Unit 5: Land Description- 4% Flashcards
Air Lots
Designated airspace over a piece of land. An air lot, like surface property, may be transferred.
Base Line
The main imaginary line running east and 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
Benchmarks
Permanent reference marks or points established for use by surveyors in measuring differences in elevation.
Datum
A horizontal plane from which heights and depths are measured.
Legal Description
A description of a specific parcel of real estate complete enough for an independent surveyor to locate and identify it.
Lot-and-block (recorded Plat) Method
A method of describing real property that identifies a parcel of land by reference to lot and block numbers within a subdivision, as specified on a recorded subdivision plat.
Metes-and-bounds Method
A method used to describe a parcel of land that begins at a well-marked point and follows the property’s boundaries, using directions and distances around the tract, back to the place of beginning.
Monument
A fixed natural or artificial object used to establish real estate boundaries for a metes-and-bounds description.
Plat Map
A map of a town, section, or subdivision indicating the location and boundaries of individual properties.
Point Of Beginning (POB)
In a 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 six miles wide, extending north and south and numbered east and west according to its distance from the principal meridian in the rectangular (government) survey system of legal description.
Rectangular (government) Survey System
A system established in 1785 by the federal government, providing for surveying and describing land by reference to principal meridians and base lines.
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 sides and an area of one square mile, or 640 acres.
Survey
The process by which boundaries are measured and land areas are determined; the on-site measurement of lot lines, dimensions, and position of a house on a lot, including the determination of any existing encroachments or easements.
Tiers
Strips of land that are six miles wide, extending east and west and numbered north and south according to their distance from the base line in the rectangular (government) survey system of legal description.
Township Lines
All the lines in a rectangular survey system that run east and west, parallel to the base line and six miles apart.
Township
The principal unit of the rectangular (government) survey system. A township is a 6-mile square of 36 square miles.
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Beginning at the intersection of the west line of Carney Street and the north line of Wolf Road, running west 140 feet, then north 120 feet, then north 50 degrees east 120 feet, then following the southeasterly curvature of the south line of Jasmine Lane for 100 feet, then south 120 feet to POB. To which lot does this description refer?
Lot 8, Block A
A system of legal description that uses meridian, townships, and sections is
government survey
This method use meridians, base lines, townships, and sections.
A piece of land is for sale for $2.25 per square foot. The land is three acres. What was the total selling price for the la
$294,030
An acre consists of 43,560 square feet. 43,560 × 3 = 130,680 total square feet.
$130,680 × 2.25 = $294,030.
A buyer purchased a half-acre parcel for $2.15 per square foot. What was the selling price of the parcel?
$46,827
An acre consists of 43,560 square feet; therefore, a half-acre has 21,780 square feet. If each square foot sells for $2.15, 21,780 sq. ft. × $2.15 per sq. ft. = $46,827.
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Which of the following is Section 6?
C
Starting with the upper left corner as number 1, sections of a township are numbered right to left, left to right, right to left, and so on until reaching number 36.
A buyer purchases 4.5 acres of land for $78,400. An adjoining owner wants to purchase a strip of this land measuring 150 feet by 100 feet. What should this strip cost the adjoining owner if it is sold for the same price per square foot originally paid?
$6,000
Price divided by area (in square feet) gives cost per square foot. The area is 4.5 times the size of one acre, or 4.5 × 43,560 sq. ft. = 196,020 sq ft. Then, $78,400 divided by 196,020 sq. ft. = $0.3996 (essentially, $0.40) per square foot. Determining the purchase price of a 100-by-150-foot lot at the same cost per square foot requires finding the area of the lot:
100 × 150 = 15,000 sq. ft.
Multiply this area by $0.40:
15,000 sq. ft. × $0.40 = $6,000.
The lot-and-block system starts with the preparation of
a subdivision plat.
The lot-and-block system starts with the preparation of a subdivision plat by a licensed surveyor or an engineer.
What is the shortest distance between Section 1 and Section 36 in the same township?
Four miles
The shortest distance from Section 1 to Section 36 is from the bottom of Section 1 to the top of Section 36, or four miles.
A legal description must reference
the base line of the survey system area in which the property lies.
A property description based on the rectangular survey system must always make reference to the principal meridian and the base line of the survey system area in which the property lies.
