The Importance of the Metes and Bounds Description Components All state statutes for the practice of land surveying include precision requirements with very stringent tolerances for closure. When calculated, observed, and reconciled by the surveyor, the metes should form a mathematically closed figure. The angle is 89 degrees, 39 minutes, 47 seconds (also delineated as 89° 39’ 47”) and the distance is 147.33’ (or feet). In the above example, the directional call is North/West. A distance typically cited in feet and tenths of a foot.An angle described in degrees, minutes, and seconds.The math, or the metes, contains three parts to define the line: The bounds are cited to state what each line is bounded by.Īn example of a defined property line by metes and bounds would be “Thence North 89 degrees, 39 minutes, 47 seconds West, a distance of 147.33 feet (the metes), along the southerly line of property now or formerly owned by John Smith (the bounds).”.The metes is the math of the described property lines that circumscribes the perimeter of the parcel.Each line or course is described by two components, the “metes” and the “bounds.” The description defines the lands from the point of beginning (a property corner) around the entirety of the parcel, typically in a clockwise fashion, back to the point of beginning.
Real estate metes and bounds how to#
Metes and Bounds DefinitionĪ metes and bounds description can be lengthy, confusing, and daunting to a novice who may not know how to read and interpret its narrative. The County Auditor or Tax Assessor will also rely on the description to evaluate the property for tax assessment.
The conveyance form (a deed or instrument containing the legal description) is then put to record at the County Recorder’s office so there is an official public record of the transfer and the description. The property must be defined by a legal description to recognize and convey the lands. State statutes grant the County Auditor or Tax Assessor the authority to transfer properties. The term “legal” is often included, as these descriptions are utilized for the legal transfer of lands on documents such as deeds, land grants, etc. These descriptions legally define lands for identification, tax assessment, and conveyance. They include properties defined within a recorded subdivision, Section, Town, and Range descriptions, parcels defined on a recorded parcel map, and one of the most common, a metes and bounds description.
There are many types of property descriptions.