Final Plat and Replat Process

Overview

The Final Plat is the second step in a two-step Major Land Division process. This step includes the final design of the subdivision, engineering of public improvements, and the subdivider’s submittal of improvement plans to the Building Safety Division for review and approval.

A Replat is an amendment to a recorded plat to: modify the number or location of lots, tracts, or easements; adjust lot lines; change roadway alignments; or provide for modifications to dedicated easements, rights-of-way, or tracts. Replats follow the same process as Final Plats.

The main steps in the process are:

Step 1: Application Submittal

Application for a Final Plat may be submitted at any point after Preliminary Plat approval.

A Replat may be submitted at any point after Final Plat approval and recordation. The requirement for a Preliminary Plat may be waived by the Planning Director if the Replat substantially conforms with the previously approved Preliminary Plat.

Complete applications and fees must be submitted electronically via the Mesa’s DIMES portal. Applications are due each Monday by the end of the business day.

The applicant is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all information submitted to the City. Incomplete applications will NOT be accepted.

Required Documents:

• Application - submitted through the DIMES portal
• Property Owner Authorization(PDF, 162KB)
• Title Report - along with all recorded documents showing proof of ownership. 
• Project Narrative - describing the proposed subdivision, including a description of any proposed phasing of improvements and utility installation. If a Replat, a description of the proposed modifications from the approved Final Plat.

• Final Plat – consisting of the following:

• Identification Data
  • Drawn to a standard engineering scale at no more than one hundred (100) feet to one (1) inch. Use more than one sheet if necessary.
  • Proposed name of subdivision, legal description, and acreage.
  • Name and address of subdivider, engineer, surveyor, and owners of subject property.
  • Date of preparation and all subsequent revisions, scale, and north arrow.
• Survey Data
  • Boundary lines of subdivision, rights-of-way lines and dimensions of existing and proposed streets, easements (including recording information for all existing easements), alleys and other rights-of-ways, block and lot lines or building envelopes with accurate bearings and distances.
  • Name, book, and page number of any recorded subdivision adjacent to or having common boundaries with the subject property.
  • Location of all driveways, streets, and median openings on the opposite side of the perimeter streets within 325 feet of any proposed driveway or intersection.
• Descriptive Data
  • Name, right-of-way lines, courses, lengths, and width of all public streets, alleys, pedestrian ways, and utility easements; radii, points of tangency, curve lengths, and central angles of all curvilinear streets, alleys, and intersection corners.
  • All drainageways, earth fissures, or other natural features shall be shown on the plat. The rights-of-way of all major drainageways shall be dedicated drainage easements or rights-of-way as determined by the Engineering Department.
  • All easements for right-of-way provided for public services or utilities and any limitations of the easements. The following notations shall be placed on all final plats: "Construction within easements, except by public agencies and utility companies, shall be limited to utilities and wood, wire, or removable section-type fencing."
  • Location, dimensions, and square footage of all lots.
    • All residential lots shall be numbered by consecutive numbers throughout the plat. "Exceptions," "tracts," and "common open space" shall be so designated, lettered, or named and clearly dimensioned. Ownership and maintenance responsibility for common open space areas shall be indicated on the plat.
    • Location, dimensions, bearings, radii, arcs, and central angles of all sites to be dedicated to the City with the use clearly indicated.
    • Location of all adjoining subdivisions with date, book, and page number of recordation noted, or if unrecorded or unsubdivided, so noted.
    • Any deed restrictions or restrictive covenants required or to be imposed upon the plat or any part or parts thereof pertaining to the intended use of the land shall be submitted as a part of the total recording submittal.
  • Tract Table – Identification of all tracts, their purpose, and acreages.
  • Lot Table – Identify all lot numbers, width & depth, area, lot disturbance area (*for Desert Upland only), and acreage of overall site.
• Dedication and Acknowledgment
  • Statement of dedication of all streets, alleys, drainage retention basins and drainage ways, pedestrian/bicycle ways, and easements for public use, including sanitation, fire, and other emergency-related vehicles, executed by the person holding title of record, by persons holding titles as vendees under land contract, by spouse of said parties, lienholders, and all other parties having an interest in the property. If lands dedicated are mortgaged, the mortgagee shall also sign the plat.
  • Dedication shall include a written location by section, township, and range of the tract. If the plat contains private streets, the public easement which shall be reserved shall include the right to install and maintain utilities in the private street, including refuse collections, fire, and other emergency services.
  • Acknowledgment of Dedication. Execution of dedication acknowledged and certified by a notary public.
  • Required Standard Notes and Dedication Language(PDF, 204KB).  
• Required Certifications and Proofs
  • Certification by the registered land surveyor preparing the plat that the plat is correct and accurate and that the monuments described in it have either been set or located as described. All maps shall contain the seal of a registered land surveyor, as per Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS).
  • Certification by the City Engineer that all engineering conditions and requirements have been complied with.
  • For properties located within Mesa’s designated water service area, a written commitment of water service from the City for the proposed subdivision. In cases of properties located within the service area of a private water company, the property owner must provide proof that a certificate of assured water supply has been obtained from the Arizona Department of Water Resources covering the subject land.

Step 2: Staff Review 

All Final Plats and Replats must substantially conform to the approved Preliminary Plat. If the Final Plat or Replat does not substantially conform, the Preliminary Plat must be revised and resubmitted for review and approval.

Staff will review the Final Plat or Replat for compliance with all appropriate Mesa standards, codes, specifications, and requirements and provide written comments within 8 working days of the next closest formal submittal date listed on the Planning & Zoning Board Calendar(PDF, 727KB).

This comment letter will identify requirements that need to be resolved before obtaining approval.

The applicant will revise pertinent documents to address review comments and provide a written comment response letter stating how each review comment was addressed.

This process repeats until all requirements are met.

Step 3: Recording

Once all applicable Mesa standards, codes, specifications, and requirements have been met, the applicant will prepare the Final Plat or Replat for approval and recordation and submit the following documents to the Planning Division. All documents will be uploaded to the case file in the DIMES system except for the mylar of the Final Plat which must be delivered to the Planning Division.

Required Documents

• Final Plat on white photo mylar, or direct electronic plot on 4 mil mylar or bond paper
  • Must contain original signatures and be properly executed by a title company or notary public
  • Must be signed and stamped with indelible black ink
  • Do not fold mylars or bond paper
• A pdf with approved addresses for the City of Mesa Engineering Department Records. For a Map of Dedication (MOD), a pdf must still be uploaded, but does not require addresses
• A Will Serve Letter from the City of Mesa Utilities Department. Per section 9-6-2(C)6(b) of the Subdivision Regulations, the City Engineer must certify on each plat that there is an assured water supply prior to recording. A Will Serve letter from the Mesa Utilities Division is the mechanism required for the City Engineer to sign a plat. Will Serve Letter Request form
• Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs)
• Recording Fees
• A digital (CAD) file of the Final Plat or MOD and a pdf without addresses
• Updated Preliminary Title Report along with one copy of all recorded documents identified on Schedule B or provide documentation from a Title Company verifying current ownership.

The plat will be routed to the Planning Director and City Engineer for signature and attesting.

Planning staff will verify with the Development Services staff that the subdivision improvement plans have been approved prior to the plat being sent to the Real Estate Services Division for recordation. Once recorded, the plat will be returned to the engineer of record.