§ 137.185 RSMo — Tracts less than one-sixteenth of a section

1. In all cases where any person, company or corporation may hereafter divide any tract of land into parcels less than one-sixteenth part of a section or otherwise, in such manner that such parcels cannot be described in the usual manner of describing lands in accordance with the surveys made by the general government, it shall be the duty of such person, company or corporation to cause such lands to be surveyed and a plat thereof made by a surveyor in the county where such lands are situated, which plat shall particularly describe and set forth the lots or parcels of land surveyed, as aforesaid; the lots and blocks shall be numbered in progressive numbers, and the plats shall show the number, location and quantity of land in each lot, and the description of the tract of land so divided; provided, that whenever it shall appear to the county commission of the county in which any such tracts are situated that tracts or parcels of land less than one-sixteenth of a section, and lying outside of the limits of any incorporated city, town or village, have been conveyed without having been surveyed and platted and the plat thereof recorded as herein provided, the commission may require the county surveyor, by order of record, to survey and plat such tract or tracts of land and record the plat so made, all of which shall be done at the expense of the owner of such tracts of land at the time the survey is made.

2. And when any tracts of land lying within the limits of any city, town or village cannot be described by lot or block number, or other description given in a recorded plat, the city council may have such tracts of land surveyed and platted by the city or county surveyor, or other competent surveyor. Such plat shall be given such appropriate name as will distinguish it from all other surveys and plats, and streets included therein appropriately named, and such plats hereafter or heretofore made by any city, town or village shall have the full force and effect as other plats made under the provisions of this section. Said plat shall be certified to by the surveyor and recorded in like manner as the plats of towns are required to be certified to and recorded. The description of real estate in any deed or conveyance, or for the purpose of taxation, in accordance with the number and description set forth in the plat aforesaid, shall be deemed a good and valid description of the lot or parcel of lands so described.

3. Said surveyor shall file in the office of the clerk of the county commission of the county, in which any such lots or tracts of land platted under the provisions of this law are situated, his report and copy of such survey and tracts or lots platted under the provisions of this section, with the statements of the costs of such survey and platting, and the recorder's fee for recording same, which shall be paid by the surveyor, with an apportionment of the same, against each tract thus surveyed and platted, and the commission at the next term thereafter shall levy the amount of such costs as a tax against such tracts as thus apportioned and certified to by the surveyor, and shall cause the same to be entered upon the tax books against the several tracts and collected as other taxes are collected. And when said taxes are thus collected the county commission shall cause a warrant to be drawn for the amount of such collections to the surveyor making said plat and cause same to be paid to him accordingly.