The Permitting Services Division processes final record plats though the city agencies for review and approval and ultimate recording of the final plat at the Orange County Recording Office.
Our goal is to make the plat review process as efficient as possible. We encourage the professionals preparing these plats for recording in the official records to take advantage of the same checklist we use to review the plats for compliance with Florida Statute 177.
This checklist was compiled from rules in Florida Statute 177 Part 1. Additional rules required by the City of Orlando under the authority of the statute have been included.
Any plat submitted with substantial errors and omissions, that make it apparent to the City Surveyor that there was no quality control performed prior to submission, will not be reviewed by Survey Services. The Office of Legal Affairs reviews the final plat and the Certificate of Title or Title Opinion and the Joinder and Consent forms that may be required as a result of the review of the title work.
The City Surveyor’s Office reviews the face of the plat for conformance to Florida Statutes 177 and for any additional City of Orlando requirements. A field check is performed to verify the correct placement of the permanent reference markers. Additionally, the face of the plat is checked to verify accuracy and compliance with Florida Statutes 177.
Following the City Survey’s first review, any errors and omissions will be detailed in a letter sent to the responsible Surveyor in responsible charge. If the field inspection does not pass, the surveyor in responsible charge must contact the City Surveyor. If a third field check is required, the surveyor in responsible charge will be required to be on site during the field check.
If you have any questions regarding the Surveying Services plat review process, call the City Surveyor at 407.246.2788.
According to Section 65.411 of Orlando City Code, no application for a Building Permit for the construction of a principal building or substantial enlargement or improvement thereto will be approved unless the principal building or substantial enlargement or improvement is located on a single, whole platted parcel or an assemblage of whole platted parcels, created by a plat that has been approved by the City Council and recorded in the official records of Orange County prior to the issuance of the Building Permit.
Every plat or replat of a subdivision submitted to the approving agency of the local governing body must be accompanied by:
- 1) A boundary survey of the platted lands. However, a new boundary survey for a replat is required only when the replat affects any boundary of the previously platted property or when improvements which may affect the boundary of the previously platted property have been made on the lands to be replatted. The boundary survey must be performed and prepared under the responsible direction and supervision of a professional surveyor and mapper preceding the initial submittal of the plat to the local governing body. This subsection does not restrict a legal entity from employing one professional surveyor and mapper to perform and prepare the boundary survey and another professional surveyor and mapper to prepare the plat.
- 2) A title opinion of an attorney at law licensed in Florida or a property information report showing that record title to the land as described and shown on the plat is in the name of the person, persons, corporation, or entity executing the dedication. The title opinion or property information report must also show all mortgages not satisfied or released of record nor otherwise terminated by law.
- 1) Every subdivision must be given a name by which it will be legally known. For the purpose of this section, that name is the "primary name." The primary name must not be the same or in any way so similar to any name appearing on any recorded plat in the same county as to confuse the records or to mislead the public as to the identity of the subdivision, except when the subdivision is further divided as an additional unit or section by the same developer or the developer's successors in title. In that case, the additional unit, section, or phase must be given the primary name followed by the unit, section, or phase number. Words such as "the," "replat," or "a" may not be used as the first word of the primary name. Every subdivision's name must have legible lettering of the same size and type, including the words "section," "unit," or "phase." If the word "replat" is not part of the primary name, then it may be of a different size and type. The primary name of the subdivision must be shown in the dedication the primary name of the subdivision must be shown in the dedication and must coincide exactly with the subdivision name.
- 2) Any change in a plat, except as provided in s. 177.141, must be labeled a "replat," and a replat must conform to this part. After the effective date of this act, the terms "amended plat," "revised plat," "corrected plat," and "resubdivision" may not be used to describe the process by which a plat is changed.
Every plat offered for recording pursuant to the provisions of this part must be prepared by a professional surveyor and mapper. The plat must be signed and sealed by that professional surveyor and mapper, who must state on the plat that the plat was prepared under his or her direction and supervision and that the plat complies with all of the survey requirements of this part. Every plat must also contain the printed name and registration number of the professional surveyor and mapper directly below the statement required by this section, along with the printed name, address, and certificate of authorization number of the legal entity, if any. A professional surveyor and mapper practicing independently of a legal entity must include his or her address.
