Blog · September 27, 2026
Improvement Location Certificate vs a Plat
An improvement location certificate reports where the buildings sit relative to the lines for a lender or a buyer. The plat is the recorded lot.
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The certificate is often expressly not a boundary survey and not for building a fence. It can still catch a garage that crosses a line.
On the recorded sheet
Its date matters. An addition built later is not on it.
The mix-up to avoid
Order the plat from the land records. Order the certificate from the surveyor who signed it.
Find the county map
Open Platbookmapper and pick the county that taxes the land. Use that viewer to get the parcel ID, then match it to the recorded plat if you need the easements and lot numbers.
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.