How to search and read the cadastral map?

What is a cadastral map?

It is a map that is traceable in the land registry. While previously the cadastral map was kept only in physical printed form, the so-called analogue, nowadays you can search in digital maps, available free of charge on the website of the Czech Office of Surveying and Cadastre.

An available lawyer advises, “Digitisation is not yet complete in the whole territory of the Czech Republic and some parts (especially in rural areas) may not be geometrically accurate in the cadastre map. In this case, one can use the services of orthophotomap companies or use the traditional method of visiting the cadastre.”

What all is plotted on the cadastral map?

• state borders,
• the boundaries of local government units,
• land boundaries,
• boundaries of protected areas,
• boundaries of protection zones,
• building perimeters,
• other elements – tunnels, bridges, access roads.

I want to see the land I am interested in on the cadastral maps – how to do it?

The cadastral maps are easily accessed via the Land Registry viewing page. You enter the name of the cadastral area, which is the same as the name of the largest municipality. The system thinks of multiple municipalities with a similar name and will always offer all the options with a distinction of districts. You will then be presented with a map of the cadastral territory, on which you can zoom in on the place you are looking for until you see the parcel number.

However, if you know more information about the land, you can use the menu at the top of the cadastral map to find it more quickly via the land parcel number (parcel), description number (building) or procedure number (procedure).

An available attorney advises, “For example, we tried to find a plot of land in the village of Chvaleč where we knew the registration number of the building. Instead of using the cadastral overview map, we used the registration number of the building and got directly to the detailed information. The overview shows not only the owner, but also the specific type of plot, its area or any restrictions on ownership.”

Once you have clicked on the map, it is best to work directly with the cadastral map, which allows you to see the boundaries of the land and the buildings themselves, as well as the plot or building numbers. For a better idea and control, you can use the orthophoto map mentioned above at this point. The cadastral land map will then take the following form:

Checklist of 8 points to check in the cadastral maps of the land before signing the purchase contract

1. Check that the correct area is indicated in the purchase contract.
2. Check the property data to make sure it has no restrictions on ownership or, if applicable, agrees with what is stated in the contract.
3. Check the land registry map for the buildings that are registered on the property and compare the condition with reality.
4. Make sure that there are no black buildings on the land that are not plotted on the map and therefore have not been approved.
5. Check that the buildings do not encroach on other people’s land.
6. Check that you will have available access to the property via municipal land or roads, or whether an easement is established across someone else’s land.
7. Compare the floor plan of the building with the actual condition. In practice, it happens, for example, that owners do not report or record an extension on the cadastral map of the land, and the floor plan then subsequently looks completely different on the cadastral map of the land.
8. For sheds, terraces or outbuildings , check that they are marked as buildings on the land register and thus on the map (a line with a dot in the middle). At this point, however, it should be borne in mind that the gradual digitisation of the cadastral map may have led to minor deviations. The focus for this is more on the size and shape of the building.

What other information can you read from the cadastral maps?

• Distance measurement on the cadastral map –click on the icon with numbers to measure the distance, as shown in our picture.

Simply use the left cursor to select the two points you want to measure, be it the length of the property, its width, the distance of the property from the access road or the distance from the nearest neighbour.

• Building measurement – you can apply the same method to a building. You can easily find out the approximate length and depth of the building.

• Area measurement – by marking all corners you can find the area of any plot. The same method works as in the previous case for a building.

The list of cadastral map possibilities does not end here. For professionals, the digital version offers additional features where you can add layers with parcel boundaries with precision, point location fields, map sheet cladding and other specifications. If you are interested in the information, you can use the help to consult the cadastre directly on the ČÚZK website.

Of course,the cadastre offers the possibility to print or download the map as a PDF file.

Not enough map detail and need an extract? Find out what the difference is between a cadastral extract and a gazetteer, how much it will cost you and what to look out for. We’ve covered all the essentials in the next article.

A final tip not only for architects:

Do you live in Prague? Thanks to the Two Prahys app, you have the chance to compare what your street looked like 80, 60, 40 and 20 years ago. Simply look into the history of a particular place and see how it has changed.