A pre-checked plan is a land surveyor’s diagram that has been examined by the Surveys and Mapping Division of the National Land Agency (NLA) before it is lodged with a title application. In everyday speech the terms survey diagram and pre-checked plan are often used interchangeably; strictly, the pre-check is the approval stamp that makes the diagram acceptable to the Titles Office.
What the NLA checks
The Division has the legal responsibility for checking cadastral surveys against the Land Surveyors Act, its regulations and the Registration of Titles Act. Among other things, a pre-checked plan must show the surveyor’s name and signature, the area of the land, the survey method and scale, the name and location of the property, the date of survey, the names and addresses of adjoining owners or occupants, who was served with notice of the survey and who attended, and the orientation used (magnetic, true or grid north).
The check confirms that the parcel fits with surrounding surveyed land, does not overlap an existing registered parcel, and was carried out properly.
Where it is used
A pre-checked plan underpins first registration by plan, splintering a lot from a parent title, re-registering old metes-and-bounds titles by reference to a plan, and many applications under the government’s titling programmes. The plan’s reference later appears on the title, tying the legal description to a mapped parcel.
Shelf life
A pre-checked diagram does not last for ever. It is generally treated as valid for seven years for title purposes; after that the NLA will want either a fresh survey or a surveyor’s statutory declaration confirming that the diagram still matches the ground. Old plans in a family drawer may therefore need updating before an application.
Tips for owners
Only a commissioned land surveyor can prepare a plan for checking. Before paying for a survey, confirm with the surveyor whether the land touches registered neighbours or Crown land, since disputes discovered at the checking stage can stall a title for months.
Related terms: Survey Diagram, Land Survey, Cadastral survey, Land Surveyors Association of Jamaica (LSAJ), First Registration, Splinter Title, Deposited plan.
Accurate as at October 2026.
