1. Legal Description Methods of Legally Describing Land
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Methods of Legally
Describing Land
Legal Description
A written passage or statement that defines property and is descriptive enough for the property to be differentiated from other properties.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2010

2. Why Different Methods?

3. Land Titles

4. Metes and Bounds
Metes- boundary described by a distance and direction between property corners.
Bounds: Boundary described less accurately. i.e. “from center of the creek”
Point of Beginning (POB)- starting point.

5. Sample of Metes and Bounds
Beginning at an iron pipe on the corner of the Lots 51 and 52; thence running N 52°49’ E a distance of 87 ½ feet; thence turning and running easterly through the middle of Lot 50 a distance of 101 feet more or less; thence turning and running S 52°49’ W a distance of 80 feet more or less along a 24-foot right of way; thence turning and running on an arc a distance of 30 feet to West Shore Drive, so-called; thence continuing along the northerly side of the said West Shore Drive a distance of 80 feet more or less to the point of beginning.
Recorded June 23, 1949

6. Bearings
The deviation measured in degrees, minutes and seconds from a known line or direction.
N 25°35’ E
S 22°35’E
N 15° W
S 45° W

7. N 25°35’ E N S E W
25°35’

8. S 22°35’E N S E W
22°35’

9. N 15° W N S E W
15°

10. S 45°W N S E W
45°

11. Metes & Bounds Sketch, Part 1
Beginning at an iron pipe on the corner of the Lots 51 and 52;

12. Metes & Bounds Sketch, Part 2
thence running N 52°49’ E a distance of 87 ½ feet
52°49’
87 ½ feet N S E W

13. Metes & Bounds Sketch, Part 3
thence turning and running easterly through the middle of Lot 50 a distance of 101 feet more or less; N S E W
101 feet
87 ½ feet

14. Metes & Bounds Sketch, Part 4
thence turning and running S 52°49’ W a distance of 80 feet more or less along a 24-foot right of way N S E W
101 feet
52°49’
87 ½ feet
80 feet

15. Metes & Bounds Sketch, Part 5
thence turning and running on an arc a distance of 30 feet to West Shore Drive,
101 feet
87 ½ feet
80 feet

16. Metes & Bounds Sketch, Part 6
thence continuing along the northerly side of the said West Shore Drive a distance of 80 feet more or less to the point of beginning.
101 feet
87 ½ feet
80 feet
80 feet – West Shore Drive

17. Rectangular Survey(Townships)
Thomas Jefferson
Designed for the organization, division and sale of government-owned frontier lands.
Western Expansion

18. Meridian and Base Lines
Principal Meridian
Base Line

19. Principal Meridians Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
This map shows the location of the principal meridians and base lines in the United States.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2010

20. Principal Meridians Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
This close-up map shows principal meridians and baselines in the northwest.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2010

21. Township Lines

22. Townships T2N R2W T2N R2W T2N R1E T2N R2E T1N R2W T1N R1W T1N R1E T1N
Township 1 north, range 1 west
T2N
R2W
T2N
R2W
T2N
R1E
T2N
R2E
T1N
R2W
T1N
R1W
T1N
R1E
T1N
R2E
T1S
R2W
T1S
R1W
T1S
R1E
T1S
R2E
T2S
R2W
T2S
R1W
T2S
R1E
T2S
R2E

23. Each Township = 36 Sections

24. Each Section Section = 1 square mile = 640 acres
Quarter Section 160 acres
40 acres
20 acres
Half Section 320 acres

25. Example 2: Township 1 South, Range 1 East, 3rd PM
Section 25: S1/2 NW1/4
Professional Development ID Code: 8004

26. Locate the Township
Township 1 South, Range 1 East, 3rd PM

27. Locate the Section
Section 25

28. Locate the Principal Meridian
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Locate the Principal Meridian
3rd PM = 3rd Principal Meridian
In what state is the property located?
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2010

29. Locate the Subdivision
S1/2 NW1/4
Size= 640acres * ½ * ¼= 80 acres