Plat Filing Requirements – Ellis County, TX

Ellis County Plat Filing Requirements is the one-page list the Ellis County Clerk gives to people who present a plat for filing. It sets the plat size, the copy to submit, the certifications and approvals the plat must show, and the rules for signatures, notary acknowledgments, seals and tax certificates.

The sheet is issued by the office of the County Clerk, 109 S. Jackson St., 2nd Floor, Waxahachie, Texas 75165. It is not an application: it is a checklist the plat itself must satisfy.

Its eight numbered requirements cover:

• a plat size of 18" x 24";
• one black line copy with all original seals and signatures;
• the items the plat must show, including owner certification and dedication, certification by a Registered Professional Land Surveyor, city certification and approval if the plat is within the city's ETJ, Commissioners' Court approval if needed, and a complete legal description (a replat must reference the original plat information);
• original signatures with printed names, and the company name above the signature when the owner is a company;
• notary acknowledgment, with the notary's name printed and a legible seal showing the expiration date;
• tax certificates from each taxing entity;
• legible stamps and seals.

The sheet defines Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) as the area outside a city's limits designated to fall in the city's "sphere of influence". A subdivision within the ETJ of any city or town in Ellis County must be approved by that jurisdiction's governing body, and the approval must appear on the face of the plat.

The sheet is for owners, surveyors and their representatives who present a plat or replat to the Ellis County Clerk for filing. Anyone preparing the plat can use it as a checklist before delivering the paper copy.

Conditions the sheet attaches to specific cases:

• If the subdivision lies within the ETJ of any city or town in Ellis County, the plat needs certification and approval by that city's governing body, shown on the face of the plat.
• If the Commissioners' Court must approve the plat, that approval must appear on it.
• If you are filing a replat, it must reference the original plat information.
• If the owner is a company, the company name must appear above the signature.
• Tax certificates are required from each taxing entity. School and city taxes that are not collected through the County may have no seal but must carry original signatures.

The sheet does not describe who may sign for an owner. The County Clerk's page also states that clerks cannot give legal advice or prepare an instrument for you.

Use these requirements when you are ready to present a plat to the Ellis County Clerk, and have every certification, approval, signature, notary acknowledgment, seal and tax certificate in place first. The sheet sets no calendar deadline.

One timing rule is printed: plats received after 4:00 p.m. will be processed the next business day. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so a plat delivered late in the afternoon is not processed that day.

Approvals that depend on location come before filing: a plat within a city's ETJ needs that city's certification and approval, and the plat needs Commissioners' Court approval if it is needed.

The Plat Filing Requirements sheet gives the County Clerk's street address, P.O. box, office hours, phone, fax and email, and asks for a paper plat with original seals and signatures.

• Street address: Ellis County Clerk, 109 S. Jackson St., 2nd Floor, Waxahachie, Texas 75165.
• P.O. box: P.O. Box 250, Waxahachie, Texas 75168.
• Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Plats received after 4:00 p.m. are processed the next business day.
• Phone: 972-825-5070. Fax: 972-825-5075. Email: [email protected].

Submit one black line copy of the plat, 18" x 24", with all original seals and signatures; the sheet allows no exceptions. Include the tax certificates from each taxing entity. The sheet does not name a separate portal or appointment rule. For questions about fees or procedure, call the office. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.