Plats · Surveys · Reading maps · October 18, 2026

Plat Map Abbreviations: What POB, ROW, Esmt and More Mean

Plat map abbreviations in plain English: POB, POC, ROW, PUE, BSL, IPF and IRS, (R) vs (M), curve table letters and plat book and page references.

Plat map abbreviations are the shorthand surveyors and county offices use to fit a lot of information onto one sheet: where the description starts, which corners were found or set, how a curve is shaped and where the plat is recorded. Most are fairly standard, but they are not perfectly uniform from state to state or from one surveyor to the next. Below are the abbreviations you are most likely to meet on a recorded plat, a survey drawing or a county parcel map, grouped by what they describe, with a few tips for decoding the ones that are not on the list.

The short answer

POB is the point of beginning, and POC is the point of commencement, a known spot the description starts from before it reaches the POB.
ROW or R/W means right-of-way, and C/L or CL means centerline.
Esmt. is easement. U.E., P.U.E. and D.E. are utility, public utility and drainage easements.
IPF, IRS, CMF and similar codes describe corner markers: iron pipe or pin found, iron rod set, concrete monument found.
(R), (M) and (C) after a number tell you whether it is the record, measured or calculated value.
The sheet’s own legend and notes win. If a plat defines an abbreviation differently, go with the plat.

Where abbreviations show up on a plat

Look in four places before you guess at a meaning. The legend usually pairs symbols with their labels, the general notes spell out terms the surveyor wants to be clear about, the line and curve tables hold the short codes for each boundary segment, and the title block and recording stamp carry the book, page and document references. The drawing itself uses the shortest forms, often squeezed along a line or next to a corner symbol.

Points, lines and boundaries

POB: point of beginning, where the boundary description starts and, in a closed description, ends. See what is a point of beginning.
POC: point of commencement, a reference point such as a section corner that the description ties to before running to the POB.
P/L or PL: property line. On some engineering drawings PL can also mean plate or pipeline, so read it in context.
ROW or R/W: right-of-way, the strip held for a road, railroad or utility. The width is often written next to it, such as “60’ R/W.”
C/L or CL: centerline of a road, easement or stream.
BSL or B.S.L.: building setback line. Some areas use BRL, building restriction line, for the same idea. See how to find building setbacks.
Esmt.: easement. Common variations are U.E. (utility easement), P.U.E. (public utility easement), D.E. (drainage easement) and D.U.E. (drainage and utility easement). More in utility easement maps and what is a drainage easement.
Adj.: adjoining, as in an adjoining owner’s name or deed reference written outside the boundary.

Corner markers and monuments

Survey drawings label each corner with what is physically there. The first letters name the object, and the last letter usually says whether it was found or set.

IPF / IPS: iron pipe (or iron pin) found / set. Because “P” can stand for pipe or pin, check the legend.
IRF / IRS: iron rod found / set, usually a steel reinforcing bar driven into the ground.
CMF or CM: concrete monument found, or just concrete monument.
PK nail and MAG nail: surveying nails driven into pavement or concrete where a rod will not go.
w/ cap: the rod or pipe has a plastic or metal cap, often stamped with a license number. LS, PLS, RLS and PSM are common titles for a licensed or registered land surveyor, depending on the state.
Fd.: found. Calc. or Calc. pt.: a calculated point where nothing was found or set.
WC: witness corner, a marker set near a corner that cannot be occupied. See what is a witness corner.

For what these markers look like in the field, see what is a monument on a plat.

Record, measured and calculated values

When a survey retraces an older description, the drawing may show two or more numbers for the same line. A letter in parentheses tells you where each one came from:

(R): record, the value from the deed or plat of record.
(M): measured, the value the surveyor found in the field.
(P): plat, from a recorded plat. (D): deed, from the deed.
(C): calculated, worked out by the surveyor rather than measured directly.

Small gaps between record and measured values are normal, since older work used different equipment and sometimes a different basis of bearing. Large gaps are worth asking the surveyor about.

