Chapter 3 covers the understanding and preparation of legal land descriptions, focusing on three types: government rectangular surveys, platted descriptions, and metes and bounds descriptions. It outlines the role of surveyors in evaluating real property, the standards for survey preparation, and the essential information paralegals need when reviewing surveys. The chapter emphasizes the importance of accuracy in legal descriptions for real estate transactions.

1. Chapter 3
Surveys and Land Descriptions

2. Objectives
• After reading this chapter, you should be able
to
– Read and understand three types of legal
descriptions.
• Government rectangular survey description
• Platted description
• Metes and bounds description

3. Objectives
• After reading this chapter, you should be able
to
– Review surveys.
– Review a land survey for the accuracy of a legal
description.
– Prepare a legal description from a land survey.

4. The Survey
• Surveyor evaluates real property to locate
physical limits of a particular parcel of land
• Surveyor uses physical field evidence, written
record evidence, and field measurements
• Surveyor forms opinion as to property lines
• Surveyor prepares map (plat)
– Known as a survey

5. The Survey
• Boundary survey
– Boundaries of land in question and physical
description
• As-built survey
– Locates all physical improvements and natural
features
• Includes easements and setbacks

6. The Survey
• Survey should provide paralegal with the
following:
– State, county, land district, and section where the
property surveyed is located
– Indication of which direction on the survey is
north
– Point of beginning for land description

7. The Survey
• Survey should provide paralegal with the
following:
– Courses and distances for each property line
– Name of surveyor
– Scale for distances not shown on the survey
– Legend of abbreviations or symbols used
• In most cases

8. Preparation of Surveys and
Survey Standards
• Surveyors and title insurance companies have
developed standards known as ALTA/ACSM
standards
– Revised in 2011

9. Preparation of Surveys and
Survey Standards
• When ordering a survey, paralegal should
provide
– Accurate legal description of the property
– Current title insurance commitment
– Copies of all recorded easements, servitudes, and
covenants affecting the property
– Copies of any appurtenant easements
– Names and deed data for all adjacent owners

10. Land Descriptions
• Government rectangular survey description
– Based on sets of two intersecting hypothetical
lines:
• Principal meridians
– Distance in degrees, minutes, and seconds west of Greenwich
meridian
• Base lines
– Certain number of degrees north of equator

11. Land Descriptions
• Township or range lines
– Township lines run east and west at 6-mile
intervals parallel with base lines
– Range lines run north and south at 6-mile intervals
parallel with meridians
– Squares of land formed by the intersecting
township lines and range lines are called
townships

12. Land Descriptions
• Correction lines and guide meridians
– Correction lines
• Because the earth is round, in the United States,
northern boundary lines would be approximately 50 to
200 feet shorter than southern boundary lines
• Correction lines are used to compensate for these
shortages
• Each fourth township line (24 miles) north and south of
a base line is designated as a correction line

13. Land Descriptions
• Correction lines and guide meridians
– Guide meridians
• Run north and south at 24-mile intervals on either side
of the principal meridian
• Begin at the base line and extend to the first correction
line in either direction
• Are not parallel to the principal meridians or to one
another

14. Land Descriptions
• Township squares
– Identified by
• Location of a township’s strip where the township is
located
• Designation of range strip
• Name or number of closest principal meridian

15. Land Descriptions
• Sections
– 36-square-mile township divided into 36 sections
• Each 1-mile square is 640 acres
– Numbered consecutively from 1 to 36
• Beginning at northeast corner of township
– Divided into quarter sections
• Then into halves or quarters

16. Land Descriptions
• Platted description
– Short-form description of a piece of land by
reference to a recorded survey or plat
– First requirement is that surveyor prepare the plat
– The plat is then recorded in the county where the
land is located

17. Land Descriptions
• Metes and bounds description
– Sets forth and completely describes boundary
lines of land
– Usually begins with an introduction that locates
the land in a general part of the state

18. Land Descriptions
• Metes and bounds description
– Each boundary line (“call”) is described by course
and distance
• Course
– Direction the boundary line travels
• Distance
– Length of the boundary line

19. Land Descriptions
• Curved property lines
– Surveyor should note
• Arc distance of curve
• Radius distance of curve
• Chord course
– A straight line drawn from the beginning point of arc to the
ending point of arc
• Distance of chord

20. Land Descriptions
• Closure
– Metes and bounds description must close
– Legal description starts at a beginning point,
follows each boundary line by course and
distance, and ends back at the beginning point
– If land description does not close, it is defective

21. Land Descriptions
• Practice tips on metes and bounds legal
descriptions
– Basic requirements
• Identification of land
• Beginning point
• Compass direction and distances from one point to the
next
• Return to the beginning point
– Usually cannot be prepared without a survey

22. Practice Tips for
Reviewing a Survey
• To review a survey, paralegal should have
– Survey
– Title commitment
• Also known as title report
– Survey checklist
– Marking pens

23. Practice Tips for
Reviewing a Survey
• Key objectives
– Make sure surveyor has provided basic
information
– Determine whether survey description matches
legal description in deed or land records
– Locate easements or encumbrances (including
numbers and locations), utilities easements, and
vehicular access

24. Practice Tips for
Reviewing a Survey
• Key objectives
– Locate any improvements and possible
encroachments
– Research any zoning or private restrictions on use
of land
– Discover if property is in flood hazard area

25. Ethics: Competency
• ABA Code of Professional Responsibility
provides that a lawyer should represent a
client competently
• Paralegals have a duty to do work diligently
and study whatever is necessary to perform
the work competently
– Ask for help from title companies, surveyors, or
other professionals under supervision of attorney

26. Summary
• Land survey is critical part of any real estate
transaction
• Surveyor describes boundaries and legal
description of real property, easements,
utilities, access, and improvements

27. Summary
• Paralegals must have full knowledge of land
descriptions and survey requirements to
better serve clients