All transactions that require surveys need to have recordable surveys. A recordable survey is a survey that can be made “of record” in the county where the property is located. The requirements for a survey to be recordable are found in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated §15-6-67. These requirements are summarized as follows:

Number

1. The following number of plats should be submitted:
   Acquisition - 6
   Easement - 5
   Title Certificate - 3
   
2. A minimum of one original plat is required. Any copies of plats shall be blue, white, or other commercial print reproduced from an original.
3. All originals of plats and all copies of original plats shall bear the original signature, in black ink, of the registrant placed across the registration seal. All plats, whether original or copies, must have an original signature.

Size

1. Plats shall not be less than 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches and not larger than 17 inches by 22 inches.
2. A minimum line width of 0.010 inches (17 inch by 22 inch plat - a minimum line width of 0.013 inches).
3. A minimum letter or character height of 0.080 inches.

Data

Plats shall be made in a professional manner and in accordance with the standards of good drafting procedures and shall show the following information, as specified:

1. All plats shall show the direction and distance from a point of reference to a point on the boundary of the individual survey, and such additional data as may be required to relocate the boundary point from the point of reference with the same degree of accuracy required of the parcel surveyed. The point of reference with the same degree of accuracy required of the parcel surveyed. The point of reference shall be an established, monumented position which can be identified or relocated from maps, plats, or other documents on public record;
2. All plats of boundary surveys shall show bearings of all lines of the boundary lines, and distances of all boundary lines, and area of the parcels expressed in acres or square feet;
3. All plats of boundary surveys shall show the closure precision of the field survey as the ratio of one foot to the traversed distance in which an error of one foot would occur and a statement as to the method of adjustment. The closure may be stated as follows:
   “The field data upon which this plat is based has a closure precision of one foot in ____________________ feet, and an angular error of _____________ per angle point, and was adjusted using _________________ rule”;
4. All plats of boundary surveys shall show the closure precision of the data shown on the plat. The closure may be stated as follows:
   “This plat has been calculated for closure and is found to be accurate within one foot in _____________ feet”;
5. All plats shall show the width and the former widths, if pertinent, of all rights of way adjacent to or crossing the property or adjacent to any point of reference;
6. All plats shall show easements and apparent encroachments, if pertinent;
7. In the case of curved lines, the curve shall be defined by curve data to include the radius, arc length, chord bearing, and distance for regular curves. Chord distances and directions shall be given for irregular curves;
8. All land lot lines, land district lines, land section lines, and city, county, and state boundaries intersecting or adjacent to the surveyed property shall be indicated by lines drawn upon the plat with appropriate words and figures;
9. All corner markers and markers of pertinent reference points shall be fully described and indicated as to their material or types and shall be constructed of permanent material such as iron, steel, concrete, or stone;
10. An arrow shall be shown on the plat to indicate the principal meridian, and a notation shall be made as to the reference of bearings to magnetic north, astronomic north, or grid north. A grid north reference shall indicate the zone;
11. All linear distances shown on plats shall be horizontal;
12. All angular directions shown on plats shall be represented in degrees and minutes. Where plats state or surveys require accuracy in excess of 1 in 5,000, the angular directions shall be represented in degrees, minutes, and seconds. All angular directions shall be referenced to the principal meridian;
13. A statement shall be shown on the plat to indicate the type of equipment used to obtain the linear and angular measurements used in the preparation of the plat; and
14. All plats shall show the state plane coordinates of at least two permanent monuments thereon, when a National Geodetic Survey monument is within 500 feet of any point on the property platted, or any point of reference shown thereon.

Caption

The caption shall provide the following information:

1. Title or name
2. The county, city, town, or village, land district and land lot, and subdivision, if the property lies within a particular subdivision
3. The date of plat preparation
4. The scale, stated and shown graphically
5. The name, address, telephone number, and registration number of the land surveyor or the statement that he is the county surveyor and is not required by law to be a registered surveyor