NRS: CHAPTER 270 - CORRECTION AND VACATION OF PLATS

[Rev. 6/29/2024 3:27:58 PM--2023]

CHAPTER 270 - CORRECTION AND VACATION OF PLATS

CORRECTION OF PLATS, ADDITIONS AND SUBDIVISIONS

NRS 270.010 Procedure for correction of maps or plats.

NRS 270.020 Survey may be made; preparation and contents of map.

NRS 270.030 Compensation of surveyor; employment of other engineers.

NRS 270.040 Filing of original map with clerk; posting of copies; notice of time for objections.

NRS 270.050 Objections and exceptions to plat: Form and contents.

NRS 270.060 City to commence action in district court; contents of complaint; notice of lis pendens; service of summons.

NRS 270.070 Contents and posting of summons; property deemed within jurisdiction of district court; fictitious defendants.

NRS 270.080 Further pleadings: Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure; hearing given precedence.

NRS 270.090 Findings of fact, conclusions of law and judgment; recording of certified copy of judgment, map and plat; fees for recording; county recorder to provide copy of map or plat or access to digital map or plat to county assessor.

NRS 270.100 Appeal: Procedure.

NRS 270.110 City attorney or district attorney may prosecute action; employment of other counsel.

NRS 270.120 Questions of fact may be referred to master; property may be taken for public use; procedure.

NRS 270.130 Equitable jurisdiction of court to settle rights, conflicts and controversies; court may vest title; stipulations between parties.

NRS 270.140 Applicability of NRS 270.010 to 270.150, inclusive, to towns.

NRS 270.150 Additional rights and remedies.

VACATION OF PORTIONS OF CITY’S PLATS

NRS 270.160 Procedure.

NRS 270.170 Person claiming material injury may commence action to have order of vacation set aside.

NRS 270.180 NRS 270.160 and 270.170 supplementary; applicability.

_________

CORRECTION OF PLATS, ADDITIONS AND SUBDIVISIONS

NRS 270.010 Procedure for correction of maps or plats. Whenever:

1. The map or plat of any city or of any part thereof or addition thereto, filed or recorded in accordance with the then existing law or filed and recorded in accordance with this chapter is, by reason of error or mistake, or lack of sufficient description, or by reason of the fact that the original map or plat is lost or destroyed, or by reason of the fact that there have been filed or recorded two or more conflicting maps or plats for such city or part thereof or addition thereto, is uncertain or ambiguous; or

2. By reason of the mistaken, faulty, erroneous platting or description of or on any such map or plat, or by reason of the destruction of section corners or other artificial or natural monuments, there is any substantial uncertainty, ambiguity or confusion as to the correct and accurate description or location of the lands, blocks or lots therein described or the lines of the blocks, lots, streets, alleys, highways, parks, school property, cemeteries or other pieces or parcels devoted to public use,

Ê such lost or destroyed map or plat may be restored or such faulty, erroneous or ambiguous map or plat may be corrected, or the confusion, ambiguity or uncertainty arising by reason of there being two or more conflicting maps or plats, or by reason of the destruction of section corners or other artificial or natural monuments, may be cured as provided in NRS 270.010 to 270.150, inclusive.

[1:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2663; NCL § 1355]—(NRS A 1977, 1515)

NRS 270.020 Survey may be made; preparation and contents of map.

1. The city council, or other legislative board of any such city, upon its own motion or resolution or upon the petition of any property holder and taxpayer within the city, affected by such loss, destruction, uncertainty, ambiguity, confusion or conflict, may instruct and employ the city surveyor or the county surveyor of the county in which the city is situate, or any other professional land surveyor, to make a complete survey of such city or of such part thereof or addition thereto and to prepare a correct and accurate map or plat of such survey, upon which map or plat all of the blocks, lots, streets, alleys, highways, parks, school property, cemeteries and other properties devoted to public use must be shown.

2. The map or plat must show by course and distance accurate ties with well-known and established section, or quarter section, corner or corners, and with some permanent artificial monument or monuments erected or constructed with definite and exact relation to the center line of the streets of such city or such part thereof or addition thereto and with such marks or monuments of original surveys as may be found and identified, together with an accurate description of each such section, or quarter section, corner, monument or mark.

3. The map must be entitled substantially as follows: “Map of survey of city of ................(or of........ addition to city of ................, as the case may be) under the provisions of chapter 270 of NRS and in accordance with a resolution of the board of supervisors of the city of ................ (or as the case may be). Passed ................ (giving date).”

