Combining Parcels

What is Combining Parcels?

Combining parcels, also called lot consolidation or a lot merger, joins two or more adjoining tracts into a single legal parcel. It takes a survey of the combined property and a new plat that has to be approved and recorded with the county. Once that plat is on record, the tracts that went into it are one parcel with one outer boundary and one combined legal description, and the property is deeded, mortgaged, and taxed as a single piece of land.

The part owners are most often surprised by is that an existing interior line does not disappear on its own. You can own both tracts for years, under the same name and paying on the same schedule, and the old line between them still sits in the county records, because each tract continues to carry its own deed and its own legal description. That line has to be formally eliminated, and eliminating it means establishing the perimeter of the combined property the same way a boundary survey establishes any boundary: from the deeds, the prior plats, the adjoining records, and the monuments found in the ground.

Owners ask us to merge property lots for a fairly consistent set of reasons. Some want to simplify ownership and carry one parcel forward instead of several. Some are planning a house, shop, or addition that would sit across an old interior line, which lenders, insurers, and permit offices generally will not accept. Some want a cleaner file for financing or resale, since one parcel with one description is easier for a lender, a title examiner, and a closing attorney to work through than a stack of separate tracts. Others are consolidating inherited land that came down to them in pieces over the years.

Parcel consolidation in Georgia is not something an owner can complete on their own. The county has to approve the combination and record the plat, and what the reviewing authority asks for differs by jurisdiction, so we confirm the current requirements with the county your land sits in before any lines are drawn. If you need the opposite service, dividing one tract into separate parcels rather than merging several into one, see our parcel splits page. We combine parcels throughout Polk, Floyd, Bartow, Paulding, Carroll, Haralson, Douglas, and Gordon counties and the wider Northwest Georgia and metro Atlanta region.

Who Needs to Combine Parcels?

• Owners who want two or more adjoining lots recorded as a single parcel
• Anyone planning a home, shop, or addition that would sit across an existing interior line
• Heirs and families consolidating inherited tracts that came down in separate pieces
• Sellers who want one clean parcel and one description on the deed before listing
• Buyers and lenders who need the collateral described as a single legal parcel
• Developers assembling adjoining tracts into one site before design or permitting

Our Parcel Combination Process

1. Confirm county requirements. We start with the office that will review and record the combination in the county where your land sits, so the plat is prepared against the standards that actually govern your property rather than general rules of thumb.
2. Research both parent tracts. We pull the current deed and prior plat for every tract going into the combination, along with adjoining deeds and recorded easements, so we know exactly what land each tract legally contains before they are merged.
3. Field survey the combined perimeter. Our crew retraces the outer boundary of the tracts as a whole, locates existing monuments, improvements, roads, and easements, and sets or verifies monuments at the corners of the combined property.
4. Prepare the plat and combined legal description. We draft the plat showing the merged parcel with its bearings, distances, total acreage, and easements, note the interior line being eliminated, and write one combined legal description covering the whole tract.
5. Submit for approval and recording. We submit the plat to the reviewing authority, respond to review comments, and provide the signed plat for recording with the Clerk of Superior Court so the merged parcel enters the permanent land records.

Why Choose S&S Land Surveying

Combining Parcels FAQ

Related Services

A parcel combination in Georgia is often paired with these services: