PLAT REQUIRED.

(a) The owner of a tract of land that divides the tract in any manner that creates at least one lot of five acres or less intended for residential purposes must have a plat of the subdivision prepared. A commissioners court by order may require each subdivider of land to prepare a plat if none of the lots is five acres or less but at least one of the lots of the subdivision is more than five acres but not more than 10 acres.

(a-1) A subdivision of a tract under this section includes a subdivision of real property by any method of conveyance, including a contract for deed, oral contract, contract of sale, or other type of executory contract, regardless of whether the subdivision is made by using a metes and bounds description.

(b) A plat required under this section must:

(1) include on the plat or have attached to the plat a document containing a description of the water and sewer service facilities that will be constructed or installed to service the subdivision and a statement of the date by which the facilities will be fully operable; and

(2) have attached to the plat a document prepared by an engineer registered to practice in this state certifying that the water and sewer service facilities described by the plat or the document attached to the plat are in compliance with the model rules adopted under Section 16.343, Water Code.

(c) A plat required under this section must be filed and recorded with the county clerk of the county in which the tract is located. The plat is subject to the filing and recording provisions of Section 12.002, Property Code.

(d) The commissioners court may require a plat application submitted for approval to include a digital map that is compatible with other mapping systems used by the county and that georeferences the subdivision plat and related public infrastructure using the Texas Coordinate Systems adopted under Section 21.071, Natural Resources Code. A digital map required under this subsection may be required only in a format widely used by common geographic information system software. A requirement adopted under this subsection must provide for an exemption from the requirement if the owner of the tract submits with the plat application an acknowledged statement indicating that the digital mapping technology necessary to submit a map that complies with this subsection was not reasonably accessible.