M-100: The Essentials of Community Association Management Practice Test

The main idea here is understanding which document actually establishes the physical boundaries and land descriptions of a development and where that document sits in the order of priority for governing the property. The recorded map, plat, or plan is the instrument that lays out the subdivision’s exact boundaries, lot lines, streets, and the location of common areas, and it is filed in the land records. Because it is a recorded map of the land itself, it carries a higher authority over internal rules and agreements when conflicts arise, so it sits above bylaws in the hierarchy.

Other documents define ownership, rights, and restrictions or create the organization, but they don’t set the land’s physical descriptions. A declaration or CC&Rs establishes what owners can and cannot do and the shared amenities, a master deed or similar document describes units and ownership interests, and articles of incorporation create the HOA as a legal entity. Proprietary leases or occupancy agreements relate to specific occupancy arrangements rather than the overall land description.

So the map, plat, or plan is the instrument that defines the development’s boundaries and land descriptions and has that senior position relative to bylaws.