This series consists original surveys of land districts in counties made prior to distribution of land by lottery, 1805-1833, plus resurveys or renewed surveys of districts.

The District Plats of Survey remain the legal basis for the land lot system in Georgia. This system established counties, districts, and land lots through a number of land surveys. Each county was divided into districts and each district was subdivided into land lots, ranging in size from 40 acres to 490 acres, depending on the lottery. The Cherokee territory, however, was also divided into sections. The district plats are the graphic representation of these surveys, performed by district surveyors appointed by the legislature, in which the land lots were demarcated and numbered.