4. The map must bear the sworn certificate of the surveyor making the same and must be made upon vellum, tracing cloth or other material of a permanent nature generally used for such purpose in the engineering profession, and must be drawn to a convenient scale sufficiently large to show clearly all lines and corners of blocks, lots, streets, alleys, highways, parks, school property, cemeteries and other property devoted to public use. Where there is any uncertainty as to the correct position, description or line of any lot, block, street, alley or other piece or parcel of property affected, or wherever there is a conflict or contradiction in point, line, numbering, lettering or other description, by reason of conflicting maps, theretofore filed or recorded, or by reason of mistakes or inaccuracies in any prior map or plat, or otherwise, the same must be clearly shown or indicated. Wherever the line on which fences, buildings or other improvements have been built in accordance with prior maps, plats or surveys, or otherwise, and the same appear to be in conflict with the lines, points or directions, as shown in the map or plat herein provided for, such conflict or conflicts must likewise be clearly shown.

5. The map may be prepared in as many sections and with such changes in scale as may be necessary to show clearly the matters herein required.

[2:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2664; NCL § 1356]—(NRS A 1960, 136; 1977, 1515; 1989, 789)

NRS 270.030 Compensation of surveyor; employment of other engineers.

1. The city council or other legislative board of the city shall allow to the city engineer or county engineer or other engineer employed for making such survey and maps a reasonable compensation for the services of the engineer so employed and for the services of such assistant or assistants as that engineer may employ in the work and such expenses as are necessary to mark permanently the points and lines of such survey.

2. In the event that the engineer employed shall for any reason fail to complete the work within a reasonable time, the board or council may employ such other and further engineers or surveyors as may be necessary to complete the work.

[3:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2664; NCL § 1357]

NRS 270.040 Filing of original map with clerk; posting of copies; notice of time for objections.

1. When the survey has been completed and the map or maps, or plat or plats, prepared as provided in NRS 270.010 to 270.150, inclusive, the board or council shall cause sufficient prints thereof to be made, whereupon the original map or maps so prepared shall be filed with the clerk of the board or council, who shall endorse the date of filing thereon and shall cause prints thereof to be placed on display in each of 3 public places within the city and shall give public notice thereof by posting in at least 3 public places in the city and by publication in a newspaper printed and published in the county and of general circulation in the city, at least once a week for 4 successive weeks.

2. The notice shall state briefly the filing of the plat or map, the purpose thereof and the places where the same is on display, and shall notify all persons that may be affected thereby to file their written objections or exceptions thereto, if any they have, with the board or council, not more than 60 days from the date of the first publication of the notice and that after the expiration of such period the maps or plats will be filed with the district court for their adoption and approval in accordance with the provisions of NRS 270.010 to 270.150, inclusive. The posting shall be made within 5 days of the first publication. If no newspaper is printed or published within the county, the publication shall be made in a newspaper printed and published in one of the counties nearest thereto.

3. The due publication of the notice shall be shown by the affidavit of the manager or publisher of the newspaper in which the same is published, and the posting of the notice shall be shown by affidavit of the clerk or of the person posting the notices.

4. The board or council shall also furnish additional blue or blueline prints of the maps or plats at a reasonable cost to any parties desiring such copies.

[4:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2665; NCL § 1358]

NRS 270.050 Objections and exceptions to plat: Form and contents.

1. Objections or exceptions to such maps or plats shall be in writing, under the oath of the objecting or excepting party, and shall be filed with the clerk of the board not later than 60 days after the first publication of the notice and the clerk shall endorse his or her filing marks thereon.

2. The objections or exceptions need not be in any precise or particular form, but shall state clearly the nature of the objection or exception and the grounds and facts upon which the same are based, and shall conform so far as may be practicable to pleadings in courts of record. No answer or reply need be made or filed to put such objections or exceptions at issue, but the same shall be considered at issue upon the map or plat and the objections or exceptions thereto. Such objections or exceptions shall be entitled: “Before the City Council (or ........, as the case may be) of the City of ................, County of ................, State of Nevada. In the matter of the adoption of a map or plat of and for the City of ................ (or the ................ addition to, such city, as the case may be).”

[5:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2665; NCL § 1359]—(NRS A 1977, 1516)

NRS 270.060 City to commence action in district court; contents of complaint; notice of lis pendens; service of summons.

