Blog · October 14, 2026 · California
Reading the Pacifica Plat Map for a lot
Lots in Pacifica trace back to recorded plats filed with the county.
Main page: San Mateo County, CA GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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If a legal description for land in Pacifica cites a lot number, look up the Pacifica plat map it refers to. This Pacifica guide covers: where to request a copy, how a plat differs from a parcel map, and what to look for on the sheet.
Tracking down the Pacifica plat map
For land around South San Francisco, the deed usually cites the plat; use it to request a copy.
Pulling up a parcel
Begin with the San Mateo County parcel viewer; it covers each tax parcel from Daly City to Millbrae. In and around San Bruno, put in a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, and the viewer zooms to the match. For a tract near Burlingame, a pop-up or side panel usually lists the owner of record, assessed acreage, a parcel ID and sometimes recent sales.
Offices that can help
Anything recorded against property around Daly City sit in the index kept by the County Recorder, often with an online index. Questions about what you can build around San Bruno need the planning or permitting office, town or county, depending on location.
Pacifica and the county around it
The city sits in San Mateo County, California, so its parcels are on the county's map around Daly City. For land near Burlingame, City or town hall handles matters such as zoning, permits and utilities inside its limits, and the county still keeps the parcel and deed records. Acreage past the city limits toward Burlingame generally follows county rules, not municipal ones.
How a plat differs from the tax map
Where lines don't match in Pacifica, go with the plat and a surveyor's work.
When a plat changes
An amended plat may change lots around Colma, search the index for replats of the same subdivision; vacated streets or alleys also get recorded.
Taking the map into the field
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, useful out on a road near Burlingame, but coverage can be spotty out of town. A saved image of the lot near South San Francisco and its lines keeps working without signal.
Metes and bounds instead
Acreage around Burlingame outside a subdivision is often described by metes and bounds or survey description; the deed and any recorded survey describe it instead.
A quick look at the area
Redwood City is the county seat, where most land records are kept. Smaller places on the map include San Bruno, Millbrae, Colma, and Daly City, each with its own cluster of lots. Around 726,353 people live in San Mateo County (Census Bureau estimate, 2023) across about 449 square miles. Places such as Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge make handy reference points on the map near Millbrae.
A word on accuracy
Acreage on the record is an assessed number; only a licensed surveyor can set the real boundary for a parcel near Colma. Closer to Colma, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month can take weeks to appear.
Neighboring parcel maps
San Mateo County borders Alameda County, San Francisco County, Santa Clara County, and Santa Cruz County; every one of them runs a separate parcel map. Ground near San Bruno that runs to the line may be split across two assessors' files, so open the adjacent map before you assume the acreage. For acreage around Millbrae, the Platbookmapper state page lists each bordering county map for California.
The paper trail behind a parcel
When the details count, pull the recorded deed through the County Recorder; the parcel map near Colma only summarizes it. Long-held tracts around Colma may sit on many deeds, so a title company earns its fee before a purchase.
Legal descriptions in California
California uses the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near Colma cite section, township and range. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though corrections make some sections near Millbrae odd-sized. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near Daly City when you talk to a surveyor.
Reading the plat sheet
Closer to Millbrae, the sheet usually includes lot and block numbers, dimensions and bearings, street rights-of-way and easements.
Getting a copy
For land near Colma, some counties put plat images online, while others require a visit or a request; small fees are common.
Quick answers
Can lots near Burlingame be combined?
It depends, but lot splits in Pacifica go through the planning office, often with a surveyor's drawing.
Where can I find the Pacifica plat map?
For most people, recorded plats near South San Francisco are filed with the County Recorder; use the plat reference from the deed or parcel record.
What is a lot and block description for land near Millbrae?
If you're looking near Burlingame, lot and block refer to a numbered lot within a block on a recorded subdivision plat, so pull that plat for dimensions.
Where are historic plats for Pacifica?
In most cases, it varies; some offices have scanned older plats and some haven't.
Who keeps deeds for property in Pacifica?
For land near Daly City, assessment goes to the County Assessor and deeds to the County Recorder, while zoning questions go to planning
Open the official San Mateo County, CA 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.