Replat cost: how to replat property, replat land, and what a replat survey really costs
A replat is a new subdivision plat that legally replaces all or part of one already on record, and it is the only way to change lot lines on land that was created by a plat. Budget two separate bills. The licensed surveyor is commonly $2,000 to $5,000 for boundary work and the sealed replat of a few residential lots, and the local review fee is published: Clackamas County, Oregon charges $1,193 for a Type I replat while neighboring Multnomah County charges $4,722 for the same product. If any lot in the original plat was ever restricted to single family use, your replat also triggers mailed notice to neighbors and a public hearing, and that, not the survey, is what controls your timeline. Post the parcel once on Surveyors.io and up to 3 licensed surveyors covering your county quote it.
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What is a replat, and when are you forced to file one?
A replat is a new subdivision plat that legally supersedes all or part of a plat that is already on record. You file one when the lot lines you want to change were drawn by a recorded subdivision plat rather than by a deed. That single fact, how your land was created, decides which product you are buying, and it can swing the public fees on physically identical work by a factor of four.
Land in the United States comes in two flavors. Metes and bounds land was described in a deed as a run of bearings and distances. Platted land was created when somebody recorded a subdivision or partition plat and every lot in it took a lot and block number. If your deed says Lot 7, Block 3 of the Fairview Addition, you own platted land, and that recorded plat is a public document you cannot quietly change.
Multnomah County, Oregon sets out the three paths plainly in its land use handout. Where all the properties were created by metes and bounds descriptions, the owner submits current deeds, a scaled map, a title report issued within the last 30 days and an owner affidavit, and finishes by recording a deed. Where the properties mix a metes and bounds parcel with a platted lot, the county requires a one parcel partition plat that the County Surveyor reviews for compliance with ORS Chapter 92 before it is recorded. Where all the properties were created by a subdivision or partition plat, the county is explicit: elimination of the interior lines may only be approved with a replat.
So the honest first question is not what a replat costs. It is whether you need one at all. Owners routinely pay replat prices for a job a deed and a property line adjustment would have handled, and builders routinely try to deed their way out of a platted subdivision and get the instrument rejected at the recorder counter.
How much does it cost to replat land?
These are 2026 US ranges for a residential replat that reconfigures lots without building anything. Costs are additive: a two lot replat on flat ground with a clean recorded plat and no notice requirement sits at the bottom of every row, and each complication moves one row at a time.
| Cost component | Typical 2026 range | What you are paying for |
|---|---|---|
| Surveyor boundary work and replat drafting, 2 to 4 lots | $2,000 to $5,000 | Plat research, field survey, monuments, sealed replat sheet set |
| Surveyor replat, 5 to 15 lots | $4,000 to $9,000 | More lines to run, more monuments, more sheets, more revision cycles |
| Local application and review fee | $1,193 to $4,722 published | Planning review of the replat application, see the county table below |
| Neighbor notice mailing and published legal notice | $150 to $800 | Per parcel mail-out charges plus newspaper publication where required |
| Public hearing sign posting | $50 to $300 | Sign fabrication and posting where the ordinance requires it |
| Title and deed review | $200 to $800 | Current deed, restrictions and ownership verified for the application |
| Plat recording at the county | $50 to $300 | Statutory per sheet or per plat recording fee |
| Existing conditions survey, where required | $900 to $3,500 | Sealed survey of paving, curbs, driveways, utilities, trees and sidewalks |
| Civil engineering, only if you create infrastructure | $5,000 and up | Drainage, street or utility design, not part of a simple lot reconfiguration |
A replat that dedicates a new street or extends utilities is not a lot reconfiguration, it is a development project with an engineering budget, and the surveying is a small fraction of it. If that is your project, price it against the cost to subdivide land instead.
Published replat fees, and why two neighboring counties charge four times apart
Almost nobody publishes what a replat costs, and the guides that try skip the half of the bill that is already a matter of public record. These are current published amounts from two adjacent Oregon counties, and they sit as far apart as the surveyor quotes people worry about. Pull your own jurisdiction fee schedule before you budget anything.
| Jurisdiction | Application type | Published fee |
|---|---|---|
| Clackamas County, OR | Replat, Type I | $1,193 |
| Clackamas County, OR | Replat, Type II | $2,865 |
| Clackamas County, OR | Property line adjustment, Type I | $1,193 |
| Clackamas County, OR | Partition | $2,865 |
| Clackamas County, OR | Subdivision, minor, 4 to 10 lots | $2,865 |
| Clackamas County, OR | Subdivision, major, 11 or more lots | $4,278 base plus $47.50 per lot |
| Multnomah County, OR | Replat | $4,722 |
| Multnomah County, OR | Property line adjustment | $4,228 |
| Multnomah County, OR | Lot consolidation or legalization, Type I | $1,238 |
| Multnomah County, OR | Lot of record or legal parcel determination | $2,245 |
Read the two Multnomah rows next to each other, because between them sits the most useful number on this page: $1,238 to consolidate lots against $4,722 to replat them. The physical work in your yard can be identical. What separates the prices is whether your lots came out of a recorded plat, which was decided decades before you bought the property. If you are merging parcels rather than reconfiguring them, read lot consolidation plat cost before you apply for anything.
Replat vs lot consolidation vs property line adjustment vs subdivision
Four different products get called "changing the lot lines" in ordinary conversation. They carry different applications, different fees and very different timelines. Match your sentence in the left column to the product before you ask anyone for a price.
| You want to | The product is | Hearing likely? | Typical all in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move a line between two platted lots | Replat | Often, if the plat carried residential restrictions | $3,500 to $9,000 |
| Move a line between two metes and bounds parcels | Property line or lot line adjustment | Usually no, staff level | $1,700 to $5,000 |
| Erase the line and end up with one parcel | Lot consolidation, by deed where allowed | Usually no, staff level | $1,500 to $4,000 |
| Turn one parcel into two or three | Minor subdivision or partition | Sometimes | $3,000 to $8,000 |
| Turn one parcel into eleven or more | Major subdivision | Yes, plus engineering | $15,000 and up |
| Fix a drafting error on a recorded plat | Plat correction or affidavit of correction | No in most states | $500 to $2,000 |
How to replat property, step by step
1.
