Service Detail

Subdivision Platting in Georgia

Multi-lot subdivision plats for developers, surveyed, approved, and recorded.

Multi-Lot Subdivision vs a Simple Lot Split

Subdivision platting is the survey work behind turning one parent tract into a planned set of buildable lots. It is the developer's version of dividing land, and it is a bigger job than a simple split, because a multi-lot subdivision usually creates new streets, utility corridors, and drainage, and that pulls the project into a fuller review under the county's subdivision regulations.

This is where it helps to know which service you actually need. Carving one or two parcels off a tract, deeding acreage to family, or splitting an estate is a smaller, cleaner division, and that work lives on our parcel splits page. Some of those minor divisions even qualify for a statutory exemption from planning commission approval. A true subdivision does not, as a rule, because the new roads and utilities are exactly what the regulations exist to review. If you want the plain-language overview of the whole process before you decide, our guide on how to subdivide land in Georgia walks through it step by step.

So this page is for the developer laying out lots. The heart of the work is the subdivision plat: the drawing that shows the parent tract, every proposed lot line, bearings and distances, acreage, easements, and the monuments set at each new corner. Planning staff review it against the county's rules, and once it is approved and recorded it becomes the document that deeds, closing attorneys, lenders, and the tax assessor all rely on. S&S Land Surveying LLC works out of 549 West Ave in Cedartown and handles subdivision platting throughout Polk, Floyd, Bartow, Paulding, Carroll, Haralson, Douglas, and Gordon counties, and across the wider northwest Georgia and metro Atlanta region.

The County Approval and Recording Path

In Georgia, a subdivision plat is recorded through the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the land lies, and recording is governed by O.C.G.A. 15-6-67, the Georgia Plat Act. The statute sets what the clerk will accept: a plat has to meet the standards of the State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, and where the local government has adopted subdivision regulations, a subdivision plat generally cannot be recorded without approval from the planning commission or the governing authority first.

The Plat Act carries an exemption. A division that creates no new streets or roads, requires no new utility improvements, and requires no new sewer or septic approval can be recorded on the surveyor's certification without planning commission approval. That exemption is what many minor lot splits rely on. A multi-lot development that adds streets, water, and drainage normally does not qualify, so it runs the full approval track instead. Establishing which path your project is on is the first thing we confirm, because it changes the whole sequence.

  1. Confirm the governing rules. We start with the planning and zoning office for the county and district, so the layout is drawn against the standards that actually govern the site rather than general assumptions.
  2. Retrace the parent tract. We research the deed, prior plats, adjoining deeds, and easements, then recover the outer boundary in the field and establish reliable survey control across the site.
  3. Support the layout. We provide the boundary and topographic base the design is built on, set the proposed lot lines, and set monuments at every new corner as the plan is finalized.
  4. Prepare the subdivision plat. We draft the plat showing lot lines, bearings, distances, acreage, and easements, and write a legal description for each parcel the subdivision creates.
  5. 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.

What a Developer Needs

  • Boundary retracement of the parent tract. The outer boundary is settled first, because every interior lot line and street is laid out from it.
  • A topographic base for engineering. The road, grading, and drainage design is built on survey-grade contours. Our topographic surveys provide that base.
  • Lots that meet the standards. Lot size, frontage, and access have to satisfy the zoning district, which we confirm with planning before the lines are drawn.
  • Easements and monuments. Access, utility, and drainage easements are described and shown, and a monument is set at every new corner for the record and the field.
  • Coordination with the design team. We work alongside the developer's civil engineer, whose scope is the road and utility design, while ours is the survey, the layout, and the recordable plat.

Why Choose S&S Land Surveying

40+ Years Experience

Founder William "Bart" Sims brings four decades of surveying experience to subdivision work.

4.9 Stars, 50+ Reviews

Rated 4.9 out of 5 by 50+ Google reviewers across northwest Georgia.

Georgia Licensed

Subdivision plats are signed and sealed by a licensed Georgia land surveyor.

Rules Confirmed First

We verify the governing standards with local planning before any lot lines are drawn.

Subdivision Platting FAQ

What is the difference between a parcel split and a subdivision?

It is a matter of scale and process. A parcel split typically carves a tract into a small number of parcels and can sometimes qualify for a minor, exempt division. A subdivision lays out multiple buildable lots and often creates new streets, utility infrastructure, and drainage, which triggers a fuller review under the county's subdivision regulations. If your project is a simple division, our parcel splits service is the right page. If it is a multi-lot development, this is the service you want.

Do I need planning commission approval to record a subdivision plat?

Usually, for a true subdivision. Under O.C.G.A. 15-6-67, the Georgia Plat Act, where a local government has adopted subdivision regulations a subdivision plat generally cannot be recorded without approval from the planning commission or governing authority. The statute exempts divisions that create no new streets or roads, require no new utility improvements, and require no new sewer or septic approval, which can be recorded on the surveyor's certification. A multi-lot development that adds streets and utilities normally does not qualify for that exemption.

How many lots can I create?

That depends on the zoning district, the minimum lot size, road frontage requirements, and septic or sewer feasibility, all of which vary by jurisdiction. We confirm the governing standards with the local planning authority before any lines are drawn rather than working from a rule of thumb. We do not publish lot counts or lot sizes here because there is no single number that holds across counties and districts.

Who handles the road and drainage design?

That is civil engineering, not survey work. We provide the boundary retracement and the topographic base your engineer designs from, and once the layout is set we set the monuments and prepare the plat for approval and recording. Questions about soil suitability or septic feasibility are geotechnical and environmental health matters, and we will say so and point you to the right specialist rather than opine on them.

Related Services

Subdividing routes to a few related pages. Use the parcel splits page for a simple division, the guide for the overview, and the survey types below for the supporting work:

Planning a Development?

Tell us about the tract and the number of lots you have in mind and we will scope the survey and platting. Free estimates.

Request Free Quote