When you’re doing a major or sometimes even a minor subdivision, many municipalities will require you to create a plat map, which will cost a lot more money, take a lot more time, and require much more work to get approved.
Every state is different, but in most parts of Texas (for example), plat maps are always required on major subdivisions. Major subdivisions are when a larger parcel is divided into many smaller parcels (10 acres or less), roads are put in, and a BIG overhaul is done to lay the land.
On the other hand, a minor subdivision is when you’re not installing roads, but the lots you’re dividing up are 10 acres or smaller. In many parts of Texas, when the child parcels are not over ten acres, there’s a good chance you’ll have to go through the platting process, which means you’ll have to jump through more hoops to get the job done.
What if you could skip that platting process altogether? What if you could carve up the property however you wanted to and didn’t even have to tell the county about it?
Well, in several states, you can do this! It’s called an exempt subdivision, and if you know what the exemptions are to the platting requirements in the state, county, and city or township where you’re working, you can subdivide your property however you want. You won’t have to answer to anyone if it falls within the exemption rules of where you’re working.
Since an exempt subdivision can make your life A LOT easier, knowing how to find these exemptions in the markets where you’re working is a big deal!
Of course, this isn’t to say there’s never a situation where it makes sense to do a major subdivision and go through the platting requirements anyway. Sometimes, you can make a lot more money if you’re willing to jump through these hoops… but if your primary concern is to subdivide and increase the net value of the original parcel WITHOUT dealing with all the hassles, you’ll want to know how to find these exemptions and make sense of them.
So, if you’re working in a new market and trying to figure out the exemptions, this is one way you can save a TON of time doing this homework!