Blog · October 14, 2026 · Iowa
Reading the Fort Madison Plat Map for a lot
Lots in Fort Madison trace back to recorded plats filed with the county.
Main page: Lee County, IA GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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When a deed near West Point says lot and block, look up the Fort Madison plat map it refers to. This Fort Madison guide covers: where to request a copy, plat versus tax map, and what to look for on the sheet.
Tracking down the Fort Madison plat map
For a lot in Fort Madison, the deed usually cites the plat; use it to request a copy.
Getting to the right map
Your first stop is the Lee County Beacon site; it includes every tax parcel around Keokuk and Franklin. Without an address in hand, pan along US Route 218 and click the parcel itself. Near West Point, write down the parcel ID from that panel; every office in the county uses it to find the file.
When a parcel crosses a boundary
Lee County borders Hancock County, IL, Henderson County, IL, Des Moines County, Henry County, and Van Buren County; every one of them runs a separate parcel map. Acreage along the edge near Donnellson may be split across two assessors' files, so look at the adjacent map as well. For a tract near Montrose, the Platbookmapper state page links every bordering county map for Iowa.
Offices that can help
Deeds, mortgages and recorded plats for land near Montrose are with the County Recorder, sometimes only in person. Questions about what you can build around West Point need the planning or permitting office, depending on whether the land is inside town limits.
A quick look at the area
Fort Madison serves as the county seat, where most land records are kept. You'll also find Montrose, West Point, Franklin, and Donnellson, where town lots give way to larger tracts. Roughly 32,565 people live in Lee County (Census estimate, 2023) across roughly 518 square miles. Lee County dates to 1836, which matters when you trace an old farm's title. Features like Mississippi River help you orient on the aerial around Donnellson.
Metes and bounds instead
Rural land near Donnellson that was never subdivided may have no plat at all; the deed and any recorded survey describe it instead.
Fort Madison, IA: the basics
Fort Madison is part of Lee County, Iowa, which means parcel data comes from the county. Fort Madison is also the county seat, which puts the County Recorder close by. If the land is near St. Paul, city or town hall handles things like zoning, permits and utilities within town limits, while the county keeps the tax map. Acreage past the town limits near St. Paul usually answers to county rules, not municipal ones.
Two different maps
The tax map on the Lee County Beacon site is a summary, while the recorded plat is the legal document.
Before you lean on the lines
Acreage on the record is an assessed number; only a licensed surveyor establishes the real boundary for a parcel near St. Paul. On ground around Montrose, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month might lag behind.
Lots, blocks and easements
If the land is near Montrose, the sheet usually includes lot and block numbers, dimensions and bearings, street rights-of-way and easements.
The paper trail behind a parcel
Before you sign anything, request the recorded deed from the County Recorder; the parcel map near Franklin only summarizes it. Long-held tracts around Franklin may sit on a long string of deeds, and a title company earns its fee if money is changing hands.
Requesting the plat
Around St. Paul, many recorder offices offer an online index, while others require a visit or a request; copy fees are usually small.
Replats and vacations
Lots near Keokuk can be combined or reconfigured by a replat, so check for later filings; street vacations near Montrose show up in the records too.
Sections, lots and bearings
Iowa uses the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near Donnellson cite section, township and range. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though sections near West Point can be irregular. Write down the legal description for the tract near Donnellson for any title or survey request.
On site with the map
Most viewers work in a phone browser, useful out on a road near Donnellson, so load it before you lose signal. A saved image of the lot near St. Paul and its lines keeps working without signal.
Questions about the Fort Madison plat map
What do the dashed lines on a plat mean around Franklin?
Around Franklin, dashed lines often mark easements or building lines, so check before you build.
Is a plat map a survey around Franklin?
If the land is near St. Paul, a recorded plat is based on a survey, but the GIS map is not; trust the plat when they differ.
How do I get a copy of a plat in Fort Madison?
For a parcel near Montrose, copies come from the County Recorder, often through an online index; use the plat reference from the deed or parcel record.
What is a lot and block description in Fort Madison?
If the land is near Donnellson, lot and block refer to a numbered lot within a block on a recorded subdivision plat, so pull that plat for dimensions.
How is land described in Iowa deeds near Montrose?
Around Keokuk, deeds use lot and block, metes and bounds or survey descriptions, and the parcel record often summarizes it.
Open the official Lee County, IA parcel map See it in the Platbookmapper directory
Not a survey. County GIS and tax parcel maps are assessment and planning layers. They are not a substitute for a recorded plat, deed, or licensed survey, especially for fences, setbacks, or boundary disputes.