Understanding the Condominium Plat. How to Read One Before You Buy, Build or Sell.
What’s on each sheet of a condo plat, how a unit is defined in three dimensions, what Utah law requires, how condos differ from townhomes and PUDs, and six things every buyer and developer should check.
What Is a Condominium Plat?
A condominium plat is the recorded set of drawings that divides a building or project into individually owned units and common areas. A site sheet shows the land and buildings, floor plans show each unit’s walls and number, and building sections give each unit’s floor and ceiling elevations. In Utah, it’s prepared and certified by a licensed land surveyor and recorded with the declaration.
The plat says where. The declaration says who owns what and how it’s run.
- Utah lawCondominium Ownership Act, § 57-8-13
- Prepared byA Utah licensed land surveyor
- Recorded withThe declaration
- Units areThree-dimensional spaces
Three Kinds of Sheets in Every Condo Plat
Large projects have many of each; small ones may fit on a few. The illustration at the top shows all three.
Site & boundary
The whole project: the land’s exterior boundary with bearings and distances, where each building sits, parking, common areas, easements, and any land reserved for future phases.
Floor plans
Each floor of each building, with unit numbers, the perimeter wall dimensions of every unit, and the limited common areas like balconies, patios, parking stalls and storage.
Sections & elevations
Slices through the building showing each unit’s floor and ceiling elevations. This is what makes a unit a three-dimensional space you can own.
Six Things a Condo Plat Defines
Once you know these, any condo plat in Utah reads the same way.
The space you own
Defined by its walls on the floor plan and its floor and ceiling elevations on the section. The declaration says exactly which surface is the line, often the unfinished interior face.
Common areas
Everything that isn’t a unit: land, roof, structure, halls, grounds. Owned by all the owners together and run by the association.
Limited common areas
Common areas reserved for one or a few units, like a balcony, an assigned stall or a storage closet. Labeled on the plat with the unit they belong to.
Floor & ceiling numbers
Elevations like 5012.4 and 5020.6 are tied to a stated datum. They’re what separate the unit above from the unit below.
Convertible & expandable land
Land or space the developer can later turn into units. It’s labeled on the plat; a supplemental plat is recorded when it’s built out.
Encroachments
Anything that crosses the project boundary, in or out, has to be shown. A good surveyor finds these before recording, not after.
What Utah Requires on a Condominium Plat
A plain-language summary of Utah Code § 57-8-13. It’s not legal advice; your attorney handles the declaration and the legal side.
- Prepared by a Utah licensed land surveyor and recorded at the same time as the declaration.
- A description of the land, with the angles and distances along its exterior boundary.
- Where the buildings are, measured from the exterior boundary.
- Floor plans detailed enough to identify each unit, with the elevations of its floors and ceilings and the measurements of its perimeter walls.
- A number or symbol for every unit.
- Easements that belong to the project land, where feasible.
- Convertible, withdrawable and leased land, labeled, where the project has any.
- Encroachments by or on the project.
- The surveyor’s certificate that the plat is accurate and complies with the law.
After the first plat
- Expansion: when convertible land is built out or land is added to an expandable condominium, a new or supplemental plat is recorded.
- Convertible space: when space inside a building becomes units or limited common areas, a supplemental plat shows the new units’ boundaries, certified by a surveyor.
- Settling and small differences: a unit built substantially as shown on the plat is presumed to have the plat’s boundaries, even with settling or minor variances.
Source: Utah Code § 57-8-13. Check the current code with your attorney before relying on it.
Condo, Townhome, PUD or Lot?
The building can look the same. What you own, and which plat records it, is different.
| Ownership type | What you own | What gets recorded | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condominium | Your unit’s airspace plus a share of the common areas | Condo plat with floor plans and elevations, plus a declaration | Association maintains common areas |
| Townhome on a lot | The lot under your unit, often with a party wall | Subdivision or PUD plat showing lots | You maintain your lot; HOA may handle shared areas |
| PUD (planned unit development) | A lot, with shared open space owned in common | Subdivision plat with common area parcels | HOA maintains the common parcels |
| Subdivision lot | The lot and everything on it | Subdivision plat | You maintain your lot |
Platting lots instead? See subdivision design & platting and the subdivision plat guide.
Six Things to Check on the Plat
Pull the plat from the county recorder and compare it to your deed and the listing.
- Your unit number: Matches the deed, the listing and the door. Mismatches happen when units are renumbered during construction.
- Your parking & storage: Is your stall or storage unit a limited common area assigned to your unit, or just common area anyone can use?
- Balcony & patio: Shown as a limited common area for your unit, not as part of the unit itself.
- Future phases: Convertible or expandable land next door means more units may be built. Check what’s labeled.
- Square footage: The plat shows wall dimensions. Listing square footage is often measured differently.