Which township section number is directly north of Section 7?
Section 6
Township sections are numbered in an S fashion: 1 through 6, right to left, then 7 to 12, left to right. Section 7 is directly south of Section 6.
How big is an acre?
43,560 sq. ft.
One acre equals 43,560 square feet.
What is the square footage for this property described by the metes-and-bounds method?
Beginning at a point on the southerly side of Smith Street, 200 feet easterly from the corner formed by the intersection of the southerly side of Smith Street and the easterly side of Johnson Street; then east 200 feet; then south 100 feet; then west 200 feet; then north 100 feet to the POB.
20,000 square feet
The property is 200 × 100 = 20,000 square feet.
In describing real estate, the method that may use a property’s physical features to determine boundaries and measurements is
metes and bounds.
Monuments are the turning points in the metes-and-bounds method of describing property. In this method, natural, tangible features, such as a distinctive rock or a great tree, were sometimes used as monuments. The path of a stream might serve as all or part of a boundary line. Metes means distance; bounds refers to direction (not boundaries). The description gives distance in a compass direction from the point of beginning (POB) and then from each succeeding monument, until it returns to the POB.
A parcel of land is two acres. It sells for $1.18 per square foot. What is the total selling price for the parcel?
$102,801.60
An acre consists of 43,560 square feet.
43,560 × 2 = 87,120 total square feet.
87,120 × $1.18 = $102,801.60.
When surveying land, a surveyor refers to the principal meridian that is
within the rectangular survey system area in which the land being surveyed is located.
No matter how many ranges or tiers it takes, the description must always refer to the principal meridian and the base line of the survey system area in which the land being described is located.
A property description using the metes-and-bounds method must always end where?
At the point of beginning.
This method of property description always ends back at the point of beginning so that the tract being described is completely enclosed.
What is a detailed way of describing a parcel of land?
Legal description
A legal description is based on information collected through a survey, which is the process by which boundaries are measured by calculating the dimensions and area to determine the exact location of a piece of land.
A method of property description using monuments, distances, and compass directions is
the metes-and-bounds method.
The metes-and-bounds method of legal description uses distance and direction measurements to describe the boundaries of a property.
A legal description stating “start at the street sign at the corner of Ash and 11th, go 100’ south to the tree, then 50’ west …” is MOST likely what type of legal description?
Metes and bounds
Metes and bounds descriptions have a point of beginning, move in a clockwise direction, and then return to the point of beginning.
A metes-and-bounds description is required in a rectangular survey system description when
a tract is too small to be described by quarter-sections.
Metes-and-bounds descriptions within the rectangular survey system usually occur when describing an irregular tract, when a tract is too small to be described by quarter-sections, or when a tract does not follow the lot or block lines of a recorded subdivision , quarter-section lines, or other fractional section lines.
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Which lot in Block A has the MOST frontage on Jasmine Lane?
7
In Block A, Lot 7 has the longest frontage with 160 feet.
The LEAST specific method for identifying real property is
street address.
A legal description is a precise method of identifying a parcel of land and includes metes-and-bounds, rectangular survey, and lot-and-block as methods that can be used for identification. A street address is not a legal description and, therefore, not as precise.
The end of a metes-and-bounds land description is always
a point of beginning
A metes-and-bounds description must always begin and end at the point of beginning, thus enclosing the described property.
A point, line, or surface from which elevations are measured or indicated is
a datum.
A point, line, or surface from which elevations are measured or indicated is a datum.
In the rectangular survey system, a township is a square formed by
horizontal township lines and vertical range lines.
Townships are the basic units of the rectangular survey system.
The N½ of the SW¼ of a section contains how many acres?
80
A section contains 640 acres. A ½ of ¼ of 640 equals 80 acres. Using decimals, the equation is 0.5 × 0.25 × 640 = 80.
For the purpose of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the term datum is defined as
the mean sea level at New York Harbor.
For the purpose of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the term datum is defined as the mean sea level at New York Harbor.
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Which of these lots has the LEAST street exposure?
Lot 3, Block A
Lot 3, Block A with 30 feet on a roadway has the least street exposure.
A lot-and-block description of a parcel of land must always include
the name or number of the subdivision plat.
The description must also include the lot and block number and the name of the county and state.
