Lot and block descriptions and recorded plats

The recorded plat method

A lot and block description identifies a parcel by reference to a recorded subdivision plat, a map of subdivided land. It can describe a parcel without repeating each boundary bearing and distance.

Read the reference in order

The subdivision name identifies the development; the block identifies a group of lots, if blocks are used; the lot identifies the individual parcel. A recording reference, commonly a plat book and page, locates the map. County and state identify the recording jurisdiction. Some plats use lot numbers without blocks.

A fictional example is Lot 7, Block B, Cedar Grove, according to the plat recorded in Plat Book 12, Page 34, public records of the named county and state. Retrieve that plat, confirm the subdivision, find Block B, and locate Lot 7. Lot 7 in Block A would be a different parcel.

The plat supplies boundaries, dimensions, streets, and depicted easements. A lot number does not state acreage, and a block letter does not indicate direction. A street address helps locate a building; a tax parcel identifier supports assessment records. Neither should be confused with the plat's parcel designations.

How the methods fit together

The parent tract may be described by metes and bounds or government survey references, while individual subdivision lots are described by reference to the recorded plat. A block is not a township, and a lot is not a section.

In Florida, a compliant recorded plat establishes the identity of the lands shown and permits conveyance by reference to it. Fla. Stat. § 177.021. An unrecorded sales map copied by the clerk for informational purposes is not a substitute conveyance reference. Fla. Stat. § 177.132.

One caution: a plat is not a complete title report; restrictions may be recorded elsewhere. Florida's required plat notice expressly recognizes this. Fla. Stat. § 177.091(27). Match the parcel identifiers to the recorded map, then distinguish parcel identity from the rights affecting the parcel.