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National curriculum lesson · Property Ownership

Lot and Block Legal Descriptions

A lot-and-block description identifies land by a lot number, sometimes a block number, the subdivision name, and the recording reference for the plat. The recorded plat supplies the boundaries and dimensions. This system is common in subdivisions and depends on the public map rather than a narrated perimeter.

Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources. Editorial standards.

What is the exam-ready answer?

A lot-and-block description identifies land by a lot number, sometimes a block number, the subdivision name, and the recording reference for the plat. The recorded plat supplies the boundaries and dimensions. This system is common in subdivisions and depends on the public map rather than a narrated perimeter.
Official syllabus mapping for Lot and Block Legal Descriptions
Official syllabus topicLot and Block Legal Descriptions
Official PSI areaProperty Ownership
Published area weight10% of the 100-question national portion
Exam portionNational salesperson portion
Source editionPSI Georgia Candidate Information Bulletin dated July 1, 2026

The Rule

PSI publishes the weight for the complete content area, not a fixed question count for this lesson. Learn the rule well enough to apply it when PSI changes names, numbers, or parties in a new scenario.

The lesson

These ideas work together. On the exam, the wrong answers usually describe a nearby concept, so learn where each one stops.

Recorded plat

A surveyor creates a subdivision map showing lots, blocks, streets, easements, and dimensions. Recording makes the referenced map available in the land records.

Description parts

A complete reference usually names the lot, block if used, subdivision, plat book and page or equivalent recording data, county, and state.

What the plat controls

The deed can remain short because the recorded map shows the parcel geometry. Easements and common areas may also appear on the plat.

When to recognize it

Words such as lot, block, subdivision, plat book, map page, or recorded plat signal this method.

Decision rule

Verify that the deed reference leads to one recorded plat and one identifiable lot.

Georgia-specific distinction

Georgia county real estate records frequently use plat-book and page references. The closing file should use the recorded legal description, not a marketing lot label that has never been recorded.

Worked example

Scenario. A deed describes Lot 14, Block B, Pine Ridge Subdivision, according to Plat Book 22, Page 81, county records.

Reason it through. The deed identifies the parcel by reference to the recorded subdivision map where its boundaries are shown.

Answer. This is a lot-and-block description.

Common exam traps

  • Confusing a tax map with the recorded plat
  • Omitting the subdivision or recording reference
  • Treating a builder's model number as a lot
  • Assuming the plat proves current title

Original practice questions with detailed explanations

These questions were written for instruction and mapped to the current outline. They are not copied from PSI or any live examination. Choose an answer before opening the explanation.

Question 1

A deed describes "Lot 14, Block B, Pine Ridge Subdivision, according to Plat Book 22, Page 81." Where are the lot's boundary dimensions found?

  1. A. The county tax map
  2. B. The deed's granting clause
  3. C. The builder's sales brochure
  4. D. The recorded subdivision plat
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: D. The recorded subdivision plat

In a lot-and-block description the deed incorporates the recorded plat, and the plat shows the lot's boundaries and dimensions. A tax map is an assessment tool, not the recorded plat the deed refers to, which makes it the plausible wrong choice.

Question 2

Which deed phrase shows that the property is described by lot and block?

  1. A. Beginning at an iron pin on the north line of Elm Road
  2. B. Lot 7, Block C, Oak Hills, per Plat Book 18, Page 44
  3. C. The SW 1/4 of Section 9, Township 2 North, Range 3 East
  4. D. Thence North 30 degrees East a distance of 150 feet
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: B. Lot 7, Block C, Oak Hills, per Plat Book 18, Page 44

Lot, block, subdivision name, and a plat book and page reference are the signals of lot and block. An iron pin and a bearing with a distance belong to metes and bounds, and section, township, and range belong to the government survey.

Question 3

A plat recorded in 2004 shows Lot 9 in the Brookhaven subdivision. What does that plat establish?

  1. A. Who owns Lot 9 today
  2. B. That Lot 9 is free of liens
  3. C. Lot 9's boundaries and dimensions
  4. D. Lot 9's current market value
Show answer and explanation →

Answer: C. Lot 9's boundaries and dimensions

A plat describes the land: lots, blocks, streets, easements, and dimensions. It does not show who owns the lot now or whether liens exist, because the chain of title and current records answer those questions.

Ready to move on?

You are ready for the next lesson when all of these are true.

  • Explain Lot and Block Legal Descriptions in one clear answer without notes.
  • Separate Recorded plat from Description parts using a fresh example.
  • Apply the decision rule to a new fact pattern and name the fact that controls the result.
  • State the Georgia-specific point or explain why the national rule applies unchanged.
  • Answer every practice question and explain the rule each rejected option misapplies.
  • Revisit this topic later in mixed practice without category labels.

Recommended next lesson

Continue with Government Survey System. Next, the government survey covers the third description system on the PSI outline, built on townships, ranges, and 640-acre sections; Georgia deeds rarely use it, but the exam still asks you to work out fractional sections.

Return to the Property Ownership hub to see every official branch and the complete lesson sequence for this content area.

Lot and Block Legal Descriptions questions

Facts checked against the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and GREC sources. Editorial standards.

Is Lot and Block Legal Descriptions on the Georgia real estate exam?

Yes. It belongs to PSI's Property Ownership content area, which is 10% of the 100-question national portion. PSI publishes content-area weights, not a guaranteed question count for this individual lesson.

What is the main rule for Lot and Block Legal Descriptions?

Verify that the deed reference leads to one recorded plat and one identifiable lot.

What Georgia-specific distinction should I remember?

Georgia county real estate records frequently use plat-book and page references. The closing file should use the recorded legal description, not a marketing lot label that has never been recorded.