- 1) Before a plat is offered for recording, it must be approved by the appropriate governing body, and evidence of such approval must be placed on the plat. If not approved, the governing body must return the plat to the professional surveyor and mapper or the legal entity offering the plat for recordation. For the purposes of this part:
- a) When the plat to be submitted for approval is located wholly within the boundaries of a municipality, the governing body of the municipality has exclusive jurisdiction to approve the plat.
- b) When a plat lies wholly within the unincorporated areas of a county, the governing body of the county has exclusive jurisdiction to approve the plat.
- c) When a plat lies within the boundaries of more than one governing body, two plats must be prepared and each governing body has exclusive jurisdiction to approve the plat within its boundaries, unless the governing bodies having said jurisdiction agree that one plat is mutually acceptable.
- 2) Any provision in a county charter, or in an ordinance of any charter county or consolidated government chartered under s. 6(e), Art. VIII of the State Constitution, which provision is inconsistent with anything contained in this section will prevail in such charter county or consolidated government to the extent of any such inconsistency.
The boundary of the plat is located wholly in the City of Orlando municipal boundary.
- 1) Prior to approval by the appropriate governing body, the plat will be reviewed for conformity to this chapter by a professional surveyor and mapper either employed by or under contract to the local governing body, the costs of which will be borne by the legal entity offering the plat for recordation, and evidence of such review must be placed on such plat.
- 2) Every plat of a subdivision filed for record must contain a dedication by the owner or owners of record. The dedication must be executed by all persons, corporations, or entities whose signature would be required to convey record fee simple title to the lands being dedicated in the same manner in which deeds are required to be executed. All mortgagees having a record interest in the lands subdivided must execute, in the same manner in which deeds are required to be executed, either the dedication contained on the plat or a separate instrument joining in and ratifying the plat and all dedications and reservations thereon.
- 3) When a tract or parcel of land has been subdivided and a plat thereof bearing the dedication executed by the owners of record and mortgagees having a record interest in the lands subdivided, and when the approval of the governing body has been secured and recorded in compliance with this part, all streets, alleys, easements, rights-of-way, and public areas shown on such plat, unless otherwise stated, must be deemed to have been dedicated to the public for the uses and purposes thereon stated. However, nothing herein must be construed as creating an obligation upon any governing body to perform any act of construction or maintenance within such dedicated areas except when the obligation is voluntarily assumed by the governing body.
- 1) At the end of the plat approval process the requestor must submit two sets of digital files. The file naming convention for both sets of digital files should include the permitting project number or master building permit number. If there are multiple files for the same number then a sequence number should be added to the file name. (eg PRJ2005-00121_1) The first set of files must be in PDF format. The PDF file must have bookmarks that will clearly identify each sheet in the file. The digital files must have the following characteristics: The second set of files must be in one the following file formats: DXF, DGN,DWG or SHP (ESRI). Text documents like energy calculations can be submitted in PDF format. The Coordinate system must be State Plane Florida East NAD 83, feet. There must be either a separate index that explains what is contained in each layer of the file or the layer name itself must be self explanatory. Every plat of a subdivision offered for recording must conform to the following: Marginal lines, standard certificates and approval forms must be printed on the plat with a permanent black drawing ink. A print or photographic copy of the original drawing must be submitted with the original drawing.
- 2) The size of each sheet must be determined by the local governing body and must be drawn with a marginal line, or printed when permitted by local ordinance, completely around each sheet and placed so as to leave at least a 1/2-inch margin on each of three sides and a 3-inch margin on the left side of the plat for binding purposes.
- 3) When more than one sheet must be used to accurately portray the lands subdivided, an index or key map must be included and each sheet must show the particular number of that sheet and the total number of sheets included, as well as clearly labeled match lines to show where other sheets match or adjoin.