1. Within 30 days after the expiration of the 60 days from the date of the first publication, the city council, or other legislative board of the city shall commence an action in the district court of the State of Nevada, in and for the county in which the city is situate, in which such city shall be the party plaintiff and in which shall be joined as parties defendant all persons who are by the plaintiff known to have, or appear by the county assessor’s lists in the county to have, any interest, whether legal or equitable and whether in possession or expectancy in or to any of the blocks, lots or any other pieces or parcels of property, whose title would be affected by the adoption of the map or maps, or plat or plats.

2. Such action shall be commenced by the filing of a complaint, in which the plaintiff shall set forth the making and filing of the map or maps, plat or plats, in accordance with the provisions of NRS 270.010 to 270.150, inclusive, and the other and further things and notices herein required. Together with the complaint the plaintiff shall file such map or maps, or plat or plats, together with such written objections or exceptions thereto as may have been filed as herein provided, and shall pray the court for an order adopting, fixing and establishing the map or maps, or plat or plats, and fixing, settling, establishing, determining and adjudicating the points, lines, descriptions, metes, bounds, names, numbers and letters of all blocks, lots, streets, alleys, highways, parks, schools, cemeteries and other properties devoted to public use and all lines and corners therein shown.

3. At the time of commencing such action the plaintiff shall cause to be filed in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the property is situate, a notice of the pendency of the action, and such notice, when recorded, shall be considered a notice thereof to all persons to the extent and effect now provided by law.

4. The summons shall be served as provided in NRS and the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure; but if the corrections shall not change the boundaries in any property owner’s property, the summons shall be served by publication thereof for 4 consecutive weeks in some newspaper in the county in which the property is situated, and such publication shall be deemed to be legal service thereof.

[6:120;1919; A 1929, 20; NCL § 1360]

NRS 270.070 Contents and posting of summons; property deemed within jurisdiction of district court; fictitious defendants.

1. The summons in the action need not contain a description by lot or block numbers or by metes and bounds, but shall refer generally to the purpose of the action and shall contain the name of the city or part thereof or addition thereto to be affected by the action.

2. A copy of the summons shall be posted in 3 conspicuous places within the city within 10 days after the filing of the complaint.

3. After the service of the summons and complaint, as herein provided, and the filing of the notice of the pendency of such action and the posting of summons, as in this section specified, all of the property within such city or part thereof or addition thereto shall, for all of the purposes of the action, be conclusively deemed within the jurisdiction of the district court in which such action is brought.

4. If the names of the owner or owners of any of the property within the city shall be unknown to the plaintiff, such fact may be recited in the complaint in the action and any and all such owners impleaded under fictitious names, and the complaint may be thereafter amended if the true names of such fictitious defendants or any of them be thereafter ascertained. The judgment and decree in the action shall be binding and conclusive as to all of the property affected, whether the owners, or one or more thereof, of any of the parcels of property within the city be actually named as party or parties defendant or not.

[7:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2666; NCL § 1361]—(NRS A 1977, 1517)

NRS 270.080 Further pleadings: Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure; hearing given precedence.

1. Further pleadings may be served and filed in the action in all respects as provided in the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure for other actions and the cause shall proceed in all respects in accordance with the regular practice in courts of record in this State.

2. When the cause is at issue upon the plaintiff’s complaint and the respective answers of such defendants as shall have appeared in the action, and the reply of the plaintiff to any affirmative matters set up in any one or more of such answers, and when the default of all defendants failing to appear has been entered, the court shall set the matter down for hearing at the earliest practicable date and the hearing thereof shall have precedence over all other matters upon the calendar, except matters of a similar nature, and except hearings on temporary or permanent injunctions and except such matters as are given precedence by law.

[8:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2666; NCL § 1362]

1. The findings of fact and conclusions of law and judgment must be made and entered as in other cases, and exceptions, motions for new trial and appeals may be had as provided in NRS and the Nevada Rules of Appellate Procedure.

2. The court or judge thereof shall in the findings and decree establish a definite map or plat of the city, or part thereof or addition thereto, in accordance with the pleadings and proof, and shall, by reference, make a part of the findings and judgment the map or plat so established.

3. Wherever blocks or parts of blocks in the original lost, destroyed, conflicting, erroneous or faulty maps or plats have been insufficiently or incorrectly platted, numbered or lettered, the omission, insufficiency or fault must be supplied and corrected in accordance with the pleadings and proof.

