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Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about what a Plat report is, what it tells you, and where the numbers come from.
- What is a Plat report?
- A Plat report tells you whether a specific Austin-area parcel is worth pursuing before you spend time or money on it. Enter an address and you get a site feasibility read covering zoning, flood risk, environmental factors, demographics, permit history, traffic, and walkability — each point tied to the public record it came from, ending in a single BUILD, CAUTION, or DON'T BUILD verdict.
- What do BUILD, CAUTION, and DON'T BUILD mean?
- The verdict is the headline read on a parcel. BUILD means nothing in the checked records stands in the way of the use you're evaluating. CAUTION means the parcel is workable but carries a condition worth pricing in — a flood overlay, a zoning limit, a steep slope. DON'T BUILD means a checked record blocks that use outright. Every verdict shows the evidence behind it, so you can judge the call yourself.
- What data does a report use?
- Reports draw on authoritative public sources: zoning records, flood data, property records, demographics, permit history, walkability, traffic data, and school proximity. Every figure in a report is labeled with the record category it came from, so you can trace any claim back to its source.
- How long does a report take?
- Under a minute. What used to mean hours of desk research across a dozen separate sites arrives as one page you can read at a glance and show to a partner or lender.
- Is a Plat report professional advice?
- No. A Plat report is an informational screen built from public data to help you decide what deserves a closer look. It is not legal, engineering, environmental, or financial advice and does not replace professional due diligence. Independently verify anything you plan to act on.
- How is the verdict decided?
- The verdict is derived by fixed rules from the underlying records — the same inputs always produce the same verdict — and every driver is shown alongside the record it rests on. Because public records can lag real-world changes, treat the report as a fast, evidence-backed first screen rather than the final word.
- Where does Plat work?
- Plat covers the Austin, Texas metro today, and coverage is expanding to more markets. If an address falls outside current coverage, the app tells you plainly rather than guessing.