Build parcels from lines

Building parcels creates missing parcel features. Parcels can be built from lines or polygons.

When parcels are built from lines, parcel polygons and parcel points are created. Additionally, the following data is updated:

• Parcel record polygons are updated to match the cumulative geometry of all the parcels associated with them.
• The Parcel Count field in the Records feature class is updated with the number of parcels associated with each record.

Note:

Record polygons will not be created for records that are associated to more than 2,000 parcels.

Building parcels from lines fixes the following topology errors:

• Lines—Endpoint Must Be Covered By—Points
• Lines—Must Be Covered By Boundary Of—Polygons topology errors

Note:

Only current parcels are built. Historic parcels are not built. The Retired By Record attribute field of historic parcels is populated with the global ID of the record that retired them.

Create or add parcel lines

Parcels can be built from lines stored in the parcel type lines feature class. The parcel type lines feature class is a COGO-enabled lines feature class and stores COGO dimensions in COGO fields such as Direction and Distance.

Parcel lines can be created in or added to a parcel type in the following ways:

• Create lines using editing tools such as the Traverse tool.
• Copy lines from existing lines in the parcel fabric, CAD files, or other feature classes.

When creating parcel lines, an active record should be set for the map. New lines will be associated to the active record.

Create parcel seeds

When building parcels from lines, parcel seeds are used. A parcel seed is the initial state, or seed state, of a parcel. A parcel seed indicates to the build process that a parcel can be built from the lines enclosing the seed.

A parcel seed is a minimized polygon feature and is stored in the parcel type polygon feature class.

Parcel seeds can be created in two ways:

• Set the appropriate parcel record as active and click the Create Seeds command in the Construct group on the Parcels ribbon.

  Seeds will be created for all closed loops in the map extent that are associated with the active parcel record.

• Set the appropriate parcel record as active and use the parcel seed feature template to manually create individual parcel seeds for closed loops of lines.

  Using the parcel seed feature template to create seeds gives you more control over where seeds are created and also over which attributes are added for individual seeds.

Parcel seeds work as follows:

• When using the Create Seeds command to create seeds, seeds will be created for all closed loops in the map extent that are associated with the active parcel record. If the enclosed loop contains lines associated with different records, the seed is not created.
• Parcel seeds are automatically created when copying lines to the active parcel record.
• The parcel seed has the same schema as the parcel type polygon. It is the minimized, initial state of the parcel.

  The Is Seed field of the parcel type polygon feature class is set to Yes for a parcel seed.

• When using the Create Seeds command to create seeds, the parcel type of the parcel seed is derived from the surrounding enclosed loop of lines.

  If the enclosed loop contains lines from different parcel types, the seed is not created.

• Seeds can be merged into multipart seeds. If seeds are multipart, multipart parcels are built.
• The parcel seed is associated with the active parcel record. The Created By Record field is populated with the global ID of the active parcel record.
• The parcel seed can be populated with parcel attributes, and these attributes will be transferred to the parcel polygon when it is built.

  Select the parcel seed and open the Attributes pane to add attributes.

Parcel seeds are useful for the construction of new parcels in the following ways:

• Parcel seeds can store attributes of the parent parcel. Parent parcel attributes are preserved and transferred to the parcel seed when selecting a parcel and copying its boundary lines to the active record. Parcel seed attributes are transferred to parcel polygons when new parcels are built.
• Parcel seeds can be used to prevent the creation of interior hole parcels when creating donut-shaped parcels. Delete the parcel seed in the interior hole.
• Parcel seeds can indicate where slivers and gaps are in copied lines. Parcel seeds are created for all closed loops, including sliver and gap loops when copying lines to the active record.
• Parcel seeds can be deleted, copied and pasted, and regenerated. Use parcel seeds to control which closed loop of lines is built into a parcel.

Parcel seeds can be deleted and re-created at any time. If a parcel seed has been created for a closed loop of lines that should not be built into a parcel, the seed can be selected and deleted. Erroneous or redundant parcel seeds are useful for identifying closed line loops that result from slivers or gaps.

If additional line work has been added to the map extent after creating parcel seeds, you can copy and paste existing seeds as new seeds, use the Parcel Seed feature template to create individual seeds, or click the Create Seeds command to create additional parcel seeds.

The Create Seeds command creates parcel seeds for closed loops of lines in the map extent that are associated to the active parcel record.

Build parcels in the active record

Click Build Active in the Construct group on the Parcels ribbon to build parcels associated with the active record.

When building parcels in the active record, all seeds associated with the active record will be built into parcels, even if the seeds lie outside the current map extent.

Note:

When using the Copy Lines To tool to copy lines to the same parcel type for construction, the original selected parcel or lines are retired as historic. If any of the copied lines are not changed when new parcels are built, the Retired By Record field is set to Null and the original lines are kept as current. This indicates that the original lines were not altered by the new parcel record and that they will stay current and keep their association with the parcel record that created them.

Note:

If copied lines are deleted during the parcel construction process, the original lines will remain as historic when parcels are built.

Build parcels in the map extent

Click the Build Active drop-down arrow and click Build Extent to build parcels from lines enclosing seeds in the map extent. If a loop of lines does not enclose a seed, the parcel will not be built.

When building the map extent, seeds can be present in the map extent and associated with different parcel records. For example, you can use the Copy Lines To tool to copy sets of lines to different active parcel records.

Building the map extent works as follows:

• The Build Extent command can build up to 1,000 parcels in the map extent. To build parcels for the whole parcel fabric dataset, run the Build Parcel Fabric geoprocessing tool.
• The Build Extent command turns off the Show Only Active command if it is on.
• If a seed is not visible in the map extent, the parcel is not built.
• When building parcels from lines and seeds, parcel polygons and parcel points are created. The built parcel features are associated with the same parcel record as the parcel seed.