Unit 6 Land description Flashcards
A legal description of land
is a detailed way of describing a parcel of land for documents such as deeds and mortgages that will be accepted in a court of law.
survey
The descrip- tion is based on information collected through a survey —the process by which boundaries are measured by calculating the dimensions and area to determine the exact location of a piece of land.
locate
Courts have stated that a description is legally sufficient if it allows a surveyor to locate the parcel. In this context, locate means that the surveyor must be able to define the exact boundaries of the property.
methods currently used to describe real estate
There are three basic methods currently used to describe real estate:
■■ Metes and bounds
■■ Rectangular (or government) survey
■■ Lot and block (recorded plat)
metes
Metes means to measure, and bounds means linear directions
POB
or terminus
The method relies on a property’s physical features to determine the boundaries and measurements of the parcel. A metes-and-bounds description starts at a designated place on the parcel, called the point of beginning (POB). The POB is also the point at which the description ends. From there, the surveyor proceeds around the property’s boundaries
monuments
Monuments are fixed objects used to identify the POB, all cor- ners of the parcel or ends of boundary segments, and the location of intersecting boundaries.
rectangular survey
The rectangular survey system, sometimes called the government survey system, was established by Congress in 1785 to standardize the description of land acquired by the newly formed federal government
The system is based on two sets of intersecting lines: principal merid- ians and base lines
The principal meridians and base lines
The principal meridians run north and south, and the base lines run east and west
township lines
Lines running east and west, parallel to the base line and six miles apart, are called township They form strips of land called tiers.
ranges
The land on either side of a principal meridian is divided into six-mile- wide strips by lines that run north and south, parallel to the meridian. These north- south strips of land are called ranges.
townships
When the horizontal township lines and the vertical range lines intersect, they form squares, or townships, that are the basic units of the rectan- gular survey system. (See Figure 6.4.) A township is 6 miles square and contains 36 square miles (23,040 acres).
designation
обозначение, называние, указание
Sections
Townships are subdivided into sections and subsections called halves and quarters, which can be further divided. Each township contains 36 sections. Each section is one square mile or 640 acres, with 43,560 square feet in each acre
1 TOWNSHIP
6*6, 36 sq miles, 23 040 acres
1 mile
5 280 feet
1 section
640 acres, 1mile*1mile
1 acre
43 650 sq feet
1 rode
16,5 feet
4 miles
distance around a section/ square mile
metes-and-Bounds Descriptions Within the Rectangular Survey System
Land in states that use the rectangular survey system may also require a metes- and-bounds description. This usually occurs in one of three situations: (1) when describing an irregular tract; (2) when a tract is too small to be described by quar- ter-sections; or (3) when a tract does not follow the lot or block lines of a recorded subdivision or section, quarter-section lines, or other fractional section lines.
plat or lot-and-block method
This system uses lot and block numbers referred to in a plat map filed in the public records of the county where the land is located. The plat map is a map of a town, a section, or a subdivision, indicating the location and boundaries of individual properties. The lot-and-block method is used mostly in subdivisions and urban areas.
lot
refers to the numerical designation of any particular parcel.
block
refers to the name of the subdivision under which the map is recorded.
In describing a lot from a recorded subdivision plat, three identifiers are used:
- Lot and block number
- Name or number of the subdivision plat
- Name of the county and state
A licensed surveyor
is trained and authorized to locate and determine the legal description of any parcel of land
SURVEY
The survey states the property’s legal description.
The survey sketch
The survey sketch shows the location and dimensions of the parcel
spot survey
When a survey also shows the location, size, and shape of buildings on the lot, it is referred to as a spot survey
Air lots
Air lots are composed of the airspace within specific boundaries located over a parcel of land
The condominium laws
The condominium laws passed in all states require that a registered land surveyor prepare a plat map that shows the elevations of floor and ceiling surfaces and thevertical boundaries of each unit with reference to an official datum
Subsurface rights
Subsurface rights can be legally described in the same manner as air rights, but they are measured below the datum rather than above it.
datum
A datum is a point, line, or surface from which elevations are measured or indi- cated.
datum
datum is defined as the mean sea level at New York Harbor
Monuments
are traditionally used to mark surface measurements between points.
Benchmarks
are monuments that have been established as permanent reference points throughout the United States.
