Plat

Your deed can name "Lot 14, Block 2" of a recorded subdivision instead of listing long survey coordinates, and the document that makes that shorthand legal is the plat, the survey map that legally cuts a piece of land into individual lots. It shows every lot's boundary lines and measurements, the streets and alleys, the easements, and the block and lot numbers. Once a plat is approved and recorded at the county recorder's office, it becomes the official legal description for the property.

Arizona counties split the process into two stages. A preliminary plat is the tentative layout the developer submits when dividing land into six or more parcels, reviewed by county or city staff. A final plat is the approved version that gets recorded, which is the one that actually creates the lots and fixes their lines. In Maricopa County, recorded plats live at the recorder's office and are indexed by subdivision name, book, and page.

For example, before buying a lot in a new Rio Verde subdivision, you can pull the recorded plat to see the exact lot dimensions, where the utility and drainage easements run, and how the lot sits against the street. That map controls what you can build, because setbacks and buildable area are measured from the lines it draws.

A plat is the map; the CC&Rs are the separate recorded rules for the subdivision, and an easement is a specific right drawn on the plat. People also confuse a plat with a plot plan, which is the site drawing for one specific house on its lot. The plat defines the lot itself. We start every build by pulling the recorded plat, because its lines and easements decide where the home can legally go.