4. If the map or plat prepared by the surveyor is inadequate or impracticable of use for the judgment, the judgment or decree may require the making of a new map or plat in accordance with the provisions of the findings and judgment.

5. A certified copy of the judgment, together with the map or plat as is established by the court, must be recorded in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the action is tried. All the ties and descriptions of section or quarter section corners, monuments or marks required by NRS 270.020 must appear on the map finally established by the judgment. The county recorder may collect and receive as fees for recording and indexing the certified copy of the judgment and map, $10 for the map, and the specific statutory fees for the judgment, but not exceeding $50.

6. The judgment may require that all prior existing maps in conflict with the map or plat adopted be so marked or identified by the county recorder to show the substitution of the new map or plat in place thereof.

7. A county recorder who records a map or plat pursuant to this section shall, within 7 working days after recording the map or plat, provide to the county assessor at no charge:

(a) A duplicate copy of the map or plat and any supporting documents; or

(b) Access to the digital map or plat and any digital supporting documents. The map or plat and the supporting documents must be in a form that is acceptable to the county recorder and the county assessor.

[9:120:1919; A 1929, 17; NCL § 1363]—(NRS A 1977, 1517; 1983, 349; 2001, 1559, 1757; 2003, 2785)

NRS 270.100 Appeal: Procedure.

1. In the event of any appeal, as mentioned in NRS 270.090, it shall only be necessary for the appellant:

(a) To appeal from such part of the judgment, decree, order denying motion for new trial, etc., as applies to the particular controversy upon which such appeal is taken; and

(b) To cause to be prepared, and for the clerk to prepare and certify to, on such appeal, such parts of the record on appeal, transcript on appeal, judgment record, etc., as apply to such particular controversy, or

Ê such appeal may be taken upon an agreed statement on appeal, or an agreed statement of facts stipulated to between the appellant and respondent and approved by the court or judge.

2. Any number of such appeals may be taken separately by the several parties to such action, or one or more of such appellants may join in one appeal.

3. Except as herein otherwise provided, the proceedings on such appeal shall conform with the Nevada Rules of Appellate Procedure.

[9a:120:1919; added 1929, 17; NCL § 1364]

NRS 270.110 City attorney or district attorney may prosecute action; employment of other counsel. The city council, or other legislative board of the city, may cause such action to be commenced and prosecuted by the city attorney of such city or the district attorney of the county in which such city is situate or may retain additional or other counsel for the purpose of the action and may allow a reasonable sum for the compensation of the attorney or attorneys so acting.

[10:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2667; NCL § 1365]

NRS 270.120 Questions of fact may be referred to master; property may be taken for public use; procedure.

1. The court or judge trying the cause may refer any questions of fact arising therein to a master or commissioner for findings and determination, and the findings of such master or commissioner shall be subject to review by such court or judge.

2. The court or judge before whom the cause is tried shall have full jurisdiction over all questions that may be properly at issue upon the pleadings, including such issues that may arise by reason of any conflict between the lots, blocks, streets, alleys, highways, parks, cemeteries, schools and other public properties, or the lines or corners thereof, as shown by the map or maps, or plat or plats, filed with the complaint, and the rights or alleged rights of any one or more of the owners of any of the property described in the complaint or embraced in the map or maps, or plat or plats.

3. In the event that it is necessary, for the purpose of fixing and establishing the map or maps, or plat or plats, to devote any pieces or parcels of property owned by any of the defendants within the city, subdivision or addition to public uses as streets or alleys, it shall be proper for the court or judge to appoint three appraisers, who shall appraise and assess the value of such property, and the court may condition the approval of such map or plat on the payment or proper tender by plaintiff to such party defendant of such assessed sum. Any two of such three appraisers shall be competent to act, and their appraisement or assessment shall be subject to review by the court.

[11:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2667; NCL § 1366]

NRS 270.130 Equitable jurisdiction of court to settle rights, conflicts and controversies; court may vest title; stipulations between parties.

1. The court or judge trying the cause shall have full equitable jurisdiction to settle and determine all rights, conflicts and controversies arising out of any situation wherein it is claimed or alleged that improvements owned by any of the defendants encroach upon any streets, alleys or other public places.

