How to Plot Your First Deed

There are two ways to enter a deed or legal description.  If you have a well formatted deed with only bearings and distances, try using the Text Translator.  Otherwise, for the standard entry simply type the bearing, angle, distance (and curve information if needed) for each call.

 

Option A - Text Translator

1. Click on "File" and select "New Tract as Text."

2. Enter the text from the deed or legal description in the box labeled "Description."  The description should begin with the words "beginning at" and each call should begin with the word "thence".  Curves, reference bearings, standard highway surveys, section corners, and coordinate surveys are not accepted by the Text Translator.

3. Click on "OK."

4. View the deed plot.

 

 A title, border, north arrow, and scale will automatically be displayed.  Acreage (or hectares if using metric) and acreage variance will be shown automatically.  The closure error will be shown with a red line and in the case that the red line cannot be seen you can also see the closure error by opening the DataViewer and looking on the Closure tab.  Missing information will be shown by a red dashed line and marked as unknown bearing and/or unknown distance.

 

Option B - Standard Call by Call Entry

1.  Click on "File" and select "New Tract."

2.  Enter the name of the tract.

3.  Type in the area in acres if it is provided in the deed or legal description.

4.  Select the method for sketching in missing bearings.  If the survey proceeds in a clockwise direction around the boundary, select clockwise.

5.  Type in the beginning point description and press Tab.

6.  Type in the angle type (NE, SW, SE, NW, N, S, E, W, etc.) and then press Tab.

7.  Type in the angle amount in degrees, minutes, and seconds (some descriptions list degrees only) and press Tab.

8.  Type in the distance and unit of measurement as it is listed.  Plat Pronto will automatically convert it to either to feet (or meters if you have selected that option).  Press enter.  

9.   Repeat the steps 5 through 8 above for each call.

10.  Click on OK.

11.  View the plot. 

 

 A title, border, north arrow, and scale will automatically be displayed.  Acreage (or hectares if using metric) and acreage variance will be shown automatically.  The closure error will be shown with a red line and in the case that the red line cannot be seen you can also see the closure error by  opening the DataViewer and looking on the Closure tab.   Missing information will be shown by a red dashed line and marked as unknown bearing and/or unknown distance.

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