1. Legal Descriptions
"The small landholders are the most precious part of a state." -Thomas Jefferson
Civil Engineering and Architecture
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2. Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Legal Description
A written passage or statement that defines property and is descriptive enough for the property to be differentiated from other properties and located without other evidence.
©iStockphoto.com
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3. Legal Description In United States: Metes and Bounds
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Legal Description
In United States:
Metes and Bounds
Original 13 states and HI, KY, ME,TN,TX, VA, WV
Rectangular Survey System
Remaining 30 states
Lot and Block
Used in conjunction with either of the other two systems
When the US was colonized, land was described using the accepted English system of metes and bounds. Metes and bounds descriptions consist of a closed loop of distances and angles that describe the property boundaries. This system is used in the original thirteen colonies (now states) and a few other states.
A more uniform rectangular system was suggested by Thomas Jefferson in 1784 and was adopted by the United States in This system is based on grids established throughout the states using the system.
The lot and block system is generally used to describe the subdivision of a larger parcel of land which has already been described using either metes and bounds or the rectangular survey system.
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4. Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Metes and Bounds
A system of land description that identifies a property by describing the shape and boundary dimensions of a unit of land based on its edge distances and bearing angles from a defined starting point.
When the US was colonized, land was described using the accepted English system of metes and bounds. Metes and bounds descriptions consist of a closed loop of distances and angles that describe the property boundaries. However early metes and bounds descriptions often included non-permanent landmarks such as trees, streams, and rocks. This practice resulted in frequent property disputes.
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5. Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Metes and Bounds
Mete = boundary described by a distance and direction between property corners
North 30º West a distance of 567 ft
Bound = boundary that is described less accurately
“Along the stone wall at the edge of Isaac Porcher’s property”
Point of Beginning (POB) = a property corner from which the description originates; the starting point
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6. Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Metes and Bounds
“From the POB proceed N 67° 35’ E along said right of way line of State Road No.1 a distance of 120 ft.”
Lines are described with respect to natural or artificial monuments and baselines.
Line length is measured along a level plane.
Directions are described using bearing angles with respect to the previous line.
The red text is a partial example of a metes and bounds description.
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7. Lengths Early metes and bounds
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Lengths
Early metes and bounds
1 Chain = 100 links
= rods
= 66 feet
Today, lengths are typically given in decimal feet.
Example: ft
(not 315’- 9”)
Early metes and bounds surveys were commonly performed using a Gunter’s chain (shown in the image).
How many chains in one mile?
1 mile * (5280 ft/1 mile) * (1 chain/66 feet) = 80 chains
Courtesy Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of American History
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8. Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Bearings
The deviation measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds from a known line or direction
N25° 35’ 12”E
North 25 degrees 35 minutes and 12 seconds east
S22° 35’W
South 22 degrees 35 minutes west
Angle measure
1 degree = 60 minutes
1 minute = 60 seconds
A bearing is the deviation from a know line. Here is an example of a bearing [click]. How would you read this bearing? [click] [Give students a few seconds to read the bearing, then click]
Angles are generally measured in degrees, minutes and seconds [click]
[at end of slide] How many seconds in a degree? 1 degree * (60 minutes/degree)(60 seconds/minute) = 3600 seconds/degree
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9. N 25°35’ E N S E W 25° 35' Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
N 25°35’ E N S E W
25° 35'
From the initial point of the property line, determine the direction indicated by the first letter in the bearing designation (click). In this case N means north. Then turn the indicated angle (click) toward the direction indicated by the last letter (click), east, which is counterclockwise when viewed from above.
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10. S 22°35’W N S E W 22° 35' Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
S 22°35’W N S E W
(click) In this case S means south, so begin by facing south. Then turn 22 degrees and 35 minutes [click] toward the west, which is clockwise when viewed from above.
22° 35'
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11. Metes and Bounds Example
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Metes and Bounds Example
“From the POB proceed N 67° 35’ E along said right of way line of State Road No.1 a distance of 120 ft.” N S E W
We will now lay out some property lines.
Starting from the Point of Beginning, lay out the direction of the property line using the bearing (click).
Measure and mark the length of the line from the POB along the bearing line (click).
The end of this property line then becomes the initial point of the next property line (click).
67° 35'
120 ft
POB
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12. Metes and Bounds “…thence N 12° 45’ W a distance of 67 ft.” N 12° 45'
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Metes and Bounds
“…thence N 12° 45’ W a distance of 67 ft.” N
12° 45'
67 ft W E
Starting from the end of the previous line, lay out the direction of the next property line using the bearing (click).
Measure and mark the length of the line from the POB along the bearing line (click).
The end of this property line then becomes the initial point of the next property line (click).
N 67° 35' E
120' S
POB
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13. Metes and Bounds POB N 78° 10 ' W 98 ' S 12° 45' E N 12° 45' W 63 '
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Metes and Bounds
N 78° 10 ' W
98 '
S 12° 45' E
63 '
N 12° 45' W
67 '
And so it continues until the final property lines returns to the POB. In many cases, the distances and bearings in the legal description will not return exactly to the POB. In early descriptions, the error can be quite large.
S 11° 30' W
71 '
N 67° 35' E
120 '
POB
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14. Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Rectangular Survey
Thomas Jefferson
Designed for the organization, division, and sale of government-owned frontier lands
As you can imagine, slight errors in a distance or bearing could result in overlapping property descriptions. In addition, many early metes and bounds descriptions were based on non-permanent landmarks such as trees, streams, and rocks. This procedure resulted in frequent property disputes.
