A survey plat answers four questions: what land is described, where its corners are on the ground, how long and in what direction each boundary runs, and what crosses or conflicts with those boundaries. Read it in that order. Start with the legal description, find the point of beginning, trace each line by its bearing and distance back to where you started, then read every note, easement and symbol drawn on or near the tract.
Oklahoma sets out what a survey must contain in the Minimum Standards for the Practice of Land Surveying (OAC 245:15-13), adopted by the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Knowing what is required makes it easy to spot what is missing. This guide is part of our Oklahoma recreational land guide.
Survey, plat and legal description: three different things
- A legal description is the written description of the land. It is what appears in the deed and what the county records index.
- A survey is the work a licensed land surveyor does to locate that description on the ground and mark it with monuments.
- A plat (also called a plat of survey, map or sketch) is the drawing that records the result.
The word plat is also used for a subdivision plat: the recorded drawing that divides a larger tract into lots or tracts and shows the roads and easements that serve them. A tract in a platted development is usually described by reference to that recorded plat.
Oklahoma's standards require every survey to have a plat, sketch or map that contains the legal description, either on its face or attached and referenced.
The three kinds of legal description
The standards recognize three forms. Your tract will use one, or a combination.
| Type | What it looks like | What it must include under OAC 245:15-13-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Aliquot | "The NE/4 of the SW/4 of Section 14, Township 3 North, Range 24 East of the Indian Meridian" | Quarter section, section, township, range, principal meridian, county (and city if any) |
| Lot and block | "Tract 12, [Name] Addition, according to the recorded plat thereof" | Lot or block number, subdivision name, county of record, plat recording information if available |
| Metes and bounds | "Beginning at a point... thence N 89°15'30" E a distance of 660.00 feet..." | A preamble tying it to the section, township and range or to a platted lot; a point of beginning tied to a monument; each course; closure back to the beginning |
The example wording in the table is illustrative, not a real tract.
Section, township and range in one page
Most of Oklahoma is described by the Public Land Survey System, a grid measured from a starting point where a principal meridian crosses a base line. Oklahoma legal descriptions name one of two principal meridians: the Indian Meridian, or the Cimarron Meridian, which the Board's standards list as the two options for an Oklahoma description.
The grid works like this:
- A township is a square roughly six miles on a side. "Township 3 North" counts squares north of the base line. "Range 24 East" counts squares east of the principal meridian.
- Each township holds 36 sections. A section is about one mile square, or 640 acres.
- Sections are numbered starting with 1 in the northeast corner of the township, running back and forth across the rows, and ending with 36 in the southeast corner.
- A section divides into four quarters of 160 acres (NE, NW, SE, SW). A quarter of a quarter is 40 acres. A quarter of a quarter of a quarter is 10 acres.
Read an aliquot description from right to left, largest piece first. "The SW/4 of the SE/4 of the SW/4 of Section 7" means: go to Section 7, take its southwest quarter (160 acres), take the southeast quarter of that (40 acres), then the southwest quarter of that (10 acres).
Sections are not always a true 640 acres. Because the earth curves and the original surveys had error, the adjustments were pushed into the sections along the north and west sides of each township, which can be irregular. For what these acreages look like on the ground, see how big is 5, 10, 20 and 40 acres.
Reading a metes and bounds description
Small recreational tracts are often described by metes and bounds, because they do not fit neatly into quarter-quarters. The description walks the boundary one line at a time.
Point of commencement and point of beginning. Many descriptions start at a known monument, such as a section corner (the point of commencement), then run to the first corner of the tract (the point of beginning, often abbreviated POB). The standards require the point of beginning to be tied to a known, monumented position.
Bearings. Each line has a direction written like N 45°30'15" E. Read it as: face north, then turn 45 degrees, 30 minutes, 15 seconds toward the east. The first letter is always N or S, the last always E or W, and the angle between them is never more than 90 degrees. The standards call for surveyed bearings in degrees, minutes and seconds.
Distances. Each line has a length, given to the nearest hundredth of a foot when surveyed. Field measurements are in US Survey Feet or meters.
Curves. Where a boundary follows a curving road, the description gives the direction of the curve (left or right), its radius, the arc distance, and the straight-line chord distance and bearing.