- Amendments: Check the county recorder for amended or supplemental plats recorded after the original.
Questions About a Plat?
Need a plat prepared, checked or amended? Call the Nephi office and we’ll quote it in writing.
(435) 623-0897Where Condo Plats Go Wrong
Most of these come from a plat and a building, or a plat and a declaration, that don’t quite match.
Built different than drawn.
Walls shift during construction. A plat drawn only from plans may not match the building. The fix is measuring the building before recording.
Parking that belongs to no one.
Stalls drawn but never assigned as limited common areas can cause association disputes for years.
Plat and declaration disagree.
Unit counts, numbers or limited common areas that don’t match between the two. They have to be drafted together.
Phases that stall.
Convertible land never built out, or built without a supplemental plat, leaves title questions for the next buyer.
Condo, Resort, Multifamily and PUD Work
From our records, without client names.
- Midway · 2026An ALTA/NSPS survey of a 15-acre resort spanning several recorded resort and condominium plats, checked against our drone map.
- EphraimPine Tree Condos on Block 13, Plat A of the Ephraim city survey, and a site plan with a condominium subdivision plat.
- Tooele · 2026An ALTA/NSPS survey of a multifamily site with apartment buildings, a clubhouse and 450 parking stalls.
- Saratoga SpringsSurvey work for a planned unit development.
- Orem · 2026Structural engineering for a townhome project.
Condominium Plat Questions, Answered.
What is a condominium plat?
A recorded set of drawings that divides a building or project into individually owned units and common areas. It shows each unit's walls on a floor plan and its floor and ceiling elevations, so each unit is a defined three-dimensional space.
Who prepares a condo plat in Utah?
Utah law requires it to be prepared by a licensed Utah land surveyor, who certifies that it's accurate and complies with the Condominium Ownership Act. The declaration that goes with it is prepared by an attorney.
Where do I find the plat for my condo?
It's recorded with the county recorder, usually referenced in your deed by the condominium's name and unit number. Many Utah county recorders have plats searchable online.
Is my parking stall part of my unit?
Usually not. Assigned stalls are typically limited common areas: common property reserved for your unit. Check the plat and declaration to see what's assigned to your unit number.
What do the floor and ceiling elevations mean?
They're the heights of the unit's floor and ceiling above a stated datum. They separate stacked units and define the vertical limits of what you own.
What's the difference between a condo and a townhome?
Ownership, not building style. A townhome on its own lot means you own the land under it. A condo townhome means you own the unit's space and share the land as common area. The recorded plat tells you which you have.
What happens if the building doesn't match the plat?
Utah law presumes a unit built substantially in accordance with the plat has the plat's boundaries, even with minor variances. Larger differences may need an amended plat, which a surveyor prepares.
Can an existing building be converted to condos?
Often, subject to zoning and building approvals. A surveyor measures the existing building and prepares the plat; an attorney prepares the declaration.
We’re licensed surveyors and engineers, not attorneys. Declarations, association rules and title questions belong with a Utah real estate attorney. Our service page: condominium design & platting.
Need a Condo Plat Prepared or Checked?
Call or send the address and the number of units. We’ll explain what your project needs and quote a fixed fee.
More Engineering Services & Guides
More Civil Engineering services
- Land DevelopmentEntitlement, engineering and platting
- Condominium PlattingCondo plats with units and common areas
- Water & Sewer DesignUtility design for new lots and sites
- Commercial Site DevelopmentEngineering for commercial sites
- Lot Line AdjustmentsMove or combine lot lines
- EasementsEasement surveys and legal descriptions
- Subdivision Design & PlattingLot splits to multi-phase subdivisions
- Site Planning & DesignPermit-ready site plans, from $1,500
Recommended Pages
Licensed Utah Surveyors & Engineers Since 1975.
Ludlow Engineering has surveyed and engineered Utah property for 51 years. Every survey and plan is prepared under a licensed professional, not handed off.
Daryl Penrod
Professional Land SurveyorState of Utah No. 5331527
Directs our boundary, topographic, ALTA and subdivision surveys.
J. Brett Ludlow
Professional EngineerState of Utah
Stamps our site plans, foundation designs and civil engineering.
Travis Ludlow
Partner & Managing MemberMBA
Managing Member of Ludlow Engineers and Associates
Our subdivision & platting record
529 subdivision & platting projects since 2000, in 5 Utah counties.
Most recent: Oct 2026.
- Subdivision & plattingNephi, Juab County
- Subdivision & plattingFillmore, Millard County
- Subdivision & plattingNephi, Juab County
- Subdivision & plattingEphraim, Sanpete County
- Subdivision & plattingSpring City, Sanpete County
Counts come from Ludlow Engineering's project records (2000–present, updated Oct 2026). Client names are never shown.