Legal Description
A legal description is a specific and unique identification of a piece of real estate that is used for various legal purposes, such as buying, selling, or transferring ownership. It is a written description of the property's location and boundaries and is used to clearly identify the property being described and distinguish it from other properties.
There are several ways to describe a piece of real estate legally, including the following:
Metes and Bounds: This method uses a series of compass directions, distances, and physical landmarks to describe the boundaries of a property.
Lot and Block: This method assigns a lot number to a specific piece of property within a larger subdivision or planned development and uses that number to identify the property.
Recorded Plat: This method uses a map or survey of a subdivision or planned development to show the location and boundaries of a specific piece of property.
Government Survey: This method uses a government survey system, such as the Public Land Survey System in the United States, to describe the location and boundaries of a property.
Legal Description examples:
"The Northeast Quarter (NE1/4) of Section 32, Township 123 North, Range 45 West, according to the United States Government Survey."
"The Southwest Quarter (SW1/4) of Section 10, Township 87 South, Range 20 East, according to the United States Government Survey."
"The East Half (E1/2) of the Southeast Quarter (SE1/4) of Section 12, Township 56 North, Range 75 West, according to the United States Government Survey."
"The North Half (N1/2) of the Northwest Quarter (NW1/4) of Section 5, Township 34 South, Range 68 East, according to the United States Government Survey."
