of where to locate the so-called plat map determining your lot and block description!

What is lot and block in real estate?

People use legal descriptions to locate or identify a specific plot of land. There are three commonly-used legal descriptions:

• Lot and block system real estate (one of the most recent)
• Meetes and bounds (used for centuries)
• The government survey system 

The lot and block real estate is used in high-density urban areas or organized subdivisions. Every lot and block description is part of a larger plat map containing the following elements:

• The individual lot
• The block
• The reference to the platted subdivision
• The specific plat map

And lastly, it must include the map’s official registration place.

Let’s see an example of a lot and block real estate description! Suppose the property is to be found on Lot 15 of Block 20; the address would be 15-20, for instance, in Alcona County, Michigan.  

Public records accredit the lot and block system in real estate.

Regularly, lot and block description in real estate conveys a method of referring to a specific property platted in a plat book in public records. Did you know that lot and block real estate is often called a recorded map plat or map system? 

The plat or cadastral map number is drawn to scale and references the lot and block system in real estate. The map showcases how, in the United States, a piece of land is subdivided. As such, it’s an essential instrument in preparing land surveys. 

In other words, the plat map will settle the property boundaries contained within it. Besides, it also indicates the existing easements applicable to said lot. Easements are essential in the home loan underwriting process during title search and insurance to satisfy the lender.

Property deeds showcase the lot and block description.

You can find your lot and block description on your property deed. Your best option to get your hands on the property deed is heading to the county recorder. You can try your assessor’s office, where the piece of land is located precisely.

The lot and block system real estate starts with an oversized parcel of property. Typically, one of the older survey methods, for instance, metes and bounds or the Public Land Survey System, defines a large tract. After completing a subdivision survey, a plat map is made to split the initial parcel into smaller lots. 

A metes and bounds method is regularly used to define individual lots within the primary tract in this subdivision study. Each property on the plat plan is given an identifier, typically a number or letter. The plat map is then filed with a government agency, such as a municipal engineer or a registrar of deeds. This blueprint will serve as the formal description for all of the lots in the development. A correct legal description requires only a reference to the particular lot and the map’s location of the record.

On the various uses of lot and block descriptions

Each subdivision of land creates its own formal property. In addition, property owners can buy neighboring lots. This undoes the split and merges two plots of land into one. The procedure is not automatic and must be completed after the buy.

Once the development procedure is completed, the plat is documented with the local authority. This document becomes the formal description of the city’s property and lots. These descriptions are made accessible for a variety of purposes. This description can be used to precisely designate a property in a real estate transaction or for tax assessments. It can also be used to fight any judicial claims involving property lines.