Back then, metes and bounds were the most reliable way of recording the shape, size, location, and dimensions of property.Įven though the method is very old, metes and bounds paved the way for better land legislation and a better process for keeping track of ownership records. Landmarks have been used to identify property boundaries since ancient times, especially in Europe, where people had no concept of street addresses. Historically, “metes” referred to distance, and “bounds” referred to direction. Because they are descriptive in nature, they can be considered accurate characterizations of that particular land. Front footage of a property is the linear feet along the street line, or in essence, the width of the property.Metes and bounds constitute just one part of the legal description of a parcel of land. So, a description might say “Lot two, block four, Oak Hills Estate, Johnson County, Kansas” and that's all. A plat map shows all of the lot numbers and block numbers in a particular subdivision, and this records the legal descriptions on the public record.Ī lot and block description will simply list the lot number, the block number, the subdivision, the county, and the state. The lot and block description is recorded on a plat map. Lot and BlockĪ third way of giving a legal description is called the lot and block description, which is used in cities with new subdivisions. Remember that every section of the ground in the rectangular survey system contains 640 acres, and every acre of ground contains 43,560 square feet. So, one-mile square and one square mile is the exact same thing. So, if we also take one-mile times one mile, that means a section of ground contains one square mile. To find the area of something we take the length times the width. A section of ground is one mile on all sides, which means it is a one-mile square. The rectangular survey system was developed in an effort to try and describe all of the land in our country. Thomas Jefferson developed a system drawing straight lines, vertical and horizontal, called principal meridians running north and south and principal baselines running east and west. This is what was set up years ago by Thomas Jefferson in our country, and it mostly covers the entire country. Rectangular or Government Survey SystemĪ second way of giving a legal description is called the rectangular or government survey system. The very last line of every metes and bounds description will say angle back to the point of beginning. One key thing to remember with the metes and bounds description is that the description must begin and end at what is called the point of beginning.

It uses physical objects to describe the land. This is where the description would say, “Go to the well, then 300 feet west of the stake, then 200 feet to the tree”. These are typically older or used in rural areas. Number one is called a metes and bounds description, which gives a physical description of the property. An address is what our property is commonly called and is established by the post office, however, it is not a legal description.

There are several legal ways of giving a property description.

Where did metes and bounds originate