1. Ch. 2 Real Estate Law – Legal Descriptions

2. Ch 2. Outline 1. Metes and Bounds Method 2. Rectangular Survey System
3. References to Recorded Plats

3. 1. Metes and Bounds Method
Metes = Distance: measured in feet
Bounds = Direction of boundary: measured in angles
(degree, minutes, and seconds)
The circle: 360 degrees
4 quadrants: NE, SE, SW, NW
1 quadrant = 90 degrees
1 degree = 60 minutes
1 minute = 60 seconds

4. Metes and Bounds Method
Measuring the Direction:

5. Metes and Bounds Method
Example:
Beginning at an iron pin
on the northern side of
Cambero Street, 20 feet
due east of the north-
eastern corner of the
intersection of Cambero
and Travieso Street,
as measured along the
north side of Cambero
Street, running thence
N 30° 15’ 10” E, 300 feet
to an iron pin, running
thence due East, 150 feet to an iron pin, running thence S 30° 15’ 10”
W, 300 feet to an iron pin, running thence due West, 150 feet to the
point of beginning.
150 feet W E
30° 15’ 10” S
300 feet
Travieso Street
Cambero Street
20 feet

6. 2. Rectangular Survey System

7. Rectangular Survey System
 Land is divided into:
Meridians (N-S) & Base Lines (E-W)
 Strips 6 miles wide to west and east of principal meridians are formed by range lines.
 Strips 6 miles wide to north and south of base lines
are formed by township lines.
 Range and township lines form a township,
6 x 6 miles = 36 square miles
 Each township is divided into 36 sections, 1 square mile = 640 acres. (Note: 1 mile = 5,280 feet)
 Each section is divided into quarters, each quarter is subdivided into quarters.

8. Rectangular Survey System
Each township has 36 sections

9. Rectangular Survey System
Example: The parcel is in the
southwest quarter of the
southeast quarter of Section
14 in Township 43 South,
Range 34 East of the
Tallahassee Principal Meridian.

10. 3. References to Recorded Plats
Plats: Engineer drawing of parcels of real estate.
They are recorded as part of public records.
A parcel is referred to as a “lot” within a “block” of a subdivision, for example : “Lot 4 of Block G”.