Unit 9: Legal Descriptions

Air Lot

A designated space over a piece of land. An air lot, like surface property, may be transfered.

Base Line

The main imaginary line running east to west and crossing a principal meridian at a definite point, used by surveyors for reference in locating and describing land under the rectangular (government) survey system of legal description.

Benchmark

A permanent reference mark or point established for use by surveyors in measuring differences in elevation.

Correction Line

Provisions in the rectangular survey (government survey) system made to compensate for the curvature of the earth’s surface. Every 4th township line (at 24-mile intervals) is used as a correction line on which the intervals between north and south range lines are measured and corrected to a full 6 miles.

Datum

A horizontal plane from which heights and depths are measured,

Fractional Section

A parcel of land less than 160 acres, usually found at the edge of a rectangular survey.

Government Check

The 24-mile-square parcels composed of 16 townships in the rectangular survey system of legal descriptions

Government Lot

Fractional sections of the rectangular survey system that are less than one quarter-section in area.

Legal Description

A description of a specific parcel of real estate complete enough for an independent surveyor to locate and identify uit.

Lot-and-block System

A method of describing real property that identifies a parcel of land by reference to lot and block numbers within a subdivision, as on a recorded subdivision plat. Also called a subdivision plat system.

Metes-and-bounds Method

A legal description of a parcel of land that begins at a well-marked point and follows the boundaries, using direction and distance around the tract, back to the point of beginning.

Monument

A fixed natural or artificial object used to establish real estate boundaries for the metes-and-bounds description

Plat Map

A map of a town, section, or subdivision indicating that the location and boundaries of individual properties. Also called a subdivision plat.

Point of Beginning (PoB)

In the metes-and-bounds legal description, the starting point of the survey, situated in one corner of the parcel. All metes-and-bounds descriptions must follow the boundaries of the parcel back to the point of beginning.

Principal Meridian

The main imaginary line running north and south and crossing a base line at a definite point, used by surveyors for reference in locating and describing land under the rectangular (government) survey system of legal description.

Range

A strip of land 6 miles wide, extending north and south and numbered east to west according to its distance from the physical meridian in the rectangular (government) survey system of legal description.

Rectangular Survey System

System established in 1785 by the federal government, providing for surveying and describing land by reference to principal meridians and base lines. Also called the government survey system.

Section

A portion of a township under the rectangular (government) survey system. A township is divided into 36 sections, numbered 1 through 36. A section is a square with mile-long slides and an area of one square mile, or 640 acres.

Survey

The process by which boundaries are measured and land areas are determined; the onsite measurement of our lot lines, dimensions, and positions of a house on a lot, including the determination of any existing encroachments or easements.

Township

The principal unit of the rectangular (government) survey system. A township is a square with six-mile sides and an area of 36 square miles.

Township Line

The lines in a rectangular survey system that run east and west, parallel to the base line six miles apart.

Township Tier

Township lines that form stops of land and are designated by consecutive numbers north or south of the base line.