A title tells you who owns land; the plan tells you what, exactly, they own. A plan search is a check of the survey records held by the National Land Agency (NLA) to see the drawn shape, dimensions, area and neighbours of a parcel, and any easements or road reserves marked on it.
The plans most often searched are deposited plans (filed when land is subdivided into lots), strata plans (for apartments and townhouses), enclosure plans (attached to many titles) and surveyors’ diagrams from earlier surveys. The NLA’s price list puts copies of most plan types at J$500 each and a surveyor’s diagram at J$150, with a separate charge if you need a copy certified. Many plans can be found and viewed online through eLandJamaica, where scanned images carry a per-image charge.
Buyers usually rely on their attorney or a commissioned land surveyor to order and read the plans. It is worth doing before signing an agreement for sale on vacant land, a lot in a new scheme, or any property where fences look out of line, because a plan can reveal that a driveway sits on a neighbour’s lot or that part of the land is reserved for drainage. The plan on record and the pegs on the ground should agree; where they do not, a fresh survey is the usual next step.
Related terms: Deposited plan, Strata Plan, Site Plan, Title Search Fee, Commissioned Land Surveyor, eLandJamaica.
Accurate as at October 2026. Fees are reviewed periodically.
