Chapter 9 - Legal Descriptions

Question 1

The legal description of a parcel in a subdivision that has been recorded with lot and block numbers on a plat of survey is

Answer 1

the lot and block number, with section, township and meridian references

Question 2

How many sections are there in a township

Answer 2

36

Question 3

A datum is a reference point used for legal descriptions of

Answer 3

properties located above or below the earth’s surface

Question 4

A certain legal description contains the ‘D. will create a special reference number. phrase’..southeasterly along happ road to the stone landmark….’ what kind of description is this?

Answer 4

metes and bounds

Question 5

A legal description of real property is one which

Answer 5

accurately locates and identifies the boundaries of the subject parcel to a degree acceptable by courts of law in the state where the property is located.

Question 6

A legal description is required for:

Answer 6

 public recording
 creating a valid deed of conveyance or lease
 completing mortgage documents
 executing and recording other legal documents

Question 7

The three accepted methods of legally describing parcels of real estate are:

Answer 7

 metes and bounds
 rectangular survey system, or government survey method
 recorded plat method, or lot and block method

Question 8

East Coast states generally employ

Answer 8

metes and bounds descriptions. States in the Midwest and West predominantly use the rectangular survey system. Some states combine methods.

Question 9

A metes and bounds description identifies

Answer 9

the boundaries of a parcel of real estate using reference points, distances, and angles.

Question 10

The term “metes” refers to

Answer 10

distance and direction

Question 11

the term “bounds” refers

Answer 11

to fixed reference points, or monuments and landmarks, which may be natural and artificial.

Question 12

The federal government developed the rectangular survey system, or government survey method, to

Answer 12

simplify and standardize property descriptions as a replacement for the cumbersome and often inaccurate metes and bounds method. The system was further modified to facilitate the transfer of large quantities of government-owned western lands to private parties.

Question 13

The object was of the rectangular survey system was to create uniform grids of squares, called

Answer 13

townships, which would have equal size and be given a numerical reference for identification

Question 14

The north-south, longitudinal lines on the survey grid are

Answer 14

meridians

Question 15

The principal meridian is the

Answer 15

single designated meridian for identifying townships in the principal meridian’s geographical “jurisdiction.”

Question 16

The east-west, latitudinal lines are called

Answer 16

parallels.

Question 17

The base parallel

Answer 17

or base line is the designated line for identifying townships. There is a base parallel for each principal meridian

Question 18

The north-south area between consecutive meridians is called

Answer 18

a range

Question 19

The east-west area between two parallels is called

Answer 19

a tier, or a township strip

Question 20

A township is the area

Answer 20

enclosed by the intersection of two consecutive meridians and two consecutive parallels

Question 21

The rectangular survey system divides a township into

Answer 21

thirty-six squares called sections. Each side of a section is one mile in length

Question 22

The recorded plat method, also called the lot and block system, is used to

Answer 22

describe properties in residential, commercial, and industrial subdivisions.

Question 23

The entire subdivision is surveyed to specify the size and location of each lot and block. The surveyor then

Answer 23

incorporates the survey data into a plat of survey, or subdivision plat map

Question 24

The description of a recorded plat property first presents the

Answer 24

property’s lot number or letter, then the block identifier and the subdivision name

Question 25

To describe property located above or below the earth’s surface, such as the air rights of a condominium, a surveyor must know

Answer 25

the property’s elevation

Question 26

Standard elevation reference points, called

Answer 26

datums, have been established throughout the country.

Question 27

The original datum was defined

Answer 27

by the U.S. Geological Survey as mean sea level at New York harbor.