Blog · October 14, 2026 · North Dakota
Foster County Plat Book, North Dakota: what to know
Out toward Glenfield, plat books show ownership by township; the parcel viewer shows it today.
Main page: Foster County, ND GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Hunting for the latest Foster County plat book? A plat book shows owners and tract lines on township pages, useful for farms near Melville. In this Foster County guide: what's in a plat book, where to find editions, and how the county viewer fills the gaps.
Tracking down a Foster County plat book
If the land is near Grace City, plat books are commercial atlases, showing rural owners and tract lines, often organized by township.
Pulling up a parcel
Your first stop is the North Dakota Parcel Viewer; it covers each tax parcel around Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge and Grace City. Out toward Grace City, type a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, and the matching parcel lights up. For acreage around James River, save the parcel ID from that panel; every records desk in the county asks for it first.
Editions and availability
Not every county has a current edition, check with local offices and farm stores near Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge.
A word on accuracy
If the land is near Melville, the acreage figure is an estimate; only a licensed surveyor sets the real lines on the ground. Out toward Melville, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month might lag behind.
Between editions
For land near Glenfield, the North Dakota Parcel Viewer is updated more often than any atlas, across the county.
Recorded documents worth pulling
The map is an index, not the title: deeds, subdivision plats and easements for land near James River are filed with the County Recorder. Long-held tracts around Bordulac can go back through many deeds, so a title company can sort it out on a real sale.
Neighboring parcel maps
Foster County touches Eddy County, Griggs County, Stutsman County, and Wells County, all with their own assessor records. Ground near Carrington that runs to the line can show up across two assessors' files, so open the neighboring map before you assume the acreage. On ground around Carrington, our state page lists each neighboring county map across North Dakota.
Atlas or legal document
In and around Carrington, a plat book is not a recorded plat: the recorded plat at the County Recorder is a legal document, while the atlas is a reference.
Places you'll see on the map
Carrington serves as the county seat, home to the main records offices. Smaller places on the map include Glenfield, Grace City, McHenry, and Barlow, where town lots give way to larger tracts. Roughly 3,309 people live in Foster County (Census Bureau estimate, 2023) on roughly 634 square miles. Foster County was organized in 1873, so old deeds can run back a long way. Landmarks such as James River and Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge are easy to spot when you zoom out.
A homemade atlas
Print parcel views near Carrington township by township to build your own up-to-date atlas.
Legal descriptions in North Dakota
North Dakota follows the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Melville reference sections and townships. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though real sections near Grace City vary in size. Write down the legal description for the tract near McHenry before you request a deed or survey.
Who uses plat books
Farmers, hunters and appraisers near Bordulac use plat books to see ownership across many tracts at once.
Offices that can help
Anything recorded against property around Glenfield sit in the index kept by the County Recorder, sometimes only in person. Questions about what you can build around Grace City need the planning or permitting office, town or county, depending on location.
On site with the map
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Grace City, though signal can drop in rural spots. A screenshot of the parcel near Carrington with its ID is a good backup.
Quick answers
Are plat book lines exact near Melville?
Out toward McHenry, plat book acreage and lines are approximate.
Are old plat books online in Foster County?
In most cases, state archives near Glenfield may have copies.
Can I use a plat book for a boundary near Grace City?
On ground around Bordulac, a plat book is a privately published atlas; use a surveyor for lines.
Should I use the North Dakota Parcel Viewer instead for land near Barlow?
With a lot near James River, the North Dakota Parcel Viewer is free and updated more often; a printed atlas is still handy offline.
Why do offices ask for the parcel ID around Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge?
Every office uses it to pull the same file for land near Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge; you'll see it in the viewer and on tax statements.
Open the official Foster County, ND 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.