PLATS

Richmond, Va., City Code ch. 25, art. IV

in effect

Richmond, Va., City Code § 25-288 Preparation by engineers or surveyors.

Sec. 25-288. - Preparation by engineers or surveyors. Every subdivision plat which is intended for recording shall be prepared by a certified professional engineer or land surveyor, who shall endorse upon each such plat a certificate signed by such person setting forth the source of title of the owner of the land subdivided and the place of record of the last instrument in the chain of title. When the plat is of land acquired from more than one source of title, the outlines of the several tracts shall be indicated upon such plat. However, nothing herein shall be deemed to prohibit the preparation of preliminary studies, plans or plats of a proposed subdivision by the owner of the land, City planners, land planners, architects, landscape architects or others having training or experience in subdivision planning or design. (Code 1993, § 26-81; Code 2004, § 94-251; Code 2015, § 25-288; Code 2020, § 25-288)

Richmond, Va., City Code § 25-289 Legibility, dimensions and scale.

Sec. 25-289. - Legibility, dimensions and scale. Plats of subdivisions shall be clearly and legibly drawn in black lines with India ink. The dimensions of each sheet shall be 16 inches by 24 inches and shall include a margin of one-half inch outside of ruled border lines at the bottom and right side of the 16-inch end and a margin of 1½ inches on the left side and at the top of the sheet. The plat of a subdivision shall be drawn to the scale of one inch equal to 100 feet, unless otherwise authorized by the Commission. (Code 1993, § 26-82; Code 2004, § 94-252; Code 2015, § 25-289; Code 2020, § 25-289)

Richmond, Va., City Code § 25-290 Submission for approval; disposition of copies after approval.

Sec. 25-290. - Submission for approval; disposition of copies after approval. Two opaque Mylar prints and one transparent Mylar of the subdivision plat shall be submitted to the Commission for approval after it has been duly executed and acknowledged by the subdivider. After the Commission has approved the plat, one opaque Mylar print shall be returned to the subdivider for recordation, and the other opaque Mylar print and the transparent copy shall be retained by the Commission. (Code 1993, § 26-83; Code 2004, § 94-253; Code 2015, § 25-290; Code 2020, § 25-290)

Richmond, Va., City Code § 25-291 Index sheet; sketches of area in vicinity of subdivisions.

Sec. 25-291. - Index sheet; sketches of area in vicinity of subdivisions. When the plat of a subdivision consists of more than one sheet, an index sheet of the same size as the sheets comprising the plat may be required by the Commission showing thereon the entire subdivision. A sketch of the area in the vicinity of the subdivision on a small scale may be required to be shown on the plat by the Commission. (Code 1993, § 26-84; Code 2004, § 94-254; Code 2015, § 25-291; Code 2020, § 25-291)

Richmond, Va., City Code § 25-292 Contents.

Sec. 25-292. - Contents. The plat of a subdivision shall contain the following: (1) The boundaries of the subdivision, showing the length of its courses and distances to hundredths of a foot and bearings to half minutes, having been determined by an accurate survey thereof in the field, which shall close with an error of closure not exceeding one foot in 10,000 feet; (2) Accurate coordinates of selected or monumented points referred to in the City geodetic survey system when the geodetic survey control has been completed. The error of closure referred to in this section shall be adjusted before the coordinates are computed; (3) The exact location, alignment and width along property lines of all streets, whether opened or not, intersecting or paralleling the boundaries of the subdivision; (4) The exact location and character of all monuments; (5) The exact location, alignment or arrangement of street and alley lines in the subdivision; the names of all streets; the bearing, angles of intersection and width thereof, including their width along the line of any obliquely intersecting street; (6) The lengths of arcs and radii and tangent bearings; (7) The exact location, alignment or arrangement of all easements provided for use by public service corporations, with a statement of any restrictions or limitations placed on such use; (8) The exact location, alignment or arrangement of all lot lines with their dimensions expressed in feet and hundredths of a foot and with their bearings or angles to half minutes; (9) The tangent distances of all corners when rounded at intersections, except when streets intersect at right angles; (10) All lots shall be numbered with consecutive Arabic numerals in each block; (11) All blocks shall be lettered in alphabetical order; (12) For resubdivision of lots in any block, the lots shall be numbered with consecutive Arabic numerals beginning with the numeral following the highest lot numeral in the block; (13) The exact boundaries of all property to be dedicated for public use and of all property to be reserved by covenant in deeds for the common use of the occupants of lots in the subdivision or otherwise reserved, with a statement of the purpose for which such covenant or reservation is made or such use is restricted or limited; (14) The zoning designation and lot area of individual lots; (15) The name of the subdivision or section or part thereof, the date, the scale and the name of the engineer or surveyor who prepared the plat, which shall be contained in a space not exceeding four inches high and six inches wide in the lower right-hand corner of the plat. The name of the subdivision shall appear more distinctively than the other data; (16) The names and locations of contiguous or adjoining subdivisions and the ownership of other contiguous or adjoining property; (17) The name of the subdivider; (18) The north point with magnetic bearing, or if the true meridian is shown, the basis for its determination shall be stated; (19) A statement of the engineer or surveyor who prepared the plat, certifying that: a. The plat represents and is based on a survey made by or under the direction and supervision of such engineer or surveyor; b. All monuments shown thereon are actually in place or will be put in place before a date specified and their location and character are truly shown on the plat; and c. All of the provisions and requirements of the foregoing sections of this chapter have been observed and fully complied with; (20) A statement to the effect that the subdivision as it appears on the plat, including the dedication of all streets, alleys, easements and other land for public purposes and use, is with the free consent and in accordance with the desire of the subdivider and of the trustee or mortgagee or each of them, if more than one, in any deed or other instrumentality, if any, creating a lien on the land in the subdivision or any part thereof, which shall be signed by the subdivider, trustee or mortgagee and shall be duly acknowledged before some officer authorized to take acknowledgements to deeds. All cloth prints and transparent copies shall contain such signatures; (21) A statement prepared by a certified professional engineer or land surveyor, who shall endorse upon each such plat a certificate signed by such person setting forth the source of title of the owner of the land subdivided and the place of record of the last instrument in the chain of title. When the plat is of land acquired from more than one source of title, the outlines of the several tracts shall be indicated upon such plat; (22) The depiction of resource protection area and resource management area boundaries, including a notation to retain an undisturbed and vegetative 100-foot-wide buffer area, as specified in the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Designation and Management Regulations; a notation for pump-out and 100 percent reserved drainfield sites for on-site sewage treatment systems, when applicable; and a notation of the permissibility of only water-dependent facilities or redevelopment in resource protection areas, including the 100-foot-wide buffer areas; and (23) The delineation of the buildable areas that are allowed on each lot. The delineation of buildable areas shall be based on the performance criteria specified in the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Designation and Management Regulations; front, side and rear yard setback requirements established pursuant to Chapter 30; and any other relevant easements or limitations regarding lot coverage. (Code 1993, § 26-85; Code 2004, § 94-255; Code 2015, § 25-292; Code 2020, § 25-292)

