City of Fort Worth, Texas Development Guide 2008

Platting

Platting – Subdividing Land

Before land in the city of Fort Worth can be developed, it must be properly platted.  Land outside the city limits but within the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is also subject to platting in certain situations such as expanding or dividing a piece of property for development.

 

What is a Plat?

A plat is a map of a piece of land identifying the location and boundaries of street rights-of-way, individual lots or parcels, and other site information. The plat shows features such as lot lines, utility easements, setback lines, land dedicated for public use (e.g. streets and parks), ownership, and metes and bounds (boundary dimensions).  

A plat is always required in order to get a building permit for land within the City.  Lots which are five acres or less and located in the ETJ are also subject to platting requirements.  Subdivision regulations apply to vacant land that is being divided into two or more parts for development.

If streets, sewers, and water lines need to be constructed, the final plat is not approved until the Community Facilities Agreement (CFA) is executed.  Also, a tax certificate showing that all property taxes have been paid must be submitted before a final plat can be filed.  Once the final plat is approved, the plat is recorded in the County Courthouse.  A recorded plat establishes a legal building site and is required before obtaining a building permit or certificate of occupancy.

Can I locate plats online?

Accessing plats through Tarrant County website: www.tarrantcounty.com

1. In pull down menu (middle of screen), highlight Real Property Search, ‘go’

2. The Official Public Record – Search screen comes up

3. In the Grantor field, enter a name or subdivision

4. In the Document Type field, highlight Plat and click ‘search’

5. The Official Public Record – Results screen comes upNote: any records prior to approximately 1988 will not have plat images

6. On the left of the results table, Image column, click on the associated pdf.Note: The next page (Official Public Record – Image) will be blank.

7. On the top left, hover over the Actions tab and click on Download Image(s)

8. The Document Retrieval page comes up

9. Click on the associated pdf

WHEN PLATTING IS REQUIRED:

■     Concept Plan (Not Recorded)

• When a project is in excess of 640 acres
• The plan must show the initial proposal for the development as well as proposed major land uses, access/circulation and other pertinent facilities

■      Preliminary Plat

• Required when there are more than 4 proposed lots
• Is an option for Phased developments
• Requires Plan Commission Approval

■      Final Plat

• The Final Plat shall conform to the approved Preliminary Plat and meet all of the requirements of the Plan Commission.
• The Final Plat may include all or any portion of the area included in the approved Preliminary Plat.

■       Short Form Final Plat (Minor Plat)

• A minor plat is permitted for four (4) or fewer lots that have not been previously platted and recorded.
• All lots on the minor plat must have direct access to and front or abut an existing public street.
• All lots must meet the lot size requirements of the zoning district in which they are located.
• A minor plat does not require a public hearing and is administratively approved by the Plan Commission's Executive Secretary preceding the filing of the plat for record.

■       Re-plat

• A replat does not vacate the previous plat of record governing the remainder of the subdivision. A replat shall contain a note on the plat face attesting that the replat does not amend or remove any covenants or restrictions.
• A public hearing is required if additional single-family or two-family zoned lots are created or if the location or width of interior streets and pedestrian circulation routes are significantly altered.

■       Amending Plat

A plat of record may be amended without public notice, a public hearing, or approval of other lot owners and is controlling over the preceding plat without vacation for one or more of the following purposes:

1. To correct errors in course or distance;

2. To add any course or distance that was omitted;

3. To correct an error in the description of the real property;

4. To indicate monuments set after death, disability, or retirement from practice of the engineer or surveyor charged with responsibility for setting monuments;

5. To show the location or character of any monument that has been changed or was incorrectly shown;

6. To correct any other type of scrivener or clerical error or omission including lot numbers, acreage, street names, and identification of adjacent recorded plats;

7. To correct an error in courses and distances of lot lines between two adjacent lots if both lot owners join in the application for amending the plat; neither lot is abolished; the amendment does not attempt to remove recorded covenants or restrictions; and the amendment does not have a material adverse affect on the property rights of the other owners in the plat;

8. To relocate a lot line to eliminate an inadvertent encroachment of a building or other improvement on a lot line or easement;

9. To relocate one or more lot lines between one or more adjacent lots if the owners of all those lots join in the application for amending the plat; the amendment does not attempt to remove recorded covenants and restrictions; and the amendment does not increase the number of lots;

10.To make necessary changes to the preceding plat to create six(6) or fewer lots in the subdivision or a part of the subdivision covered by the preceding plat if the changes do not affect applicable zoning and other regulations of the City; the changes do not attempt to amend or remove any covenants or restrictions; and the area covered by the changes is located in an area that the city has approved, after a public hearing, as a residential improvement area;

11.To replat one or more lots fronting on an existing street if the owners of all those lots join in the application for amending the plat; the amendment does not remove any covenants or restrictions; the amendment does not increase the number of lots; and the amendment does not create or require the creation of a new streets or make necessary the extension of municipal facilities.

■        Correction Plat

• A plat may be corrected without public notice, a public hearing, or approval of other lot owners and is controlling over the preceding plat without vacation for one or more of the purposes listed in 1 through 7 in Subsection F, “Amending Plats” above.
• A Correction Plat is filed for record in the county of jurisdiction upon administrative approval by the Plan Commission's Executive Secretary.

■        Conveyance Plat

• A conveyance plat may be used to transfer ownership of a parcel or portion of a parcel of land in order to record the transfer of ownership without requiring construction or design of public improvements or collection of development fees.
• The property must have access to private or Public Street.
• Utility easements may be recorded on the conveyance plat.
• The conveyance plat shall contain a certification note on the plat face, as follows:“This Conveyance Plat shall not convey any rights to development or guarantee of public utilities, public or private access, or issuance of addressing and permits, without compliance with all subdivision rules and regulations and the approval and recording of a Final Plat”

A Conveyance Plat is filed for record in the county of jurisdiction upon administrative approval by the Plan Commission's Executive Secretary.

■       Vacated Plat

A recorded Plat may only be vacated per the provisions of Section 212.013 of the Texas Local Government Code. A Vacated Plat must meet the following requirements:

• If any lot has been sold to an individual property owner, the vacation application shall include the signatures of 100% of all property owners within the recorded subdivision.
• No partial Plat may be vacated without the consent of all property owners encompassed by the prevailing recorded plat.
• No plat may be vacated unless access is provided to individual platted lots and public street and alley rights of way, parks, public sites and facilities, and utility and drainage easements and improvements are provided in the accompanying replat.
• No Vacated Plat may be recorded in the county of jurisdiction without a public hearing and approval of the City Plan Commission.