How to Read a Deed Plan and Survey in Uganda

What is a deed plan?

A deed plan is the official plan of a surveyed parcel. It is produced from a survey so that a certificate of title can be issued, and it is kept by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. The Ministry's service standards describe producing deed plans for the issuance of certificates of title, and give 10 working days to check and process a surveyed file, and 5 working days to issue a deed plan on request (Ministry service standards). The fee is UGX 7,500 per small set and UGX 15,000 to 30,000 per large set, as of the 2025/26 standards.

A deed plan is related to a survey plan, but they are not the same paper. The survey plan comes from the surveyor in the field. The deed plan is the Ministry's checked version that goes with the title. When a seller shows you "the survey", ask whether it is a deed plan, a surveyor's sketch or a mutation form.

What do area and scale tell you?

Start with the area. It is written on the plan in the units the surveyor used, often hectares or square metres, and sometimes acres. Convert it to decimals before you compare it with the advertised size: one acre is 100 decimals, and 43,560 square feet. Our Land Size Converter does this, and what is a decimal of land in Uganda explains the unit.

Next, read the scale. A scale such as 1 to 500 means one unit on the paper equals 500 on the ground. It lets you measure a line on the plan with a ruler. If the plan is a photocopy, the copy may have been enlarged or shrunk and the scale printed on it will be wrong, so trust the written lengths over a ruler.

What do block and plot numbers mean?

On the register, mailo land is identified by county, block and plot number, while freehold and leasehold land are identified by volume and folio. The Ministry's search guide sets this out for requests: county, block and plot for mailo, and register volume and folio for leasehold and freehold (Ministry guide to a physical search). The online portal likewise searches by title (volume and folio) or by parcel (county or town, block or road, and plot) at UGX 10,000 per search (portal guide).

So the block and plot on the deed plan are your search keys. Copy them exactly. A plot number that is slightly different from the one on the title is a warning sign, because it may be a different parcel.

What are bearings, distances and mark stones?

Each boundary line on the plan has a bearing and a distance. The bearing is the direction of the line measured as an angle, and the distance is its length. Together they let a surveyor find the line on the ground. A plan with all sides, bearings and distances written down can be re-checked. A plan that gives only the total area cannot.

The corners are marked on the ground with survey marks, often called mark stones or boundary marks, and the plan shows them as points. When you visit, you should find a mark at each corner. If marks are missing, buried or moved, ask for the boundaries to be re-opened by a surveyor. For a dispute, the Ministry lists a report on boundary opening in 10 working days at no cost to the applicant, and a cadastral standard sheet on film at UGX 30,000 (Ministry service standards, 2025/26).

How do I know the land matches the survey?

1. Get the deed plan or survey plan copy and the title.
2. Check that the block, plot and area match on both papers and on the seller's advert.
3. Walk to each corner with the seller and, ideally, a surveyor, and find the marks.
4. Measure at least two sides with a tape and compare them to the plan.
5. Look for buildings, trenches, fences or crops that cross a boundary line.
6. Ask neighbours which line they believe is the boundary.

If sides differ by more than a small margin, stop and ask why. An escorted visit helps because someone independent walks the land with the plan, so book an escorted site visit before you commit.

What should you do with the plan before you pay?

Use the plan as part of a whole process. First check ownership and the register. Then check the plan against the ground. Only then agree the price and pay, using a safe route as set out in how to pay for land in Uganda safely. If you are weighing a plot against a house, see Buy Land or Buy a House in Uganda?.

Sellers can save buyers a lot of doubt by having the land surveyed before they advertise it. Read survey land before selling for how. And if you are comparing plots, browse plot listings or start with plots for sale Uganda.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• What Is a Decimal of Land? (Uganda Measure Explained)
• Land Size Converter: Acres, Decimals, Hectares, Plots
• Survey and Deed Plan Before You Sell
• How to Pay for Land Safely in Uganda
• Buy Land or Buy a House in Uganda?