| A | B |
|---|
| Legal Descriptions | Term used for identifying a parcel of land in a manner that distinguishes it from all other parcels. Properly drawn one enables a surveyor to locate that specific parcel at a later date, even if street names change or buildings are torn down or replaced |
| Metes | Distance around the border of a property |
| Bounds | The landmarks or monuments that determine the direction of each side |
| Metes and Bounds | This method's typical description of a property can be compared to a walk around the property boundaries |
| Monuments | Marks the end of a boundary line side of a parcel. Can be either natural or artificial. Prior to surveys and modern technology, these were the primary method of describing land (still may be used as the sole descriptor today for land of little value or in remote areas) |
| Natural Monuments | Objects like trees or rocks that mark the ends of a boundary line side of a parcel |
| Artificial Monuments | Man-made objects that mark the ends of a boundary line side of a parcel (like: stakes or irons, stone walls, concrete markers, roads, walls or fences |
| Bearing | The compass direction from one point or monument to another point or monument |
| How do you show bearings? | In degrees (w/ a superscript 0); minutes ('); and seconds ("). E |
| How do you show bearings of a boundary line? | Can be identified on a plat by showing its angle, measured from either north or south, and east or west of the north-south meridian line. ex: N 30 degrees(superscript 0) 10'45" W. Meaning the line runs 30 degrees, 10 minutes, and 45 seconds west of due north |
| How do you show bearings of a circle? | 360 degrees in a circle, each degree is divided into 60 minutes (60') and each minute into 60 seconds (60") |
| Meridian | The north-south line on a compass. The bearing is measured with respect to this |
| Point of Beginning | The place in the property where the survey begins. All M&B legal descriptions must have a definite one (any uncertainty about this could make it vague and might void a contract or deed--very important). Identified in relation to some permanent point of reference (such as a standard bench mark) whenever possible |
| Standard Bench Mark | Fixed points, set in place by the US Geological Survey. Referenced to each other by distance and direction. Considered to be the most reliable references because of their permanence and accuracy (Ex: If a monument used as the POB is destroyed or removed, it can be reestablished by relying on the benchmark |
| Call | The distance from one point to another in an M&B survey. The description of each side of the property, including distances and bearings (and compass directions). It is how the description continues after the POB begins--continuing with this, the compass direction and distance for each boundary line, then always returning to the POB (clisure). When a survey team works on the land location, each side is marked and declared separately |
| Closure | After the POB is determined and the call has been declared for each boundary line, the parcel of land being described is enclosed. If this is not possible, the legal description is incomplete. |
| Rectangular Survey (Govt Survey System)- Design | Used most widely in West and Midwest. NOT used in Georgia. Originally designed in 1785. Designed to provide a fast and more simple method for describing land than the M&B system. |
| Rectangular Survey- Measurement | Uses imaginary lines, not physical objects like monuments, to locate properties. A grid system |
| Two main imaginary lines used in the rectangular survey | Principal Meridians and Baselines |
| Name the lines that form the grid system | 1. Principal Meridians 2.Baselines 3.Range lines 4.Township lines |
| Peripheral Meridians | North-South longitudinal lines which intersect certain east-west latitude lines. Serve as the basis for east-west measurements. 36 in all |
| Baselines | East-west latitude lines that are intersected by certain north-south longitude lines. They serve as the basis for north-south measurements. 32 in all. |
| Range Lines | Divides land that was already divided by principal meridians and baselines further, into townships to form a grid system. Run north-south. Run at 6 mile intervals parallel on both sides of each principal meridian |
| Township Lines | Divides land that was already divided by prinicpal meridians and baselines further, into townships to form a grid system. Run east-west. Run at 6 mile intervals parallel on both sides of each baseline |
| Townships | Created by the waffle iron of squares due to the further division of principal meridians and baselines by range and township lines. Each is 6 miles to a side, or 36 square miles. Each is also divided into 36 sections, that are a mile to a side |
| Sections | The further division of township land, where each township is divided into 36 of these, that are each a mile to a side. Each one contains 640 acres, or 1 square mile. May be divided in to quarters or other fractions small enough to adequately identify a parcel of land involved |
| The Recorded Plat (Short Form) Description | Aka: Lot Block and Tract Method or Subdivision and Lots Method. A convenient method of land description. Commonly used in subdivisions. |
| Vertical Descriptions | Other methods of land description must be used when air rights or subsurface rights need to be described. |
| Forms of Vertical Descriptions | 1. Datum 2. Bench Marks 3. Topographic or contour maps |
| Datum | The base point from which vertical height or depth may be determined. US Geological Survey chose New York Harbor as the official U.S. point, and any vertical measurement in the US can be measured in relation to this point. |
| Vertical Descriptions that Use Datum | 1. Air Lot 2.Subsurface Rights (i.e. Drilling or Mineral Rights) |
| Air Lot--Datum in Description | Each unit in an air lot is described in reference to: 1.The land below the individual air lot 2.The elevation above an official datum |
| Subsurface Rights- Datum in Description | The one most often used for this purpose is the surface of the land as the the datum point. Ex: a gas lease may allow the lessee to drill only 300 feet below the earth's surface |
| Bench marks- as vertical land descriptions | Def: Permanent point of reference (not easily changed) from which a legal description of a specific parcel of land may be drawn. 1.Established secondary points of reference most cities have. 2.Affixed to permanent objects. 3.Have their own official city datum. 4.Surveyor can begin at any convenient one to make the necessary elevation measurements without having to refer to the city datum point. |
| Topographic or Contour Maps | Another form of vertical land description. Show the shape of the earth's surface. US Coast and Geodetic Survey makes these maps of all parts of the US |
