Subdivision records · California · October 6, 2026
What Is a Tract Map? Tract Map vs Parcel Map
What is a tract map? It is the recorded subdivision map that creates lots, used mainly in California for 5+ lots. How it differs and how to find one.
What is a tract map? In real estate, a tract map is the official recorded map that divides a piece of land into a subdivision, laying out the lots, streets, easements, and dimensions that later deeds point back to. The term is used most in California, where state law calls it a final map and requires one for most subdivisions that create five or more parcels. Smaller divisions there get a different document, a parcel map. If your legal description says something like “Lot 14 of Tract No. 8723,” the tract map is the drawing that lot number comes from, and it is usually the first record to pull when you want to know how your lot was created.
Tract map basics
A tract map is drawn by a licensed land surveyor or civil engineer, approved by the city or county, and then recorded with the county recorder. Once recorded, it becomes the reference for every lot on it. A typical tract map shows:
- The tract number, assigned by the local agency, plus the map book and page where the recorder filed it.
- Lot lines and numbers, with bearings, distances, curve data, and lot areas.
- Streets and alleys, including widths and whether they were dedicated to the public or kept private.
- Easements for utilities, drainage, access, or sidewalks.
- Monuments, the survey markers found or set to tie the map to the ground.
- Certificates and signatures from the owners, the surveyor or engineer, the approving agency, and the recorder.
Outside California the same kind of document is usually just called a subdivision plat or final plat, though some places use “tract map” too. Our guide to what a plat map is covers that wider family of records.
Tract map vs parcel map
California’s Subdivision Map Act sets up two main kinds of subdivision maps. The dividing line is mostly the number of lots:
- Tentative and final map (the tract map). Generally required when a subdivision creates five or more parcels, five or more condominium units, or similar projects.
- Parcel map. Generally used for four or fewer parcels. The law also sends a few larger divisions to the parcel map route, such as splits where every new parcel is 20 acres or more with approved road access, or 40 acres or more.
Local ordinances add their own details, and a city may require a tentative map even for a small parcel map, so the exact path varies by jurisdiction. On the ground, the practical difference is that tract maps tend to cover full subdivisions with new streets, while parcel maps cover lot splits of a single property. Elsewhere in the country, a split like that is often handled as a minor subdivision or a lot split.
Don’t confuse either one with the county assessor’s parcel map. That map is drawn for taxes, carries the assessor’s parcel numbers, and often notes which tract each lot belongs to, but it is not the recorded subdivision map. Plat map vs parcel map explains the difference in more detail.
Tentative tract map vs final tract map
A tract map goes through two stages. The tentative map is the proposal: the developer submits a layout of lots and streets, and the planning agency reviews it, holds hearings where required, and approves it with conditions such as road improvements, drainage work, or fees. Tentative approval lasts for a set time and expires unless the developer records the final map or gets an extension.
The final map is the precise, surveyed version that shows the conditions have been met. Once the agency signs off and the county recorder records it, the lots legally exist and can be sold on their own. If you are reading a recorded tract map, you are looking at the final map. Preliminary plat vs final plat covers the same two-step idea as it works in other states.
Not to be confused with a census tract map
A search for “tract map” also brings up census tract maps, which are a completely different thing. Census tracts are statistical areas the U.S. Census Bureau uses to report population and housing data. Their boundaries have nothing to do with lot lines or ownership, and a census tract number will not help you find a property record.
How to find the tract map for a property
- Get the tract number. Look at your deed or title report for the legal description. Many California descriptions name the tract number and the map book and pages where it was recorded. Our guide to finding a property’s legal description shows where to look.
- Check the assessor’s map. If you only have an address or an assessor’s parcel number, the county assessor’s map page for that parcel often shows the tract number and map reference. Looking up a California parcel number walks through the search.
- Search the recorder or surveyor records. The county recorder keeps the official copy of recorded maps. In many California counties, the public works or county surveyor department also posts scanned tract and parcel maps online, searchable by tract number.
- Ask a title company. If the online records are hard to search, a title officer can usually pull a copy of the recorded map along with any amendments.
Start with the county GIS links in our county parcel map directory or the California parcel map guide to find the right county site.
Reading a tract map once you have it
Find your lot number first, then trace its lines. Each side usually carries a bearing and distance, and curved lines along a street carry curve data such as radius and length. Look for dashed lines labeled as easements, notes about building setbacks or private streets, and the monument symbols at corners. Check whether the map was later changed, too. A lot line adjustment, an amended map, or a replat can move lines after the original recording, so the latest recorded document controls. And keep in mind that a tract map shows how the land was laid out, not who owns it now. Ownership is traced through the deeds.
Tract map FAQ
Is a tract map the same as a plat?
They do the same job. A tract map is a recorded subdivision map, and in most states that document is called a subdivision plat. California law calls it a final map, and people there usually call it a tract map.
What is the difference between a tract map and a parcel map?
In California, a tentative and final tract map is generally required for subdivisions creating five or more parcels, while a parcel map is generally used for four or fewer and for a few larger-lot exceptions. Local rules can add steps.
Where can I find a tract map for my house?
Get the tract number from your deed, title report, or the assessor's map, then request the recorded map from the county recorder. Many California counties also post scanned tract maps online through public works or the county surveyor.
What is a tentative tract map?
It is the proposed subdivision layout that a developer submits for approval. The local agency approves it with conditions, and the developer then records a final map that meets them before the lots can be sold.
Does a tract map show who owns the lots?
No. It shows how the land was divided at the time it was recorded. Current ownership is traced through recorded deeds and the assessor's records.