Closure. The last course must return to the point of beginning. The standards require enough data on the drawing to mathematically close each lot or parcel.
What an Oklahoma plat of survey must show
The table lists items the Board's minimum standards require, and why each matters to a buyer.
| On the plat | Why you care |
|---|---|
| Surveyor's name, address, phone, license number, seal, signature and date signed | Proves a licensed surveyor took responsibility. A firm's plat also shows its Certificate of Authorization number |
| Date of the last site visit, and dates of revisions | Tells you how current the field work is |
| North arrow, vicinity map, scale statement and a graphic bar scale | Lets you orient and measure the drawing |
| Basis of bearing, clearly stated | Explains what "north" means on this plat. "GPS North" with no explanation is not acceptable under the standards |
| Type and size of every monument found or set | Tells you what to look for at each corner |
| Legend explaining symbols and abbreviations | Lets you read everything else |
| Ties to section corners or to subdivision corner monuments | Anchors the tract to the public survey grid or the recorded plat |
| Encroachments, evidence of possession such as fences, overlaps, gaps, conflicting lines or monuments | The problems. Read these first |
| Easements, rights-of-way and building lines from recorded plats that cross or touch the tract; section-line right-of-way widths; physical evidence of access roads | Shows who else can use part of the land and how you reach it |
| The legal description, on the face or attached | Must match your contract and deed |
| Notes on special conditions or deviations from the standards | Tells you what the survey did not do |
If the surveyor wrote a new description that differs from the one in the old deed, the standards require both to appear on the drawing, with a note saying whether they describe the same land or how they differ.
Monuments: what should be at each corner
The standards require the surveyor to set or confirm a monument at every property corner. Where practical, monuments are of a material detectable with instruments that find ferrous or magnetic objects. Each monument the surveyor sets carries a durable cap or marker showing at least the license number of the surveyor in responsible charge, or the firm's Certificate of Authorization number. If a monument cannot be placed at the true corner, a witness or reference monument is set and the plat shows how it relates to the corner.
On the plat, "found" means the surveyor located an existing monument and "set" means the surveyor placed a new one.
How to find these on the ground is covered in how to walk a property before buying.
How accurate is it?
The standards set a maximum allowable error by type of land. For the rural categories:
| Category in the standards | Closure | Positional tolerance |
|---|---|---|
| Suburban, rural residential or industrial tracts, lines of 1,000 feet or less, 2 to 40 acres | 1:10,000 | plus or minus 0.50 foot |
| Rural tracts of 40 acres or more, traverse legs over 1,000 feet | 1:10,000 | plus or minus 1.0 foot |
| Rural tracts of 40 acres or more in rough or tree-covered terrain requiring short traverse lines | 1:7,500 | plus or minus 1.5 feet |
Reading a subdivision plat
If your tract is in a platted development, pull the recorded plat from the county clerk as well as any individual survey. Look for:
- Your tract's number, dimensions and acreage.
- Roads: their names, widths and whether they are dedicated to the public or private. See county roads vs private roads.
- The county commissioners' road note. Under 19 O.S. § 288.1, a plat in an unincorporated area with roads of public designation cannot be filed until the board of county commissioners has reviewed it, and the board must sign the plat and note on it either "Roads will be maintained by the county" or "Roads will not be maintained by the county."
- Easements for utilities, drainage and access, with their widths.
- Building lines or setbacks.
- Restrictions printed on the plat or referenced by book and page. See covenants and restrictions explained.
- The DEQ stamp. Under 19 O.S. § 288.2, a county clerk may not record a plat containing any lot of less than two and one-half acres outside city limits unless it bears the approval stamp of the Department of Environmental Quality.
What a survey does not tell you
- Who owns it. That is title work. See flood zones, surveys and title insurance.
- Whether the access is legal. The plat shows physical evidence of roads and recorded easements the surveyor was given. The recorded instrument is what counts. See legal access and easements.
- Unrecorded rights that left no trace on the ground.
- Flood zone, soil or slope, unless you ordered those as extras. See how to read topo, flood and soil maps.