Richmond, Va., City Code § 25-293 Approval or denial.

Sec. 25-293. - Approval or denial. (a) When any and all conditions which may have been imposed by the Commission as conditions of approval of any preliminary subdivision plats have been complied with and when the Directors of Public Works and Public Utilities have certified in writing that all requirements of Sections 25-260, 25-261 and 25-262 have been complied with or that all contracts and bonds required under such sections have been properly executed and delivered and are in force and effect, the Secretary of the Commission shall finally approve the subdivision plat. (b) The Commission shall complete all actions on preliminary subdivision plats in accordance with Code of Virginia, § 15.2-2260. If the Commission does not approve the preliminary plat, the Commission shall set forth in writing the reasons for such denial and shall state what corrections or modifications will permit approval by the Commission. If the Commission fails to approve or disapprove the preliminary plat within 90 days after it has been officially submitted for approval, the subdivider, after ten days' written notice to the Commission, may petition the Circuit Court of the City to enter an order with respect thereto as it deems proper, which may include directing approval of the preliminary plat. For the purposes of this subsection, a preliminary plat shall not be deemed officially submitted until the Secretary of the Commission determines that it contains all of the information required by this chapter. (c) The Secretary of the Commission shall complete all actions on final subdivision plats within 60 days after it has been officially submitted to the Commission for approval by either approving or disapproving the final plat in writing and giving with the disapproval specific reasons therefor. Specific reasons for disapproval may be contained in a separate document or may be written on the final plat itself. The reasons for disapproval shall identify deficiencies in the final plat which cause the disapproval by reference to specific duly adopted ordinances, regulations, or policies and shall generally identify modifications or corrections as will permit approval of the final plat. If the Commission fails to approve or disapprove the final plat within 60 days after it has been officially submitted for approval, the subdivider, after ten days' written notice to the Commission, may petition the Circuit Court of the City to decide whether the final plat should or should not be approved. The court shall hear the matter and make and enter an order with respect thereto as it deems proper, which may include directing approval of the final plat. For the purposes of this subsection, a final plat shall not be deemed officially submitted until the Secretary of the Commission determines that it contains all of the information required by this chapter. (d) If the Commission disapproves a preliminary plat or the Secretary of the Commission disapproves a final plat and the subdivider contends that the disapproval was not properly based on the ordinance applicable thereto or was arbitrary or capricious, the subdivider may appeal to the Circuit Court of the City. The court shall hear and determine the case as soon as may be practicable, provided that the subdivider's appeal is filed with the Circuit Court within 60 days of the written disapproval by the Commission or the Secretary of the Commission. (Code 1993, § 26-86; Code 2004, § 94-256; Code 2015, § 25-293; Code 2020, § 25-293)

Richmond, Va., City Code § 25-294 Recordation.

Sec. 25-294. - Recordation. Upon the approval of the subdivision plat by the Commission, the subdivider shall record it in the office of the clerk of the court in the City in which deeds conveying lots in the subdivision are required to be recorded, within six months from the day the plat is approved. Upon failure to record the plat within six months from the date of such approval of the Commission, such failure shall operate to revoke such approval and render it void and of no effect. Unless a plat is filed for recordation within six months after final approval thereof or such longer period as may be approved by the Commission, such approval shall be withdrawn and such plat marked void and returned to the Secretary of the Commission; however, when construction of facilities to be dedicated for public use has commenced pursuant to an approved plan or permit with surety approved by the appropriate City department or when the developer has furnished surety to the appropriate City department by certified check, cash escrow, bond or letter of credit in the amount of the estimated cost of construction of such facilities, the time for plat recordation shall be extended to one year after final approval or to the time limit specified in the surety agreement approved by the appropriate City department, whichever is greater. (Code 1993, § 26-87; Code 2004, § 94-257; Code 2015, § 25-294; Code 2020, § 25-294)

Source: City of Richmond, Virginia, Code (2026 recodification) and Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/va/richmond/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICICO_CH25SULA_ARTIVPLFetched: 11/8/2026