

The indiscriminate survey system, or metes. An address, or an assessor’s parcel number, is a shorthand way of describing real property. Property Consultant, Metes & Bounds Click here to view Michael Andersons. Of the four possible forties in the southeast corner, our parcel is the one in the northwest. A: Metes and bounds is an old method of surveying territory for settlement, used in the original 13 Colonies. Employees at Metes and Bounds Click here to view Jim Chens profile. Within this one-square mile section, this forty is one of four in the southeast quarter of the section.

Survey Lines - describes the boundaries of the property using direction and distance. The parcel is in section 4 of this township. The metes and bounds land survey system relies on several different items to convey a property description: General Location - details on the property's location, possibly including the state, county, and township nearby waterways and acreage. It includes auto-completion for those incomplete surveys. Perform calculations such as square footage or acres. T39N refers to township or tier 39 north, and R23W means range 23 west. With Metes and Bounds, turn Metes and Bounds data into a plot map. Townships are plotted in reference to a state's north-south and east-west survey lines. This 40-acre parcel is in township T39N, R23W. Use the land parcel map to help you as you read the legal description of the parcel. Our example would read: NW1/4 SE1/4, Sec. 4, NW1/4 SE1/4.įlip the legal description so it reads backwards, from right to left, from the smallest to the largest unit. It should look something like this example from Michigan State University Extension: T39N, R23W, Sec. 1 Metes and Bounds Surveying System 2 Read the map Read the map with an understanding of how it was surveyed. Each section is then divided into 16 forty-acre plots, referred to as "forties."įind the legal description of your land parcel map.

Each township is divided into 36 one-square-mile sections. Public Land Survey System is a grid that divides land into 24-mile tracts that are subdivided into 16 townships of roughly 6 miles by 6 miles, or 36 square miles. View your land parcel map in the context of "townships" and "forties." The U.S.