2. If it appear to the court or judge that any of the defendants has constructed improvements upon what appears, from the maps or plats submitted, to comprise streets, alleys or other public places in the city, and that the construction of such improvements was made by such defendant or defendants in good faith and in the supposition that such improvements were constructed within the property lines of such defendant or defendants, or in reliance upon any map or plat supposed to be correct or authentic, or in reliance upon any monuments supposed to be correct or authentic, or in reliance upon the lines upon which other improvements in such block or in other blocks had been constructed, and if it appear that the retention of possession and the vesting of title in such defendants of such portions of the streets, alleys or other public places can be maintained without material injury to the public, or to the other residents of the city, the court shall have full power and authority, in its findings and decree, to declare such title and possession vested in such defendant or defendants; or may, in its discretion and in accordance with the facts, the law and the equities in the case, declare such possession and title vested in such defendant or defendants, upon such terms as may be just and equitable, or upon the payment of such sums as may be right and proper by such defendant or defendants to the city or town.

3. Nothing herein contained shall be construed as making it obligatory upon such court or judge to decree or vest title in any such defendant or defendants to property necessary for public use. The court or judge may, in the findings and decree, recognize and approve any stipulation, otherwise appearing to be fair and equitable and without fraud or collusion, between the city or town, on the one hand, as plaintiff, and any of the separate or several individual defendants, as to the establishing of such lines, and no such stipulation shall be invalid by reason of the fact that any other defendant or defendants shall not be parties thereto, save and except where such stipulation shall affect the actual property lines of other defendants. No such findings or decree shall be invalid by reason of misjoinder or nonjoinder of parties in or to the action in the settlement of such individual conflicts.

[11a:120:1919; added 1929, 17; NCL § 1367]

NRS 270.140 Applicability of NRS 270.010 to 270.150, inclusive, to towns. NRS 270.010 to 270.150, inclusive, shall apply to like extent to towns within the State of Nevada, the word “town” being substituted wherever the word “city” appears therein and “the legislative board of the town” (or, in the event that such town have no legislative board, then the “board of county commissioners of the county in which such town is situate”) shall be substituted for “city council or other legislative board of the city.”

[12:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2668; NCL § 1368]

NRS 270.150 Additional rights and remedies. The rights and remedies provided for in NRS 270.010 to 270.150, inclusive, shall be in addition to those existing under subsisting law in regard to the establishing and vacating of townsites or parts thereof or property devoted to public purposes therein.

[13:120:1919; 1919 RL p. 2668; NCL § 1369]

VACATION OF PORTIONS OF CITY’S PLATS

NRS 270.160 Procedure.

1. Any owner or owners of platted land in an incorporated city may make application in writing to the city council of the city wherein such land is situated for the vacation of the portion of the plat so owned by them, together with such portion of any and all streets, alleys and public ways as adjoin or abut the same.

2. Such application shall particularly describe the portion of the plat, and of the streets, alleys and public ways sought to be vacated, and shall be signed by the applicant or applicants.

3. A copy of such application shall be published at the expense of the applicant or applicants in a newspaper of general circulation published in such city, at least once a week for 3 successive weeks, which publication shall be deemed due and sufficient notice to all persons interested of the nature and purpose of such application.

4. Upon the filing of such application and proof of publication with the city clerk, the city council shall, at its next regular meeting, proceed to hear, consider and dispose of the same, and if the city council be satisfied that neither the public nor any person will be materially injured thereby, it shall order such portion of the plat, streets, alleys and public ways vacated in accordance with such application, a certified copy of which order shall be duly recorded in the office of the recorder of the county wherein such land is situated. Such county recorder shall endorse the information contained in the order on the original plat.

5. Such owner or owners shall cause to be prepared, at their expense, a revised plat plainly showing the approved vacation, and record it with the county recorder of the county in which the property is located after such revised plat has been approved by the city council. Such revised plat shall comply with all requirements of this chapter.

[1:73:1917; A 1941, 39; 1931 NCL § 1372]—(NRS A 1971, 763)

NRS 270.170 Person claiming material injury may commence action to have order of vacation set aside. Any person claiming material injury by any order so made by the city council may at any time within 60 days after the date of such order commence an action in the district court having jurisdiction to have such order set aside.

[2:73:1917; 1919 RL p. 2663; NCL § 1373]

NRS 270.180 NRS 270.160 and 270.170 supplementary; applicability. NRS 270.160 and 270.170 are intended to supplement and not to supersede the existing laws relating to the vacation of city and town plats and do not apply to land divided pursuant to NRS 278.010 to 278.630, inclusive.

[3:73:1917; 1919 RL p. 2664; NCL § 1374]—(NRS A 1977, 1518; 2015, 318; 2017, 2049)