Plat Monitoring Program

Background and Purpose

In 2001, the Metropolitan Council initiated the Plat Monitoring Program (Program) with input from the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC) and MetroCities (formerly the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities). The program started with 12 volunteer communities, and now includes 45 communities. 

The purpose of the Program is to track and monitor residential development patterns on the region’s developing edge, including the number of units and acres platted, the mix of single-family and multi-family housing, land consumption, and average residential density. 

Participating communities complete an annual summary worksheet and submit copies of plats approved during the calendar year. This information allows the Council to assess the available land supply in participating communities and monitor the density of new development for consistency with Council policies. Communities also receive credit for residential plats meeting the Council’s density policy. This credit gives them flexibility to approve plats at lower residential densities within the MUSA, so long as the overall net density remains above 3 units per acre.   

Plat Monitoring in 2021

From 2000 to 2021, participant communities platted an average of 5,747 single-family and multi-family housing units each year, peaking in 2003 with over 10,000 housing units platted. This number declined from 2004 to 2009, with the lowest number of plats ever recorded in the history of the Program when only 286 units were platted. Since 2009, platting activity has gradually increased until 2021 when total housing units nearly reached 2003 levels. A total of 179 plats were recorded by 45 participating communities in 2021. 


For more information regarding the 2021 Report and presentation to the Community Development Committee, please see the links below:

• 2021 Plat Monitoring Program Report 

• 2021 Presentation to the Community Development Committee 

• Plat Monitoring Guide