Blog · October 14, 2026 · Illinois
Reading the Morton Plat Map for a lot
Lots in Morton trace back to recorded plats filed with the county.
Main page: Tazewell County, IL GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
Platbookmapper is an Amazon Associate. If you buy through an Amazon link on this page, we earn a commission. The link is a product, not the county map.
When a listing near East Peoria mentions a lot number, you'll need the Morton plat map to make sense of it. Covered here for Morton: where to request a copy, plat versus tax map, and what to look for on the sheet.
Who keeps the Morton plat map
For land around Deer Creek, 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 Tazewell County publishes
Go first to the Tazewell County ArcGIS parcel map; it maps each tax parcel around Marquette Heights and Washington. For acreage around East Peoria, enter a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, then pick the result to center the map on it. In and around East Peoria, the record panel normally shows the owner of record, assessed acreage, the parcel number and often a sale date.
On site with the map
Most viewers work in a phone browser, useful out on a road near Tremont, though signal can drop in rural spots. A screenshot of the parcel near Deer Creek with its ID is a good backup.
City limits and county records
Morton is part of Tazewell County, Illinois, and the county assessor maps its lots. If the land is near East Peoria, 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 out by Washington generally answers to county rules instead.
Replats and vacations
An amended plat may change lots around East Peoria, so check for later filings; vacated streets or alleys also get recorded.
A word on accuracy
Listed acreage is an estimate; only a licensed surveyor sets the real corners for a parcel near Tremont. For land near Tremont, owner names and values update on a schedule, so a deed recorded last month might lag behind.
The paper trail behind a parcel
When the details count, request the recorded deed from the county Recorder of Deeds (in many counties the County Clerk and Recorder); the parcel map near Creve Coeur only summarizes it. Long-held tracts around Marquette Heights can sit on several deeds, so a title company is worth hiring before a purchase.
How a plat differs from the tax map
Where lines don't match in Morton, the recorded plat and a survey control.
Sections, lots and bearings
Illinois follows the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Washington 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 Marquette Heights vary in size. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near Marquette Heights when you talk to a surveyor.
Next door to Tazewell County
Tazewell County touches Fulton County, Logan County, McLean County, Mason County, and Peoria County, and each of those keeps its own parcel map. A tract near the line by Tremont may show up across two assessors' files, so check the neighboring map too. For a parcel near East Peoria, our state page links each neighboring county map across Illinois.
When there's no plat
Rural land near Deer Creek that was never subdivided may have no plat at all; look for a recorded survey for land there.
Lots, blocks and easements
If you're looking near Creve Coeur, the sheet usually includes lot and block numbers, dimensions and bearings, street rights-of-way and easements.
Which office to call
If the acreage or value on a parcel near Tremont looks off go to the Supervisor of Assessments, working with township assessors, since that office keeps the assessment data. Building or septic questions for a lot near Washington need the planning or permitting office, town or county, depending on location.
Getting your bearings
Pekin is the county seat, home to the main records offices. Smaller places on the map include East Peoria, Tremont, Washington, and Creve Coeur. Roughly 129,541 people live in Tazewell County (Census estimate, 2023) across some 646 square miles. Tazewell County was organized in 1827, and some chains of title near Washington are long.
Online indexes and office visits
For acreage around Washington, many recorder offices offer an online index, while others require a visit or a request; small fees are common.
Morton: common questions
Are old plats online in Morton?
The county Recorder of Deeds (in many counties the County Clerk and Recorder) can say what's available; call before you visit.
Can lots near Deer Creek be combined?
For most people, lot splits in Morton go through the planning office; ask staff about the process.
Is a plat map a survey around Tremont?
Usually, the plat near Tremont is recorded, while the GIS layer is an approximation; a surveyor ties it to the ground.
Who has recorded plats for land near Creve Coeur?
Short answer: recorded plats near Deer Creek are filed with the county Recorder of Deeds (in many counties the County Clerk and Recorder); use the plat reference from the deed or parcel record.
What's the tax parcel number used for near Deer Creek?
It's the number the Supervisor of Assessments, working with township assessors uses to track a tract near Creve Coeur; you'll see it in the viewer and on tax statements.
Open the official Tazewell County, IL 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.