Selling Part of Mortgaged Land in DFW: Plats and Recording

Short answer

In DFW, splitting off land to sell usually runs through a city plan commission or a county development office before anything is recorded. Fort Worth allows a minor plat for four or fewer lots, Dallas County wants current tax certificates with a plat, and the lender's partial release gets recorded too.

Thinking about selling off a few acres of DFW land that still has a loan on it? Our Texas guide to selling part of mortgaged land explains the lender's role, partial lien releases and the state plat statutes. This page is the local layer: which city or county office reviews the split in Tarrant, Dallas, Collin and Denton counties, what each county clerk needs to record a plat, and what the deed and release cost to record.

Two approvals run side by side

A partial sale in DFW usually needs two yeses. The lender must agree to release its lien on the piece you sell. A city or county may need to approve a plat for the new lot. Neither office waits on the other, so start both early; a Texas real estate attorney can write both into your contract as conditions.

Which plat office you deal with depends on where the land sits, not on your mailing address. Fort Worth, Dallas and several suburbs reach into more than one county, so check the city limits map or call the city before you assume the county handles it.

Inside Fort Worth

Fort Worth's City Plan Commission, a group of residents appointed by the City Council, holds the power to approve, disapprove and vacate plats. For a small split, the city allows a minor plat for four or fewer lots that have not been platted and recorded before. A preliminary plat is not needed when no streets have to be dedicated or built and the plat covers four or fewer lots.

The city lists 21 calendar days or less for a first review of a plat application and 7 calendar days or less for each review after corrections. Approved plats are then filed with the county clerk.

Inside Dallas

The City of Dallas platting guidelines, dated March 2025, say platting is required to divide a lot or tract into two or more parcels for development. They add a warning that matters to anyone selling a piece: a conveyance can be made by metes and bounds without a plat, but the piece may not be recognized as a building site or for development rights.

Minor plat. Five acres or less in residential zoning, or three acres or less in other districts, with no new public infrastructure such as streets, water, wastewater, paving or drainage.
Timing. Within 30 days after a complete application is accepted, the City Plan Commission approves, approves with conditions or denies the plat.
Your deed. A copy of the recorded deed must be included with the final plat submittal, and a mismatch between the deed and the plat delays release of the final plat.

Unincorporated Tarrant, Denton and Collin

Tarrant County. Engineering Services reviews plat applications for unincorporated land outside any city's ETJ. The fee depends on the number of lots, and each resubmittal after the second costs $34. If the land is in a city's ETJ, the city approves first and the county second.

Denton County. The owner submits a preliminary plat and application to Development Services, with engineering plans if roads or drainage are involved. After corrections, the plat goes to the Development Support Committee and then the Commissioners Court. A preliminary approval expires after twelve months if the owner does not proceed. The final plat also goes to the Commissioners Court, and the owner records it with the County Clerk.

Collin County. The county applies its subdivision regulations to any tract divided into two or more parts unless an exemption under Chapter 232 applies. New parcels need frontage on a public road or an improved private road with proper access easements. If the lots will use septic systems, an On-Site Sewage Facility suitability review comes before the plat goes to Engineering, and each parcel needs at least one usable acre.

Recording the plat, the deed and the release

Once approved, the plat is recorded with the county clerk. Each county has its own checklist.

Plat filing fees and requirements posted by DFW county clerks (24 by 36 inch sheet)
County	Plat fee	Requirements noted by the clerk
Tarrant	$65	$4 for each additional plat page
Dallas	$59	Two black lines, one with original signatures; tax certificates from all taxing entities bought within 30 days; approval by the city
Denton	$50 per page	Follow the clerk's plat filing requirements
Collin	Ask the clerk	One black line copy with original seals and signatures, notarized; tax certificates; 2 by 4 inch blank space

Dallas County notes that the second black line copy goes to the appraisal district, and that any plat or replat filed after September 1 needs the previous year's taxes paid. Tax certificates from a tax service are not accepted there.

At closing, the title company records the deed for the piece you sold and the lender's partial release. Those are ordinary documents. Tarrant County charges $20 for the first page and $4 for each added page. Dallas County charges $25 and $4. Denton County charges $25, a required $4 recording information page and $4 per added page.

Ag land: the piece sold and the piece kept

If the tract carries an agricultural valuation, splitting it affects both halves. DCAD's guidelines say only the acreage actually used for agriculture qualifies, and that stopping all agricultural activity on all or part of the land triggers a rollback. A change in ownership alone does not. The buyer of the piece has to apply in its own name, and your remaining land has to keep meeting the district's use standards on its own. Call your appraisal district before you sign so you know how the split will be treated.

Checklist for a DFW partial sale

Ask your servicer, in writing, whether it will release the piece and on what terms.
Confirm whether the land is in a city, a city's ETJ or unincorporated county.
Order a survey of the piece and match it to your recorded deed.
Ask a Texas real estate attorney about making the contract contingent on the lender's release and on plat approval.
In Dallas County, have the prior year's taxes paid if the plat will be filed after September 1.

For more local detail, see selling vacant land in DFW and selling land by owner in DFW.

Selling a DFW house instead

Cash Home Advisors is based in Fort Worth and buys houses across DFW. When we buy a house, we can close in 7 to 14 days, we pay all closing costs, and you see the closing statement before you sign.

Ask for a cash offer on your house, or see the areas we serve, including Fort Worth and Dallas.

Want a cash offer instead?

We buy Texas houses as-is, pay all closing costs, and can close in 7–14 days.

Get my cash offer or call (817) 635-0743

Frequently asked questions

Who reviews a lot split inside Fort Worth?

The City Plan Commission has the power to approve, disapprove and vacate plats. The city allows a minor plat for four or fewer lots that were not platted and recorded before, and lists 21 calendar days or less for a first review.

Can I sell a piece of my Dallas lot by metes and bounds without platting?

The City of Dallas platting guidelines say a conveyance can be made by metes and bounds without platting, but the piece may not be recognized as a building site or for development rights. Most buyers who plan to build will want the plat.

What does Collin County need before it records a plat?

The clerk lists a 24 by 36 inch plat, one black line copy with original legible seals and signatures, notarized signatures, seals from the approving city or county, the surveyor and the notary, tax certificates, and a 2 by 4 inch blank space for the recording label.

What does it cost to record a partial release in Tarrant County?

Most documents recorded with the Tarrant County Clerk cost $20 for the first page and $4 for each added page, under the schedule in effect since January 1, 2024.

Sources

General information, not legal or tax advice. Talk to a Texas attorney or CPA about your situation.