Land Split Process

Overview

A Land Split is a streamlined process for the division of land whose area is 2.5 acres or less into:

• No more than two (2) lots, tracts, or parcels of land for a property with boundaries established by a recorded plat; or
• No more than three (3) lots, tracts, or parcels of land for a property with boundaries that were not established by a recorded plat.

Any further division must go through the Major Land Division process. 

A Land Split cannot include dedications of easements or rights-of-way. Any required dedications must be coordinated with Civil Plan Review in conjunction with Mesa’s Real Estate Services Division and recorded via a separate instrument.

The main steps in the process are:

Step 1: Application Submittal 

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. Incomplete applications will NOT be accepted.

Required Documents:

• Application - submitted through the DIMES portal
  • Planning Application: Administrative Review
    • Request Type: Land Division
    • Sub Process Type: Land Split

• Property Owner Authorization(PDF, 162KB)
• Title Report – along with all recorded documents showing proof of ownership.
• Project Narrative – describing the proposed Land Split, including a description of any proposed phasing of improvements and utility installation.
• Land Split Map 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 Land Division, 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.
  • Land Split application case number.
• Survey Data
  • Boundary lines of Land Division, 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 Land Division 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 map. 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 and rights-of-way must be dedicated via separate instrument and coordinated with Civil Plan Review.
  • Location, dimensions, and square footage of all lots.
    • All residential lots shall be numbered with consecutive numbers throughout the Land Split Map.
    • Location of all adjoining subdivisions with date, book, and page number of recordation noted, or if unrecorded or unsubdivided, so noted.
  • Lot Table – Identify all lot numbers, width & depth, area, lot disturbance area (*for Desert Upland only), and acreage of overall site.
• Required Certifications and Proofs
  • Certification by the registered land surveyor preparing the Land Split Map that the map 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).

Step 2: Staff Review

Staff will review the Land Split for compliance with all appropriate standards, codes, specifications, and requirements and provide written comments within 8 working days of the application acceptance.   

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 standards, codes, specifications, and requirements have been met, the applicant will prepare the Land Split Map 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 print of the Land Split Map, which must be delivered to the Planning Division.

Required Documents:

• Land Split Map 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
• Recording Fees
• A digital (CAD) file of the Land Split and a PDF without addresses
• Title Report along with one copy of all recorded documents identified on Schedule B, or provide documentation from a Title Company verifying current ownership.
• Required: Owner and Planning Director Signature Block(PDF, 122KB)  

The Land Split Map will be routed to the Planning Director for signature and attesting.

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