- 4) In all cases, the letter size and scale used must be of sufficient size to show all detail. The scale must be both stated and graphically illustrated by a graphic scale drawn on every sheet showing any portion of the lands subdivided.
- 5) The name of the plat must be shown in bold legible letters, as stated in s. 177.051. The name of the subdivision must be shown on each sheet included. The name of the professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity, along with the street and mailing address, must be shown on each sheet included.
- 6) A prominent "north arrow" must be drawn on every sheet included showing any portion of the lands subdivided. The bearing or azimuth reference must be clearly stated on the face of the plat in the notes or legend, and, in all cases, the bearings used must be referenced to some wellestablished and monumented line.
- 7) Permanent reference monuments must be placed at each corner or change in direction on the boundary of the lands being platted and may not be more than 1,400 feet apart. Where such corners are in an inaccessible place, "P.R.M.s" must be set on a nearby offset within the boundary of the plat and such offset must be so noted on the plat. Where corners are found to coincide with a previously set "P.R.M.," the Florida registration number of the professional surveyor and mapper in responsible charge or the certificate of authorization number of the legal entity on the previously set "P.R.M." must be shown on the new plat or, if unnumbered, must so state. Permanent reference monuments must be set before the recording of the plat. The "P.R.M.s" must be shown on the plat by an appropriate symbol or designation.
- 8) Permanent control points must be set on the centerline of the right-of-way at the intersection and terminus of all streets, at each change of direction, and no more than 1,000 feet apart. Such "P.C.P.s" must be shown on the plat by an appropriate symbol or designation. In those counties or municipalities that do not require subdivision improvements and do not accept bonds or escrow accounts to construct improvements, "P.C.P.s" may be set prior to the recording of the plat and must be set within 1 year of the date the plat was recorded. In the counties or municipalities that require subdivision improvements and have the means of insuring the construction of said improvements, such as bonding requirements, "P.C.P.s" must be set prior to the expiration of the bond or other surety. If the professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity of record is no longer in practice or is not available due to relocation, or when the contractual relationship between the subdivider and professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity has been terminated, the subdivider must contract with a professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity in good standing to place the "P.C.P.s" within the time allotted.
- 9) Monuments must be set at all lot corners, points of intersection, and changes of direction of lines within the subdivision which do not require a "P.R.M." or a "P.C.P."; however, a monument need not be set if a monument already exists at such corner, point, or change of direction or when a monument cannot be set due to a physical obstruction. In those counties or municipalities that do not require subdivision improvements and do not accept bonds or escrow accounts to construct improvements, monuments may be set prior to the recording of the plat and must be set at the lot corners before the transfer of the lot. In those counties or municipalities that require subdivision improvements and have the means of ensuring the construction of those improvements, such as bonding requirements, monuments must be set prior to the expiration of the bond or other surety. If the professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity of record is no longer in practice or is not available due to relocation, or when the contractual relationship between the subdivider and professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity has been terminated, the subdivider must contract with a professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity in good standing who must be allowed to place the monuments within the time allotted.
- 10) The section, township, and range must appear immediately under the name of the plat on each sheet included, along with the name of the city, town, village, county, and state in which the land being platted is situated.
- 11) Each plat must show a description of the lands subdivided, and the description must be the same in the title certification. The description must be so complete that from it, without reference to the plat, the starting point and boundary can be determined.
- 12) The dedications and approvals required by ss. 177.071 and 177.081 must be shown.
- 13) The circuit court clerk's certificate and the professional surveyor and mapper's seal and statement required by s. 177.061 must be shown.
- 14) All section lines and quarter section lines occurring within the subdivision must be indicated by lines drawn upon the map or plat, with appropriate words and figures. If the description is by metes and bounds, all information called for, such as the point of commencement, course bearings and distances, and the point of beginning, must be indicated. If the platted lands are in a land grant or are not included in the subdivision of government surveys, then the boundaries are to be defined by metes and bounds and courses.
- 15) Location, width, and names of all streets, waterways, or other rights-of-way must be shown, as applicable.
