How to Determine Square Foot of Lot

The size of a lot is measured with a unit of area, such as by square foot. The precise area can be determined from the survey map of the lot. The size of a lot is important in some areas for meeting building codes. For example, in some areas only a certain percentage of a lot may be covered by buildings or pavement.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Survey map

Instructions

1. Locate the survey map scale. It will usually be in one of the corners of the survey map. This indicates how many actual feet of the lot are indicated by one inch on the map.

2. Measure the length of the lot on the survey map. Multiply this number by the map scale to get the actual length of the lot.

3. Measure the width of the lot on the survey map. Multiply this number by the map scale to get the actual width of the lot.

4. Multiply the actual length and width of the lot. This is total area of the lot in square feet.

References

• Engineering; Dr. Joseph Orlins; 2003