Create and align a new parcel

In the parcel fabric, you can create a parcel by entering COGO dimensions for a closed loop traverse. After the traverse has been created, the parcel is built to create the parcel polygon and parcel points.

A parcel traverse is a common method for entering parcel dimensions from land record documents.

Use the Traverse tool located in the Tools gallery on the Parcel Record Workflows tab to create a parcel traverse. The Traverse tool creates parcel boundary lines in the chosen parcel lines feature layer. Since parcel fabric line layers are COGO-enabled, the tool populates the line's COGO attribute fields with the entered dimensions.

To create a parcel traverse, follow these steps:

1. Set the active record in the map for the new parcel.

   The active record is the record that defines the parcel. If the record does not exist, create a parcel record.

2. To apply a ground to grid correction to your traverse dimensions, calculate and turn on a ground to grid correction for the map.
3. Click Traverse located in the Tools gallery on the Parcel Record Workflows tab to open the Traverse tool in the Modify Features pane.
4. Click the Layer drop-down box and choose the parcel line feature layer in which to enter the traverse.
5. Click Set Start and click a starting point on the map to set a start location for your parcel traverse.

   You can click anywhere in the map extent as the start location for your parcel traverse. You can also click to snap on existing points or control points if the survey record indicates that the parcel point coincides with the control point. Once the parcel is built, it can be moved and aligned with surrounding parcels.

   Tip:

   Click Show Only Active in the Records group on the Parcel Record Workflows tab to only display parcel features associated to the active record. In this way, you can display only the traverse lines and other parcel features associated to the active record.

6. If necessary, click the template drop-down list next to the Direction field and choose a feature template for the lines.

   The default feature template is used if no other feature template exists.

7. Click in the Direction field to begin entering the traverse dimensions.
   A closed loop parcel traverse closes onto the start point location if the start point and end point of the traverse are within the specified closure tolerance. The closure tolerance of a parcel traverse is the difference between the end point of the last line of the traverse and the start point of the traverse.
8. To specify a closure tolerance, click the traverse options button and click Closure Tolerance. Type a closure tolerance and press <Enter>.

   If the end point of the traverse lies within the specified closure tolerance of the start location, the two points are snapped together and the traverse is closed.

   Learn more about traverse closure and adjustment

Create a parcel traverse with a connection from a point-of-beginning

On some records, the starting location of a parcel is defined as being at the endpoint of a connection line that connects from a known point or point-of-beginning.

The parcel traverse starts with a connection from a known point-of-beginning.

To create a parcel traverse that starts with a connection from a point-of-beginning, follow these steps:

1. In the Modify Features pane with the Traverse tool open, click the Layer drop-down box and choose the parcel fabric connection lines layer.
2. Click Set Start and click to snap on the point-of-beginning.
3. Click in the Direction field to start entering the dimensions of your connection lines.

   The connection from the point of beginning to the parcel can consist of multiple courses.

4. After entering an open traverse of connection lines, click New at the bottom of the Modify Features pane to start a new traverse for the parcel.

   The start location of the traverse is automatically set to the end point of the previous traverse, which in this case is the connection lines traverse.

5. In the new traverse, click the Layer drop-down box and choose the parcel line feature layer for the closed loop parcel traverse.
6. Click in the Direction field and continue entering the dimensions for the new parcel.

Create a parcel traverse with a natural boundary

The boundaries of parcels can follow natural features such as rivers or coastlines. In these cases, the traverse line is digitized as a polyline along the natural boundary and dimensions are not entered.

To create a parcel traverse that has a natural boundary, follow these steps:

1. Follow the steps above to create a record and start entering a new parcel traverse.
2. To digitize a natural boundary for a traverse course, click the Line tool beneath the traverse grid and digitise a single polyline.
3. When the digitized polyline is complete, right-click in the map and click Finish to create the traverse course.

   A single row is created in the traverse grid containing dimensions for the straight line that goes between the start point and end point of the digitized polyline. These generated dimensions are displayed in angle brackets, for example, <S3°27'16"W> and <64.15>

   

4. To continue entering regular traverse courses after a natural boundary course, click the 2-Point Line tool beneath the traverse grid and continue entering traverse dimensions.

   The 2-Point Line tool ensures that single, two-point COGO-enabled line features are created for non-natural boundary traverse courses.

Build and align the parcel

After the parcel traverse has been created, the parcel must be built. Building the parcel creates the parcel polygon and parcel points.

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 should 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. The parcel seed can be populated with parcel attributes, and these attributes are transferred to the parcel polygon when it is built.

Note:

A parcel seed is not created for a closed loop of lines that are associated with different records. A closed loop of lines must all be associated with the same parcel record for a seed to be created.

Learn more about parcel seeds

To build and align a new parcel, follow these steps:

1. With the traverse lines visible in the map extent, click Create Seeds on the Parcel Record Workflows tab to create a seed for your closed loop of parcel lines.

   The Create Seeds command generates parcel seeds for closed loops of lines in the map extent. Closed loops of lines must be associated with the same parcel record and parcel type for a seed to be created. The parcel type of the seed is determined from the closed loop of parcel lines. The seed feature is created in the parcel polygon feature class of the parcel type.

2. Optionally, select the seed and click Attributes in the Selection group on the Parcel Record Workflows tab to add parcel attributes to the parcel seed.

   You can also add attributes to the parcel polygon once it's built.

3. Click Build Active in the Construct group to build the parcel.

   The Build Active command builds parcels from lines associated to the active record.

4. If necessary, select the built parcel polygon, open the Attributes pane , and add attributes for fields such as Name, Stated Area, and Stated Area Unit.
5. Use the Move , Rotate, and parcel alignment tools to align the new parcel with the surrounding parcel fabric.
   1. Select the parcel polygon and use the Parcel Features command tool to select related parcel features (points and lines).
   2. Use the Move and Rotate tools located in the Alignment group in the Tools gallery to move the parcel into an alignment position.
   3. Use parcel alignment tools to align the parcel.

      Tip:

      It may be necessary to disable topology in the map when moving, rotating and aligning parcels. You can disable and enable topology by clicking the Topology drop-down list in the Manage Edits group on the Edit tab. Choose No Topology or the parcel fabric geodatabase topology.