ABSTRACT
The use of land division plats for the purpose of describing real property ownership parcels, for facilitating the transfer of title to such parcels, and for the development of both rural and urban areas in North America extends back into the early colonial era. Indeed, land division plats constituted the plans for colonial towns, and the platting layout was often rigidly prescribed
by royal or gubernatorial decree, by acts of colonial legislatures, or in some cases by proprietary companies.