- Mineral, timber or water rights. See mineral rights and timber rights and water rights.
A drawing labeled "mortgage inspection report" is also not a boundary survey. The Board's rules treat it as a separate product under its own section (OAC 245:15-13-4). If that is what you have been handed, ask the surveyor what it does and does not establish.
Five checks before you rely on a survey
- The legal description on the plat matches the contract and the title commitment, word for word.
- The plat is signed, sealed and dated, and shows the date of the last site visit.
- You can confirm the surveyor's Oklahoma license with the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
- Every monument on the plat can be found on the ground.
- Every encroachment, easement and note on the plat has an explanation you understand.
If any of the five fails, ask the surveyor first. For anything that touches ownership or another person's rights, use a title company or an Oklahoma real estate attorney. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Blue River Realty sells surveyed tracts with legal deeded access in Southeastern Oklahoma. To see the survey for a tract on our recreational land for sale page, contact us or call (539) 426-1374. The rest of the pre-purchase list is in the due-diligence checklist, and unfamiliar terms are defined in the land-buying glossary.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a survey and a plat?
A survey is the surveyor's work of locating a legal description on the ground and marking its corners. A plat is the drawing that records that work. A subdivision plat is a recorded drawing that divides a larger tract into lots and shows roads and easements. Oklahoma's standards require every survey to include a plat, sketch or map containing the legal description.
How do I read section, township and range?
Read right to left. The range and township locate a six-mile-square township relative to a principal meridian and base line; in Oklahoma that is the Indian Meridian or the Cimarron Meridian. The section number picks one of 36 square-mile sections. Quarter calls then narrow it down: a quarter is 160 acres, a quarter-quarter is 40 acres.
What does N 45°30'15" E mean on a survey?
It is a bearing, the direction of a boundary line. Start facing north and turn 45 degrees, 30 minutes and 15 seconds toward the east. Every bearing starts with N or S and ends with E or W. Paired with a distance in feet, it tells you exactly where the next corner is from the last one.
What should be at the corners of a surveyed tract in Oklahoma?
A monument. Oklahoma's minimum standards require the surveyor to set or confirm one at every property corner, of a material a magnetic locator can detect where practical, with a durable cap or marker showing the surveyor's license number or the firm's certificate number. The plat must show the type and size of each monument found or set.
How accurate is a land survey in Oklahoma?
The minimum standards set tolerances by land type. For rural tracts of 2 to 40 acres with lines of 1,000 feet or less, the positional tolerance is plus or minus half a foot. For rural tracts of 40 acres or more it is one foot, or a foot and a half in rough, tree-covered terrain.
Does a survey show easements?
It shows the easements, rights-of-way and building lines from recorded plats that cross or touch the property, section-line right-of-way widths, and physical evidence of access roads. It may not show every recorded easement unless the surveyor was given the title work. Compare the plat with Schedule B of your title commitment and ask about any easement that appears in one but not the other.
Sources
- Oklahoma State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors: OAC 245:15-13, Minimum Standards for Land Surveying for required plat contents, monuments, accuracy categories, the three forms of legal description, the Indian and Cimarron meridians, and the separate mortgage inspection report section (page last modified September 24, 2026; accessed October 2026).
- Oklahoma Statutes, Title 19 (Oklahoma Legislature, complete title), sections 288.1 and 288.2, for county commissioner review and the road-maintenance note on plats in unincorporated areas, and the DEQ stamp for plats with lots under two and one-half acres (accessed October 2026).
- Kansas Geological Survey: The Public Land Survey System for the general structure of the system: six-mile townships, 36 sections of about 640 acres, section numbering, quarter subdivisions and adjustments along north and west township lines (accessed October 2026).
- Bureau of Land Management: Cadastral Survey history for the BLM's role as keeper of the federal township-and-section survey records (accessed October 2026).
- Blue River Realty: Flood Zones, Surveys and Title Insurance on Oklahoma Land for boundary versus ALTA surveys and title work.
- Blue River Realty: Legal Access, Easements and Landlocked Land in Oklahoma for recorded access.
Part of the Oklahoma Recreational Land Guide. Looking for a tract? See recreational land for sale in Oklahoma.