A record plat is a plan drawing prepared by a licensed land surveyor or civil engineer that depicts an approved subdivision or assemblage of land and associated easements or restrictions. The record plat must be accompanied by a deed prepared in a form acceptable to the county attorney. Record plats are typically required for subdivisions of land, dedications of rights-of-way or easements for utilities and uses and the vacation of floodplain and storm drainage easements. For the dedication or vacation of public easements, not including floodplain and storm drainage easements, see the Easement Plat (EP) record type.

 

This information is the most common for how to obtain the necessary approval for your project and is not representative of all the conditions you may encounter.

 

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Property owners or their duly authorized agents may submit record plats, however, the plat itself must be certified by a professional engineer or land surveyor licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia and meeting the respective code requirements.

• Verify License on DPOR Website
• Hiring a Contractor

 

PLAN AHEAD

Before submitting, ensure you are aware of all applicable regulations and conditions that could affect your project to avoid surprises during the review process. Some of those factors include:

• Zoning Information
• Design Codes and Standards
• Do I Need to Hire a Design Professional?
• Floodplains
• Resource Protection Areas (RPA)
• Grading/Site Plans
• Parking Tabulation
• Types of Soils and Problem Soils
• Researching Site Conditions

To get a detailed description about each regulation and condition, visit our Plan Ahead page.

 

HOW DO I SUBMIT MY RECORD?

PLUS Application

Apply for your record plat online in PLUS under the Site tab. If you are a first-time user, you must first register for an account.

 

 

Tutorial on Uploading Plans and Documents in PLUS

Helpful Instruction Guide:

• Uploading Plans and Documents

 

 

Requirements

Depending on the scope of your project, one or more of the following may be required:
 

First Submissions:

• Digital signature - verifiable digital signature of the licensed design professional
• Coversheet – A coversheet is the first sheet of a plan set, which provides information including project name, subject tax map and parcel number(s), street address, vicinity map, magisterial district, owner’s contact information, references to related plans, an index of plan sheets, the plan preparer’s name with professional seal and signature, and other project information as appropriate.
• Master Checklist for All Plat Types and as appropriate on of the following:
  • Final Subdivision Plat Checklist for Commercial Subdivisions
  • Final Subdivision Plat Checklist for Single Family Detached Dwellings
  • Final Subdivision Plat Checklist for Single Family Attached Dwellings
  • Record Plat Checklist for Simple Subdivisions
  • Final Subdivision Plat Checklist for Lot Line Adjustments
  • Record Plat Checklist for Right of Way Dedications
  • Record Plat Checklist for Floodplain and Storm Drainage Easement
• The plat must reference any associated construction plan, grading plan, site plan or other site-related plan that depicts the proposed improvements.
• Once the plat is approved by LDS-SDID site review, a deed prepared in a form acceptable to the Office of the County Attorney (OCA) must be submitted to OCA for review and approval. A Not For Recordation plat (NFR) will be issued to the applicant at the appropriate step in the PLUS workflow, which the applicant must include with the deed submission to OCA.
• Record Plat Approval Block
• Review fee

 

Subsequent Submissions:

• Digital signature - verifiable digital signature of the licensed design professional
• Applicant responses - enter responses to all open issues in the PLUS Digital Plan Room
• Record Plat Approval Block
• Review fee

Helpful Videos:

 Reviewing Issues, Conditions, & Notes in PLUS - YouTube

 Upload Corrected Plans in PLUS - YouTube

Helpful Instruction Guides:

• Corrections Required
• VOID Sheet Process

 

Revisions to previously approved plats (per the PFM):

• Digital signature - verifiable digital signature of the licensed design professional
• Revision narrative - separate letter detailing the revision and referencing its general location
• Revision block - updated revision block incorporated as part of the plan or profile sheet
• Certification of No Change - certification that no other changes have been made to the plan or profile except those previously approved
• Changes circled in red
• Record Plat Approval Block
• Review fee

Helpful Videos:

 Submitting Revisions in PLUS - YouTube

Helpful Instruction Guides:

• Uploading Plans and Documents
• VOID Sheet Process

 

What's Next?

To get a step-by-step guide on PLUS statuses and what they mean, see our What is My PLUS Status? Site Plans Infographic.

 

Review Process

Staff from the Site Application Center and Site Development and Inspections Division will review your package for completeness and compliance with applicable codes and county ordinances. You will be notified of any deficiencies. Plan corrections, resubmission fees and additional supporting documents may be required.

• Queue times
• Fees
• Common plan comments for site review
• Workflow Routing Slip to track review and plan assignment

For a detailed summary of application progress, to include the name(s) of assigned review staff, click on “Reports” in the top-right corner of the PLUS screen, when you are in a specific record, and select “Workflow Routing Slip Report.”

Plat Approval

Once all reviews are approved and fees have been paid, the applicant or authorized agent will coordinate review of the required deed. Once approved, staff will contact the applicant of record to pick up the physical copy of the approved record plat and deed. The applicant is responsible to record the plat and deed in the Land Records Office of the Circuit Court. LDS will be notified once the documents have been recorded.

Helpful Video:

 Access Approved Plans in PLUS - YouTube Video