Bearings, distances and curve tables

N, S, E, W: the quadrant of a bearing, written like N 45°30’15” E, which reads as degrees, minutes and seconds east of north. See what is a bearing on a plat map.
L1, L2, L3: line labels that point to a line table listing each short segment’s bearing and length.
C1, C2, C3: curve labels that point to a curve table.
R: radius. L or A: arc length.
Δ (delta): the central angle of the curve. Some older curve data also lists D for degree of curve, which is a different number, so check the table heading.
CB and CH or CD: chord bearing and chord distance, the straight line between the two ends of the curve.
T: tangent length. PC and PT: point of curvature and point of tangency, where a curve starts and ends. PRC and PCC mark a point of reverse curve and a point of compound curve.

Walkthroughs with examples are in how to read a curve table and how to read a curve on a plat.

Area, land units and the public land survey

Ac. or AC: acres. S.F. or sq. ft.: square feet. ± means approximately.
Sec.: section. T. or Twp.: township. R. or Rge.: range. Together they read like Sec. 12, T4N, R2W. See how to read township and range.
NE 1/4, SW 1/4 and so on: quarter sections and their smaller parts.
Gov’t Lot or G.L.: government lot, an irregular piece of a section, often along water. See what is a government lot.
Ch. and Rd.: chains and rods in older descriptions. Rd. can also just mean road, which context usually settles.

Recording and book references

P.B. or PB: plat book. Pg. or P.: page. “P.B. 14, Pg. 22” points to the recorded plat. See how plat book and page numbers work.
D.B.: deed book. Vol.: volume, used in place of book in some counties.
O.R. or O.R.B.: official records or official records book, used in Florida and some other places.
Inst. No. or Doc. No.: instrument or document number, the way many counties now index recordings instead of book and page.
Cab. and Sl.: plat cabinet and slide, a filing system some counties use for plats.

Physical features on survey drawings

EOP: edge of pavement. BOC: back of curb.
Conc. and Asph.: concrete and asphalt surfaces.
OHE or OHU: overhead electric or overhead utility lines.
FH, WM and MH: fire hydrant, water meter and manhole.
BM and TBM: benchmark and temporary benchmark, points of known elevation. See what is a benchmark in surveying.
FFE: finished floor elevation, common on flood and building surveys.
NTS: not to scale. Typ.: typical, meaning the label applies to every similar item.

Abbreviations on county GIS parcel maps

Online parcel viewers have their own shorthand, mostly in the pop-up table for a parcel. Field names such as PIN, APN, parcel ID, acres, owner and legal description are common, but each county names its fields its own way and often shortens the legal description to fit. Treat those pop-ups as an index that points you to the recorded plat and deed, not as a replacement for them. Our land map links to county parcel viewers, and how to read a parcel map covers the rest of the screen.

When an abbreviation is not on any list

Check the legend and the notes on that exact sheet first, including any second page.
Read it in context. A label at a corner is probably a marker, a label along a line is probably a line type or easement, and a label in the margin is probably a recording reference.
Look at other plats by the same surveyor, who tends to use the same shorthand from job to job.
Ask. The surveyor’s name and license number are on the seal, and the county recorder or engineering office can often explain local filing codes.

Decoding the shorthand helps you read a plat, but it does not settle where a line is on the ground. For that you still need a licensed land surveyor. To put it all together, see how to read a plat map and how to read a property survey.

Questions people ask

What does POB mean on a plat?

POB stands for point of beginning, the spot where a boundary description starts and, in a closed description, ends. POC, the point of commencement, is a known reference point the description ties to first.

What does IPF mean on a survey?

IPF usually means iron pipe found or iron pin found, an existing marker the surveyor located. IPS means one was set. Check the legend, because P can stand for pipe or pin.

What do (R) and (M) mean next to a distance?

(R) is the record value from the deed or plat of record, and (M) is the value the surveyor measured in the field. (C) is calculated, (P) is from a plat and (D) is from a deed.

What does PUE mean on a plat?

PUE, or P.U.E., means public utility easement, a strip set aside for utility lines such as power, water, sewer or cable. UE is utility easement and DE is drainage easement.

What do PB and PG mean on a deed or plat?

PB is plat book and PG is page, the volume and page where the plat is recorded. Many counties now use an instrument or document number instead of book and page.

What does the triangle symbol mean in a curve table?

The triangle is the Greek letter delta, the central angle of the curve. R is the radius, L or A is the arc length, and CB and CH are the chord bearing and chord distance.