Confirm your land is actually platted
Pull your deed and read the legal description. A lot and block reference with a subdivision name means platted land. A run of bearings and distances means metes and bounds, and you may be able to skip the replat entirely. The county surveyor or recorder will hand you the recorded plat for a few dollars, and it is worth having in your hand before you call anybody.
2.
Ask the planning department two questions
First: does my proposed change require a replat, or will you accept a property line adjustment? Second: does any lot in the original plat carry a single family residential restriction? The second answer decides whether you get a staff level approval in weeks or a noticed public hearing in months. Both calls are free and they are the highest value hour of the project.
3.
Hire a licensed land surveyor and scope the replat
The surveyor researches the recorded plat and the adjoining deeds, runs the boundary in the field, recovers or sets monuments, and drafts a sealed replat that meets the local technical standards. Ask up front whether an existing conditions survey is also required, because in several cities that is a separate sealed drawing with a separate fee that quotes leave out.
4.
Assemble the application package
Expect current deeds, the original recorded plat, the deed restrictions, a title report or commitment, an owner affidavit signed by every owner, and the notice materials. Houston, for example, requires an affidavit signed by all owners in the proposed replat attesting that it does not attempt to alter, amend or remove any covenants or restrictions, plus a warranty deed less than 30 days old for property outside Harris County.
5.
Clear technical review, then notice and hearing
Staff check the replat against zoning, minimum lot size, setbacks and infrastructure standards, and one or two revision cycles are normal rather than a sign of trouble. If notice is triggered, the jurisdiction mails owners in the notification area, you post a sign on the property, and the commission hears it on a posted agenda.
6.
Record the approved replat
Nothing is legal until the replat is recorded. Pay the recording fee, get the instrument number, then send it to your title company, your lender and the assessor. Until that happens your old lot lines are still the only ones that exist, and any deed you sign against the new configuration is describing land that is not there yet.
Do you need a public hearing for a replat?
Often, yes, and it is the part of a replat nobody budgets for. The trigger is not the size of your change or the number of lots. It is whether the land was ever restricted to single family residential use.
Houston states the rule directly. A subdivision plat that is a replat must provide notification to adjacent property owners under Chapter 42-49 if any lot in any preceding plat was limited by deed restrictions, separately filed restrictions, or plat restrictions to single family residential use, or restricted to residential use for not more than two single family residential units per lot. The notification area under 42-49(d) includes all parcels within 300 feet of the boundary of the plat, and the applicant pays the mail-out fees based on the Appraisal District count.
That one clause turns a paperwork exercise into a public process. You pay for the mail-outs, you post a sign, you wait for the next meeting at which proper notice can be met on a complete application, and any neighbor inside the notification area can show up and object. Cities stack their own sealed drawings on top: Houston requires an existing conditions survey signed and sealed under 42-56 showing paving width of all streets, curbs, driveways, utilities, trees and sidewalks for Class 2 and Class 3 preliminary plats providing for single family residential use.
The practical consequence is a scheduling one. Get the restriction question answered in week one. A replat with no notice requirement is commonly a six to ten week project. A noticed replat with a hearing is commonly three to six months, and the survey work is finished long before the calendar is.
Replat questions owners and builders ask
What does it mean to replat a property?
To replat a property means to record a new subdivision plat that legally replaces all or part of an earlier recorded plat. It is how lot lines, lot counts, easements and setbacks shown on the original plat actually get changed. A licensed land surveyor prepares and seals it, the local government approves it, and it takes effect only once it is recorded.
How much does it cost to replat land?
Budget $3,500 to $9,000 all in for a residential replat of a few lots. The surveyor is commonly $2,000 to $5,000 for the boundary work and the sealed replat. The public side is published and varies wildly: Clackamas County, Oregon charges $1,193 for a Type I replat and $2,865 for Type II, while Multnomah County charges $4,722.
Do you need a public hearing for a replat?
Frequently. Houston requires notification of adjacent owners under Chapter 42-49 whenever any lot in any preceding plat was limited to single family residential use, and the notification area covers every parcel within 300 feet of the plat boundary. Ask your planning department this in week one, because it decides whether the job runs weeks or months.
How long does a replat take?
A staff level replat with no notice requirement commonly runs six to ten weeks from hiring the surveyor to recording. A replat that triggers mailed notice and a public hearing commonly runs three to six months. Field survey and drafting are usually only two to four weeks of that. The rest is review, notice and agenda scheduling.
What is the difference between a plat and a replat?
A plat is the original recorded map that created the lots. A replat is a later plat that supersedes all or part of it. In practice a plat creates lots out of unplatted ground, while a replat rearranges lots an earlier plat already created, which is why replats carry notice and restriction rules the original plat never faced.
Can I replat my own property?
You can file the application, but you cannot draw the plat. Every state requires a replat to be prepared, signed and sealed by a land surveyor licensed in that state, because it sets legal boundaries. You can still save real money on the legwork by pulling the recorded plat, the deeds and the restrictions yourself before the surveyor starts.
Does a replat change my property taxes?
It changes the parcels the assessor bills, not the tax rate. Once the replat records, the old tax lots close and new ones open, usually effective the next assessment cycle. Send the recorded instrument number to the assessor rather than waiting, because a replat that never reaches them leaves you paying on parcels that no longer exist.
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