Final Plats
Purpose of the Final Plat
The final plat is the legal document that is recorded with the County Recorder’s office. The sale of subdivided lots can only proceed after this recording. The primary purpose of the final plat is to delineate property boundaries and to describe and dedicate rights-of-way and easements.
Although not shown on the face of the final plat, public improvements are shown through separate design documents such as construction plans, stormwater management plans, subsidiary drainage plats, etc. These separate design documents and any required bonding need to be approved by the City Engineer before the final plat is approved
Popular Links
- Final Plat Application
- Final Plat Worksheet
- Preliminary/Final Plat Application
- Declaration of Ownership
- Disclosure Affidavit
About the Final Plat
The final plat is the legal document that is recorded with the County Recorder’s office. The sale of subdivided lots can only proceed after this recording. The primary purpose of the final plat is to delineate property boundaries and to describe and dedicate rights-of-way and easements. Although not shown on the face of the final plat, public improvements are shown through separate design documents such as construction plans, stormwater management plans, subsidiary drainage plats, etc. These separate design documents and any required bonding need to be approved by the City Engineer before the final plat is approved. The final plat is typically only reviewed by City staff and subsequently reviewed and approved by the City Council. Although typically not required, Plan Commission review is needed if new waivers are being requested. In special cases and with the approval of the Planning and Development Director, the preliminary and final plats can be combined into a plat document called a “Preliminary/Final Plat”. There is a separate application for this which generally has the combined submittal and review requirements for both plats.
For more information on the Preliminary/Final Plat, please see the corresponding application packet or contact the Planning and Development Department
Final plats are submitted in the form and with the contents specified in Chapter 3 of the Manual of Practice (see Final Plat Application Worksheet for additional information). The Manual of Practice also specifies the number and size of plats and copies for review at the different stages of the review process. The subdivider will submit a complete application for review of the final plat to the Planning and Development Director. The application will include a written request for any new waivers and justification for those waivers based on the criteria contained in the City of Champaign Municipal Code Sec. 31-106.
The Development Services Team (DST) reviews the final plat and new waiver requests for conformity to the Subdivision Regulations and consistency with the Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Ordinance, building codes, and other applicable City laws and regulations. Currently, DST conducts the majority of the subdivision review. DST consists of the Planning and Development Director, Assistant Planning and Development Director, two other Planners, Public Works Director, Assistant City Engineer for Development, Civil Engineer, Deputy City Attorney, and Deputy City Manager. The Planning and Development Director forwards copies of the preliminary plat to designated agencies. Outside agencies submit written comments concerning the final plat to the Planning and Development Director within ten days of receipt unless granted a longer period by statute or by the Planning and Development Director. Additional copies of the final plat will need to be submitted if any part of the subdivision is located outside the City limits but within the City’s extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) or if any part of the subdivision is adjacent to an IDOT right-of-way. Additionally, if the proposed subdivision within the City’s ETJ and also within the area designated to be annexed to the Village of Savoy under the Champaign-Savoy Boundary Agreement, the plat will need to be referred to the Village of Savoy for review.
The applicant can request final plat approval of part of the tract contained in the preliminary plat if a final plat phasing plan was approved as a waiver in the City Council approval of the preliminary plat or if a final plat phasing plan is approved as a waiver in the Council approval of the first phased final plat of any part of the tract contained in the preliminary plat. The final plat phasing plan should include the date by which the applicant needs to record final plats for the entire tract, the dates by which infrastructure will be extended to the boundaries of the entire tract, and the approximate number of the proposed final plats and general location of each phase. City Council can approve the final plat phasing plan if they find that the approval will not impede the orderly growth of public services and infrastructure necessary to efficiently serve the tract included in the approved preliminary plat and the areas adjacent to the tract served by the same public infrastructure. The Council may condition a phasing plan on the submission of an agreement to dedicate easements or rights-of-way. If the owner fails to record complete final plats of the entire tract, the City may seek a fine for the violation.
Within 15 working days of receipt of the final plat, or the date of the Plan Commission’s recommendation on waiver requests, the Planning and Development Director will transmit the final plat and supporting material to the City Manager for inclusion on a future City Council agenda. The City Council will accept or reject the final plat within 30 days after their next regularly scheduled meeting. Only final plats which have been specifically approved by specific action of the City Council will be approved and eligible for recording. If City Council disapproves a final plat, the Planning and Development Director will send a written explanation to the subdivider containing reasons why the final plat was disapproved. Expiration of Final Plat Approval Approval of the final plat will be valid for 180 days following approval by City Council. If the final plat has not been recorded within that time, approval will be null and void unless the City Council approves a written application for an extension of time or the Planning and Development Director has approved an administrative extension.
Among other information, the completed application must include the names of owners including a Statement of Beneficial Interest, review fees as required in Champaign Municipal Code Chapter 26, Sections 17 and 17.1, a Waiver Request Letter for all new waivers including justification for the waiver items in accordance with the Subdivision Regulations, a Final Plat Phasing Plan if requested or required, the number of copies and the sheet size for final submittals as required by Section 3.03 of the Manual of Practice, and identification of the owner’s representatives. The subdivider or developer will submit seven copies of the preliminary plat together with the required application items for review to the Planning and Development Director. The submittal copies shall be in the form of full-size (24-inch x 36-inch) or half-size (11-inch x 17-inch) copies of the final plat. Exact size of the drawings may vary somewhat due to office production facilities.
The final plat should show reasonable conformity to the preliminary plat. A final plat should include, but is not limited to, the following information: General Provisions Name of subdivision; names, signatures, and addresses of property owner, developer/ subdivider, engineer and land surveyor; standard engineering scale; North arrow; date of preparation including most recent revision; the location of the subdivision; the description and location of all survey monuments; survey data sufficient to reproduce any line or reestablish any monument in the subdivision; all highways, streets, alleys, blocks, lots, parcels, public grounds, easements, rights-of-way and the associated required access control zones; the length of all boundary lines of all streets, blocks, lots, public grounds, easements, rights-of-way, and information sufficient to derive the length of these lines by simple calculation; the width of all rights-of-way and easements; floodplain information in accordance with Chapter 9 of the City Code; all lots numbered; a proposed addressing scheme; conditions or restrictions imposed by the City Council in approving waiver requests; an Owner’s Certificate; the Surveyor’s Certificate; and a City Council signature block. Distribution of Plats for Final Approval following the review by DST and other agencies, and notification from the Planning and Development Director that the final plat has been approved by City staff, additional copies of the final plat shall be submitted for Plan Commission action (as necessary) and for City Council final approval. After approval by the City Council, additional copies of the original signed Final Plat will be submitted to the Planning and Development Department for distribution and recording. Plan Commission Submittal Final plats are not reviewed by Plan Commission unless there is a new waiver request. If new waivers are requested, 15 additional half-size (11-inch x 17-inch) copies of the signed Final Plat shall be submitted. City Council Submittal Following the formal recommendation of the DST, the subdivider will submit 13 half-size (11-inch x 17-inch) signed copies of the Final Plat for consideration by the City Council. No final plat will be approved until the City Engineer has given written approval of the Engineering Plans and Specifications, the Subsidiary Drainage Plat, Stormwater Management Plan and Design and the Subdivision Improvement Performance Bond (as applicable). Submittal for Signature & Distribution Following approval by the City Council, the subdivider will submit one full-size (24-inch x 36-inch) (Mylar or high quality vellum paper) signed original and one additional half-size (11-inch x 17-inch) signed copy for distribution. After signature of the Mayor, the signed original will be recorded by City staff or its agent. Signed copies will be distributed as necessary to the subdivider, various City departments, and any applicable outside agencies.