Chapter 15: Legal Land Descriptions
Terminology related to Legal Land Description
1) Topography - contains contour map "lay of the land". Includes land surface. i.e, level or sloping. 2) Relief or contour - 3 dimensionnel map shows nature of land surface through series of lines the reflect elevation. 3) Abutting or contiguous or tangent - Parcels of land connected or touching each other. 4) "More or less" - If you are not certain of parcel size, "more or less" should be added after the legal description. 5) Direction - use compass direction from initial starting point. i.e, N30E would indicate a line NE 30% on the compass. 6) Map scale - Large map. 1 inch = 1 mile. Small Map - 1 inch = 10 miles
Legal Land Description
Legal description must be sufficient to identify the land and it's location. 1) An exact way of describing real estate in the contract, deed, mortgage, or other document that will be excepted by the court of law 2) A description is considered to be complete if an independent surveyor can locate and identify the parcel. 3) Street address and tax parcel number (assessor know as APN) are not considered to be forms of legal description. The address bad as legal description because; can be on more than one plat, can contain property not intended to be conveyed, and might not contain all the property you want to convey.
Types of Legal Description
Recorded plat - lot or block number. Smallest unit of measure 1) Plat map - indicates the lot size, easements, lot and block numbers, NOT building, orientation of structures or monuments. Use in subdivisions. 2) Subdivision name or lot number Metes and Bounds - measurements and boundaries. Includes boundary lines, terminal points and angles, markers and degrees. 1) Informal - monument or natural monument 2) Formal - Starting point - bench mark - used by surveyors as a starting part. Might be a stake or brass head. - Point of beginning - P. O. B. - Where property line measurement begins. - Angles and arcs - -Close the parcel - Fence to point of beginning (POB) Example: Rectangular Governmental Survey System - Will breakdown from largest medium to smallest measurement. 1) Initial Point - confluences the Gila and Salt Rivers - about 20 miles SW of PHX. 150th ave and Baseline. 2) Principle baseline - east and west - Gila and Salt river baseline run east and west. 3) Principle meridian - north and south - north/south boundaries are determined by baselines. AKA township lines. east/west boundaries are determined by meridian. AKA range lines. 4) G. & S. B & M. (and another on the Navajo reservation) - 20 miles SW of PHX at confluence of Gila and Salt Rivers. City of PHX is located 20 miles NE of GSB&M. 5) Tier Lines - east and west (baselines) - A row of tiers are known as townships. 6) Range lines - north and south (meridian) - 7) Townships - Size -6 miles square - 36 sq.miles -24 mile perimeter -23,040 acres -36 sections - Each section is 640 Sq Miles. A section is 1 sq mile. - Name -By corner farthest from initial point -By corner of quadrant location - Check lines - compensate for earth's curvature - correctional line every 24 miles, 16 townships - Quadrangle - Every 24 miles - contains 16 townships -Standard parallels and guide meridian -no township contains 36 square miles measuring distances -What is the distance in miles from the following points - T4N R5W is 24 to 30 miles from principle meridian . T3S R2E is 12 to 18 miles from principle baseline R5W is 24 to 30 from G7SRB&M T2N is 6 to 12 from G7SRB&M Sections Size - 1 mile square - 1 square mile - 4 mile perimeter - 640 acres -Numbered beginning in NE corner -Fractional - Compensates for earth curvature. -25 standard (full) and 11 fractional (11 sections are corrected when you have a township. - On west and north side of township - Government Lot - when as parcel is non standard as a result of lakes, mountains or streams. - Distance between sections - Section 2 to section 32 (closets corner to closets corner) - NE corner section 2 to SW corner section 32 - Contiguous sections - Naming Sections NORTH, SOUTH, EAST and WEST. - Quartering - Dimensions -Section is 5280 ft. X 5280 ft. (640 acres) -1/4 section is 2640 ft X 2640 ft. (160 acres) - 1/4 of 1/4 section is 1320 ft. X 1320 ft. (40 acres) - 1/4 of 1/4 of 1/4 section is 660 ft. X 660 ft. (10 acres) Multiple Parcels - Different sections - N1/2, SW1/4, Sec 11 and the SE1/4, SE1/4, Sec 4 2 miles square can be read as 2 miles squared or 4 miles