- 16) Location and width of proposed easements and existing easements identified in the title opinion or certification required by s. 177.041(2) must be shown on the plat or in the notes or legend, and their intended use must be clearly stated. Where easements are not coincident with property lines, they must be labeled with bearings and distances and tied to the principal lot, tract, or right-of-way.
- 17) All contiguous properties must be identified by subdivision title, plat book, and page, or, if unplatted, land must be so designated. If the subdivision platted is a part or the whole of a previously recorded subdivision, sufficient ties must be shown to controlling lines appearing on the earlier plat to permit an overlay to be made; the fact of its being a replat must be stated as a subtitle under the name of the plat on each sheet included. The subtitle must state the name of the subdivision being replatted and the appropriate recording reference.
- 18) All lots must be numbered either by progressive numbers or, if in blocks, progressively numbered in each block, and the blocks progressively numbered or lettered, except that blocks in numbered additions bearing the same name may be numbered consecutively throughout the several additions.
- 19) Sufficient survey data must be shown to positively describe the bounds of every lot, block, street easement, and all other areas shown on the plat. When any lot or portion of the subdivision is bounded by an irregular line, the major portion of that lot or subdivision must be enclosed by a witness line showing complete data, with distances along all lines extended beyond the enclosure to the irregular boundary shown with as much certainty as can be determined or as "more or less," if variable. Lot, block, street, and all other dimensions except to irregular boundaries, must be shown to a minimum of hundredths of feet. All measurements must refer to horizontal plane and in accordance with the definition of the U.S. Survey foot or meter adopted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. All measurements must use the 39.37/12=3.28083333333 equation for conversion from a U.S. foot to meters.
- 20) Curvilinear lot lines must show the radii, arc distances, and central angles. Radial lines will be so designated. Direction of nonradial lines must be indicated.
- 21) Sufficient angles, bearings, or azimuth to show direction of all lines must be shown, and all bearings, angles, or azimuth must be shown to the nearest second of arc.
- 22) The centerlines of all streets must be shown as follows: noncurved lines: distances together with either angles, bearings, or azimuths; curved lines: arc distances, central angles, and radii, together with chord and chord bearing or azimuths.
- 23) Park and recreation parcels as applicable must be so designated.
- 24) All interior excepted parcels as described in the description of the lands being subdivided must be clearly indicated and labeled "Not a part of this plat."
- 25) The purpose of all areas dedicated must be clearly indicated or stated on the plat.
- 26) When it is not possible to show line or curve data information on the map, a tabular form may be used. The tabular data must appear on the sheet to which it applies.
- 27) The plat must include in a prominent place the following statements: "NOTICE: This plat, as recorded in its graphic form, is the official depiction of the subdivided lands described herein and will in no circumstances be supplanted in authority by any other graphic or digital form of the plat. There may be additional restrictions that are not recorded on this plat that may be found in the public records of this county."
- 28) All platted utility easements must provide that such easements must also be easements for the construction, installation, maintenance, and operation of cable television services; provided, however, no such construction, installation, maintenance, and operation of cable television services must interfere with the facilities and services of an electric, telephone, gas, or other public utility. In the event a cable television company damages the facilities of a public utility, it must be solely responsible for the damages. This section must not apply to those private easements granted to or obtained by a particular electric, telephone, gas, or other public utility. Such construction, installation, maintenance, and operation must comply with the National Electrical Safety Code as adopted by the Florida Public Service Commission.
- 29) A legend of all symbols and abbreviations must be shown.
The approval of a replat by the governing body of a local government, which encompasses lands embraced in all or part of a prior plat filed of public record must, upon recordation of the replat, automatically and simultaneously vacate and annul all of the prior plat encompassed by the replat. Therefore, all previously platted land labels and references must be removed and relabeled and referenced upon the replat.
