In DFW, the time sinks in a land sale are local: pulling the deed and plat, learning whether a lot is a legal building site, and waiting on plat review. Fort Worth targets 21 days or less for a first plat review, and Dallas's plan commission acts within 30 days of a complete application.
Want to move a DFW lot or acreage quickly? The statewide playbook is in our Texas guide to selling land fast: get the survey, title, tax and notice questions answered before a buyer signs. This page covers the local side. In Tarrant, Dallas, Collin and Denton counties, the delays usually come from finding old records, learning whether the land is a legal building site, and waiting on a city or county to review a plat.
Pull your records from home first
You can collect much of a buyer's due diligence package without leaving the house. In Tarrant County, unofficial watermarked copies of most recorded documents can be downloaded free through the county's Official Records Search after you register. In person, copies cost $1 a page, plus $5 to certify. The clerk's office notes that it does not run title searches or lien searches, so use the search yourself or ask your title company.
Plats are online too, but a home printer will not do a large sheet justice. Tarrant County prints wide-format plat copies for $3.50 a page, plus $5 per plat for certification. Have the lot, block, addition name and approximate recording date ready when you ask.
In Dallas County, the clerk lists plain copies at $1 a page, with $5 more per document for certification.
Before you list, print: your vesting deed, any recorded plat for the land, any easements in the record, and your appraisal district account from TAD, DCAD, Collin CAD or Denton CAD. A buyer who sees these on day one has fewer reasons to stretch the option period.
Is it a legal building site? Dallas buyers will ask
Most land buyers want to build. In Dallas, the city's platting guidelines say a plat establishes a legal building site and is generally required before a building permit or certificate of occupancy can be issued. They also warn that a "tax plat" drawn from a deed for ownership and appraisal is not the same thing as a recorded plat.
The guidelines go further. Land can change hands by a metes and bounds deed without platting, but that conveyance may not be recognized as a building site or for development rights. A buyer who learns this halfway through the option period will either slow down or ask for a lower price.
To check whether a lot was ever platted, the guidelines point to the City of Dallas Survey Records Vault at the Oak Cliff Municipal Center, or the county records building at 500 Elm Street. Do that before you list, not after.
Plat review timelines in Fort Worth and Dallas
If a buyer needs a plat, or you are splitting off a piece, city review time sets the pace.
- Fort Worth. The city lists 21 calendar days or less for the first review of a plat application, and 7 calendar days or less for each review after corrections. A minor plat is allowed for four or fewer lots that have not been platted and recorded before. The City Plan Commission handles approval, disapproval and vacation of plats.
- Dallas. The City Plan Commission acts on most subdivision plats. Within 30 days after a complete application is accepted, it approves, approves with conditions or denies the plat. The guidelines define a minor plat as five acres or less in residential zoning, or three acres or less in other districts, with no new public infrastructure.
Because review takes weeks, many sellers sign a contract that is expressly contingent on plat approval, which state law permits, and let the plat run in parallel. A title company or Texas real estate attorney can draft that condition.
Unincorporated land: county review adds a step
Outside city limits, the county reviews plats. In Tarrant County, a plat application goes to Engineering Services, and the fee depends on the number of lots. Each resubmittal after the second costs $34. If the land is in a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, that city must approve the plat before the county does, so call the city first. Tarrant's page lists ETJ contacts for cities including Fort Worth, Mansfield, Burleson, Haslet and Northlake.
In Denton County, Development Services reviews a preliminary plat before the Commissioners Court acts on it. That approval expires after twelve months if the owner does not move ahead. The owner then records the approved final plat with the County Clerk.
Recording a plat: what each county asks for
| County | Fee | Extra requirements noted |
|---|---|---|
| Tarrant | $65 | $50 for an 18 by 24 sheet; $4 for each added plat page |
| Dallas | $59 | Tax certificates from all taxing units bought within 30 days; plat approved by the city |
| Denton | $50 per page | See the clerk's plat filing requirements |
Dallas County adds a seasonal rule: for any plat or replat filed after September 1, the prior year's taxes must be paid. Paying taxes early can keep a plat from sitting at the counter.
A fast-track list for DFW land
- Download your deed and plat from the county records search.
- Print the appraisal district account and check the acreage.
- Confirm whether a city, an ETJ city or the county controls platting.
- In Dallas, confirm the lot is a legal building site.
- Open title with a DFW title company the day you sign.
- If a plat is needed, ask a Texas real estate attorney about making the contract contingent on approval, and file the plat promptly.
For the broader process, read selling vacant land in DFW or our guide to selling land by owner in DFW.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I find out whether my Dallas lot was ever platted?
The City of Dallas platting guidelines send that question to the City of Dallas Survey Records Vault at the Oak Cliff Municipal Center, or to the county records building at 500 Elm Street. A tax plat drawn for appraisal is not the same as a recorded plat.
How long does a Fort Worth plat review take?
The City of Fort Worth lists 21 calendar days or less for the first review of a plat application and 7 calendar days or less for each later review after corrections.
Can I get a copy of my Tarrant County deed for free?
Yes. Unofficial watermarked copies of most recorded documents can be downloaded free through Tarrant County's Official Records Search. Copies made in person cost $1 per page, plus $5 if certified.
What does Dallas County need to record a plat?
The clerk lists $59 for a 24 by 36 inch plat, two black line copies with one carrying original signatures, and tax certificates from every taxing entity bought within a 30-day window. Certificates from a tax service are not accepted.
Sources
- City of Fort Worth, Platting information
- City of Dallas, Platting guidelines for submission and processing (March 2025)
- Tarrant County Clerk, Copies of official public records
- Tarrant County Clerk, Copies of plats
- Tarrant County Engineering Services, Platting process
- Dallas County Clerk, Recording fees and payment
- Denton County, Subdivision rules and regulations
- Tarrant County Clerk, Real estate records fee schedule
- Denton County Clerk, Real property fees information
General information, not legal or tax advice. Talk to a Texas attorney or CPA about your situation.