Blog · October 14, 2026 · Minnesota
Using the Marshall Plat Map
A recorded plat shows how land near Minneota was divided into lots.
Main page: Lyon County, MN GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Checking easements on a house in Marshall? Start with the Marshall plat map, because the recorded plat shows how the land was divided. In this Marshall guide: where plats are filed, plat versus tax map, and what to look for on the sheet.
Tracking down the Marshall plat map
For a lot in Marshall, the deed or parcel record often names the subdivision and plat reference; bring that to the recorder's office or its online index.
The viewer Lyon County publishes
Your first stop is the Lyon County ArcGIS parcel map; it includes each assessed parcel in the county, Cottonwood included. Closer to Ghent, put in a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, then pick the result to center the map on it. In and around Balaton, write down the parcel ID from that panel; every clerk in the county will want it.
Neighboring parcel maps
Lyon County borders Lincoln County, Murray County, Pipestone County, Redwood County, and Yellow Medicine County, and each of those keeps its own parcel map. A tract near the line by Cottonwood may show up across two assessors' files, so look at the neighboring map before you assume the acreage. If you're looking near Cottonwood, the Platbookmapper state page links every neighboring county map across Minnesota.
City limits and county records
Marshall sits in Lyon County, Minnesota, which means parcel data comes from the county. Marshall is also the county seat, so deeds and plats are filed in town. For a home near Russell, the municipality handles things like zoning, permits and utilities within town limits, and the county still keeps the parcel and deed records. Acreage past the city limits near Ghent usually answers to county rules rather than the town's.
Who handles what
If the acreage or value on a parcel near Balaton looks off belong with the County Assessor, since that office keeps the assessment data. Zoning, permits and septic questions near Balaton are for the local planning and health departments, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Backing up the map with records
Before you sign anything, request the recorded deed through the County Recorder; the parcel line is a drawing of it, which applies near Cottonwood as much as anywhere. Long-held tracts near Minneota may go back through a long string of deeds, and a title company earns its fee if money is changing hands.
When there's no plat
Acreage around Russell outside a subdivision is often described by metes and bounds or survey description; the deed and any recorded survey describe it instead.
Legal descriptions in Minnesota
Minnesota uses the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Cottonwood reference sections and townships. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though corrections make some sections near Ghent odd-sized. Keep the legal description for land near Lynd for any title or survey request.
What the map can't tell you
Parcel lines are drawn for taxes, not measured on the ground, so a fence near Russell may sit several feet off the line on screen. Records update in batches, so a fresh transfer around Ghent can take weeks to appear.
Two different maps
The tax map on the Lyon County ArcGIS parcel map is a summary, but the recorded plat is what the deed relies on.
When a plat changes
Lots near Russell can be combined or reconfigured by a replat, so check for later filings; street vacations near Minneota show up in the records too.
What a plat shows
Easements on the plat near Lynd stay with the land when it sells; check the plat notes and any covenants.
Lyon County in a few facts
Marshall holds the county offices, which is where the courthouse records live. Other places on the map include Lynd, Ghent, Russell, and Minneota, each with its own cluster of lots. Around 25,427 people live in Lyon County (Census estimate, 2023) across about 714 square miles. Lyon County was formed in 1868, which matters when you trace an old farm's title. Places such as Yellow Medicine River and Redwood River are easy to spot when you zoom out from Ghent.
Requesting the plat
Around Balaton, many recorder offices offer an online index, otherwise call or visit with the reference; small fees are common.
On site with the map
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Minneota, so load it before you lose signal. A printout of the tract near Ghent keeps working without signal.
Questions about the Marshall plat map
What does lot 7, block 3 mean near Lynd?
For property near Ghent, the description sends you to a specific recorded plat, so pull that plat for dimensions.
Is a plat map a survey around Cottonwood?
Closer to Russell, a recorded plat is based on a survey, but the GIS map is not.
What do the dashed lines on a plat mean for land near Lynd?
For land near Russell, dashed lines often mark easements or building lines; read the plat notes.
Can lots near Ghent be combined?
In most cases, combining or splitting lots near Russell usually needs a recorded plat change.
What's a legal description in Marshall?
Closer to Balaton, deeds use lot and block, metes and bounds or survey descriptions, and the parcel record often summarizes it.
Open the official Lyon County, MN 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.