- 1) Every surveyor and mapper not under contract to the department for the execution of this act who, in any survey or resurvey made under his or her direction, identifies, recovers, reestablishes, remonuments, restores, or uses as control a public land survey corner or corner accessory must, within 90 days after completion of the survey, file with the department a certified corner record for each such corner or corner accessory, unless the corner or its accessories are substantially as described in a previously filed corner record. The record must be signed, embossed with the official seal of the surveyor and mapper, and produced on material suitable for reproduction or microfilming. The 90-day limitation may be extended with permission of the department. All such certified corner records must be accepted and filed with the department without further inspection or approval of any public body or officer, if prepared in accordance with the criteria set forth in subsection (3).
- 2) In every case in which a certified corner record of a public land survey corner is filed under the provisions of this act, the surveyor and mapper must reconstruct or rehabilitate the monument of such corner and accessories to such corner, so as to make them as permanent as is reasonably possible and to facilitate their location in the future.
Each plat must meet the following additional regulations required by the City of Orlando as established in Florida Statute 177.011
- 1) The plat contains a metes and bounds legal description of the parent tract including the area.
- 2) The plat boundary is tied to 2 public land survey corners as defined in FS 177.503 and CCR numbers shown.
- 3) Copies of closure report for the parent boundary and all interior parcels and easements are included and have a relative error of closure no less than 1’ in 10,000’.
- 4) A Location map including North arrow, scale and adjacent streets is included on the cover sheet.
- 5) All text is a minimum size of .10’’
- 6) The sheet size is 24” x 30” with no less than ½” margins on the top, bottom and right sides and 3” margin on the left side.
- 7) The scale of the plat is 1”= 200’ or larger.
- 8) 4” X 4” X 24” concrete monuments including a metal cap marker with an LB or LS number must be placed at each change of direction along the parent boundary of the plat. When right-of-way dedications are being made the monuments must be placed at the intersection of the parent boundary and the new right-of-way. The City Surveyor prior to submittal must approve any variation of this additional requirement.
- 9) The boundary survey must be supported by the title opinion or property information report submitted with the plat and must include the zone classification for the parent boundary as designated on the most current FEMA FIRM.
- 10) The title opinion must be of an attorney at law licensed in Florida or a certification by an abstractor or a title company referencing that record title to the land as described and shown on the plat is in the name of the person, persons, corporation, or entity executing the dedication. The title opinion or certification must also reference all mortgages not satisfied or released of record nor otherwise terminated by law. The title opinion or property information report must also reference all existing easements and encumbrances of record.
- 11) Chapter 59 statement shown on cover sheet.
- 12) A topographic survey of the parent parcel based upon NAVD 88 datum is included in the submittal.
- 13) The primary name of the subdivision must be shown in the dedication with a font clearly different that the word “Dedication”
- 14) Orange County 911 approve the subdivision name and all street names prior to being shown upon the plat.
- 15) All contiguous property including streets must be labeled with Plat Book and Page creating the Street or “Not Platted”. Any recording information is welcome.
- 16) All lots must be numbered either by progressive numbers or, if in blocks, progressively numbered in each block beginning with the number “one”.
- 17) Statement of Lien Settlement: Submit to Orange County Property Appraiser’s Office (200 South Orange Avenue, SunTrust Tower, Room 1700, 407.836.5050):
One (1) paper copy of the plat signed in the dedication and by the preparing Surveyor (will not accept original mylar).
Full name and local telephone number of a contact person must be written on the plat or a business card must be attached. Please allow 3 to 5 business days for processing.
The Statement of Lien Settlement is prepared by the Mapping Department of the Property Appraiser’s Office for the purpose of identifying all prior year or currently due and payable parcels that underlie the plat.
The Statement of Lien Settlement is reviewed and signed by a representative of the Tax Collector’s Office. You will receive a call from the Tax Collector’s Office when the statement is ready for pick-up.
Statements are picked up on the 16th Floor of the SunTrust Tower in the Tax Collector’s Office. If there are additional questions, contact the Tax Collector’s Office at 407.836.5051. If taxes are unpaid and due, you will be informed of the dollar amount that must be paid in full before the statement will be released.
A copy of the Statement of Lien Settlement must be provided to the Office of Permitting Services prior to recording of the plat.
- 18) List the case number(s) of any associated building (BLD) and engineering (ENG) permits.