Thomas Jefferson suggested a more uniform and orderly method for the division and sale of government-owned land. The new system has come to be called the rectangular survey system.
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15. Meridian and Base Lines
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Meridian and Base Lines
Principal Meridian
The rectangular survey system is based on a series of north-south lines referred to as principal meridians. Each principal meridian has a corresponding east-west base line.
Base Line
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16. 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.
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17. Principal Meridians Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Principal Meridians
This close-up map shows principal meridians and baselines in the northwest.
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18. Range Lines 6 miles (TYP) Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Range Lines
6 miles
(TYP)
Originating from each intersection of a principal meridian and its baseline, the land is divided into small areas with range lines which run north-south (click) and are spaced six miles apart.
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19. Township Lines 6 miles (TYP) Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Township Lines
6 miles
(TYP)
Township lines run east-west and are also spaced at six miles.
The resulting 6 mile x 6 mile squares are called townships.
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20. Townships T2N R2W T2N R1W T2N R1E T2N R2E T1N R2W T1N R1W T1N R1E T1N
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Townships
T2N
R2W
T2N
R1W
T2N
R1E
T2N
R2E
T1N
R2W
T1N
R1W
T1N
R1E
T1N
R2E
T1S
R2W
T1S
R1W
T1S
R1E
T1S
R2E
The location of a township is indicated using coordinates that originate at the intersection of the base line and the principal meridian.
For instance the township designated as Township 1 North, Range 1 West is in the first row township to the north of the baseline and first column of townships west of the principal meridian (click).
The township designated as Township 1 South, Range 2 East is located by counting one township to the south of the baseline and two townships to the east of the principal meridian (click).
T2S
R2W
T2S
R1W
T2S
R1E
T2S
R2E
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21. Each Township = 36 Sections
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Each Township = 36 Sections
Each township [click] is further divided into 36 sections [click].The sections are always numbered beginning with section 1 in the northeast corner and counting to the west and then following a serpentine pattern to end with section 36 in the southeast corner of each township. [click]
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22. Each Section Section = 1 square mile = 640 acres
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Each Section
Section = 1 square mile = 640 acres
80 acres
Quarter Section 160 acres
40 acres
20 acres
[click] Remember that each township is 6 miles by 6 miles. Therefore, each section is one mile square.
[click] Each section can then be divided into even smaller parcels by referring to quarters or halves of the section.
[click] One square mile is equal to 640 acres. So half a section contains half of 640 acres, or 320 acres.
[click] A quarter section contains one quarter of 640 acres, or 160 acres.
[click] These partial sections can be further divided into smaller and smaller subdivisions such as quarter-quarter sections or half-quarter sections.
Half Section 320 acres
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23. Partial Sections Northwest 1/4 Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Partial Sections
Northwest 1/4
The partial sections are identified by their location within the section. For example the southeast ¼ of the northwest quarter (click) can be found by identifying the northwest quarter of the section (click) and then identifying the southeast quarter of that quarter (click).
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24. Evidence of Rectangular Survey
Legal Descriptions
Evidence of Rectangular Survey
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
SECTION
Satellite image of Kansas farmland showing the land divided into square parcels. Each smaller square is a quarter section; each larger square is a section (click). The circles are a result of central pivot irrigation in which water is fed from a well in the center of each field and is dispersed through a long pipe that rotates on wheels. The color of the crop circle depends on the type of plant.
Do you think the designers of the irrigation system considered the size of a section and quarter section when sizing the system?
Courtesy NASA
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25. Rectangular Survey Example
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Rectangular Survey Example
Township 1 South, Range 1 East, 3rd PM, Section 25: S1/2 NW1/4
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26. 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?
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27. Locate the Township Township 1 South, Range 1 East, 3rd PM
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Locate the Township
Township 1 South, Range 1 East, 3rd PM
Find T 1 S, R 1 E
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28. Locate the Section Section 25 Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Locate the Section
Section 25
Find Section 25. Remember, each township is divided into 36 sections [click] numbered as shown. Section 25 is toward the lower right hand corner of the township.
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29. Locate the Subdivision
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Locate the Subdivision
Township 1 South, Range 1 East, 3rd PM, Section 25: S1/2 NW1/4
S1/2 NW1/4
To located the subdivision of the section[click], start from the last division listed in the description, NW ¼. Divide the section into quarters[click] and look at the NW quarter (upper left) [click].
Divide the NW ¼ into halves horizontally. The description is the S ½ of this quarter[click]
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30. Lot and Block Provides for the subdivision of a tract of land
Legal Descriptions
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Lot and Block
Provides for the subdivision of a tract of land
Divided into blocks consisting of many individual lots
Inspired the term subdivision
Legal description recorded as lot number and block number of the named subdivision
Used with metes and bounds and rectangular survey descriptions
Eventually it became necessary to devise a system of land description that was not restricted to the rectangular parcels that resulted from the rectangular system. The lot and block system provides for the subdivision of a tract of land into lots of various shapes and sizes.
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31. Lot and Block Legal Descriptions Civil Engineering and Architecture
Unit 4 – Lesson 4.1 – Commercial Building Design Problem
Lot and Block
This partial plat shows the use of a lot an block system in a neighborhood in Charleston, SC.
Courtesy Register Mesne Conveyance, City of Charleston, SC
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32. Image Sources
Microsoft, Inc. (2010). Clip art. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from us/clipart/default.aspx
Istockphoto (2010). Stock photograph. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from
Register Mesne Conveyance Office, City of Charleston, SC.
Title is blue 44 pt. Arial
Text black 24 pt. Arial
Refer to APA 5th edition if you have questions regarding citations