A plat map filed with the county recorder shows:
Correct Answer
B) Lot dimensions, easements and street dedications for a subdivision
Why this is correct: A plat map filed with the county recorder shows lot dimensions, easements and street dedications for a subdivision. It is the official, surveyed map that creates the lots and documents public and private rights within the subdivision, as noted in the original explanation. Why the other choices are wrong: A plat map does not show the market value of each lot at recording. It does not show the full construction schedule for the entire development. It also does not list the names of every future lot purchaser. Exam tip: For lot-and-block descriptions, the legal description points you to the plat map. Always review it for easements and dedications that affect value.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Option B lists exactly what the plat depicts: lot dimensions, easements, and street dedications for a subdivision. Each of these is a spatial or legal fact established by the survey and fixed at recording, which is what a map can meaningfully carry. Together they define the geometry of each parcel and the public and private rights within the subdivision. That combination is what makes the plat the controlling reference for lot and block descriptions.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: The market value of each lot at recording
A plat records geometry and rights, not economics, and values change continuously while the recorded map does not. Nothing in the platting or approval process involves an appraisal of individual lots. Candidates who select this may be thinking of the assessor's parcel maps, which are linked to valuation records but are a separate product from the recorded plat.
Option C: The full construction schedule for the entire development
Construction scheduling is a private business matter between the developer, lenders, and contractors, and it changes constantly with financing and absorption. A recorded document must be stable, because third parties rely on it for decades. Municipalities may require phasing plans or improvement bonds during approval, but those are separate instruments, not content of the plat itself.
Option D: The names of every future lot purchaser
Future purchasers are unknown at recording, and ownership is tracked through recorded deeds in the grantor-grantee index rather than on the subdivision map. A plat is a map of land, not a roster of people. The distractor tests whether the candidate understands that the plat predates lot sales entirely.
A Map Shows Space, Not Money or People
Ask what a map can hold. It can hold lines and rights: where the lot corners are, where the street belongs to the public, where the utility company may dig. It cannot hold prices, calendars, or names, because those change and a recorded map does not.
How to use: For any recorded document question, sort the answer choices into things fixed at recording and things that change over time. Dimensions, easements, and dedications are fixed; values, schedules, and owners change. Pick the fixed set, and remember to check the plat for easements before concluding site utility.
Exam Tip
Pull the recorded plat rather than relying on the assessor's sketch; easements and setback lines that shrink usable area frequently appear only on the plat.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- -Relying on assessor dimensions without checking the recorded plat for easements and dedications
- -Treating easement-burdened area as fully usable when concluding site value
- -Confusing the recorded subdivision plat with an assessor's parcel map or a marketing site plan
Concept Deep Dive
Analysis
This question tests what a recorded plat actually contains and why an appraiser reads one. A subdivision plat is a surveyed map, prepared by a licensed surveyor, approved by the municipality, and recorded with the county, that legally creates the individual lots out of a parent tract. It shows each lot's number, block, dimensions, and bearings, along with the streets and rights of way dedicated to public use, the easements reserved for utilities and drainage, building setback lines, monuments set at corners, and often notes covering flood zones, common areas, or restrictions. Once recorded, it becomes the reference document for every lot and block legal description in that subdivision, which is why a one-line deed description can be legally sufficient. For the appraiser it is a primary source: it reveals whether the subject is a corner or interior lot, how deep and wide it truly is, and whether a drainage easement or a shared access strip crosses a portion of the yard, all of which affect utility and value in ways the assessor record may not disclose.
Background Knowledge
You need to know that the lot and block system depends on a recorded plat to supply the survey detail that the deed omits, and that plats are prepared by licensed surveyors and approved through a municipal subdivision review process. You should also know the common recorded features an appraiser looks for, including utility and drainage easements, setback lines, dedications, and access strips, and that these can materially affect a lot's usable area.
Real-World Application
Appraising a lot advertised as 0.34 acres, an appraiser retrieves the plat and finds a 20-foot drainage easement crossing the rear third and a 10-foot utility easement along the side. The report notes that the easements bar permanent structures and supports a modest discount using two sales of similarly encumbered lots in the same subdivision.
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