DOCSLIB.ORG

Interpretation of Real Property Descriptions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Interpretation of Real Property Descriptions INTERPRETATION OF REAL PROPERTY DESCRIPTIONS This page intentionally left blank Interpretation of Real Property Descriptions FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF CADASTRAL MAPPERS In conjunction with THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE Presents FACM COURSE 3 INTERPRETATION OF REAL PROPERTY DESCRIPTIONS Objectives Upon the successful completion of this course the student should: Know why we use the systems of describing land that we do; Understand the different methods of describing real property; Understand the terminology used in the various descriptions; Be able to break down the different types of descriptions into their various parts to aid in plotting or computing same; Understand the basics of resolving discrepancies among descriptions; Have a rudimentary understanding of water boundaries and the effects both mankind and nature may have on same; Plot different types of descriptions and begin map compilation in preparation for FACM Course 4; and Know where to go for help if all else fails. Interpretation of Real Property Descriptions Table of Contents Objectives .................................................................................................................................................... ii INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... vi Day 1 ............................................................................................................................ 1 FUNDAMENTALS of DESCRIPTIONS ................................................................................................... 2 What is A Description? ............................................................................................................................ 2 What is a "Legal" Description? ................................................................................................................ 2 Types of Descriptions .............................................................................................................................. 3 Projections & Florida State Plane Zones ................................................................................................. 9 Description Word Definitions ................................................................................................................ 13 Description Phrase Definitions .............................................................................................................. 17 Miscellaneous Description Information ................................................................................................. 20 Who Writes Descriptions? ..................................................................................................................... 22 Fundamentals of Descriptions - Quiz ..................................................................................................... 24 METES AND BOUNDS DESCRIPTIONS .............................................................................................. 26 Original Concept .................................................................................................................................... 26 Requirements of a Metes and Bounds Description ................................................................................ 27 Format of a Description ......................................................................................................................... 28 Reference Descriptions .......................................................................................................................... 31 How to Read a Metes and Bounds Description ..................................................................................... 32 Measurements of Distance ..................................................................................................................... 42 ENGINEERING SCALE ....................................................................................................................... 48 PROTRACTOR ..................................................................................................................................... 53 BEARING & DISTANCES ................................................................................................................... 59 LAND COMPASS ................................................................................................................................. 61 Metes and Bounds Descriptions - Quiz .................................................................................................. 68 Day 2 .......................................................................................................................... 71 CURVES .................................................................................................................................................... 72 Definitions .............................................................................................................................................. 72 Circular Curve ........................................................................................................................................ 73 Five Elements Necessary to Plot a Curve .............................................................................................. 74 Tangent curves ....................................................................................................................................... 75 Compound Curve ................................................................................................................................... 75 FACM 03 Page iii Interpretation of Real Property Descriptions Reverse Curve ........................................................................................................................................ 76 Spiral Curve ........................................................................................................................................... 77 Concavity or Convexity ......................................................................................................................... 78 Radial Line ............................................................................................................................................. 79 Non-tangent ............................................................................................................................................ 79 Point of Cusp .......................................................................................................................................... 79 Different Types of Curves and Parts of Curves ..................................................................................... 80 Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................................... 81 MAPPING STUDY EXERCISES - CURVES .......................................................................................... 83 Curves - Quiz ......................................................................................................................................... 85 Typical Curve ....................................................................................................................................... 87 Curve Exercises ..................................................................................................................................... 88 Curve Exercises - Homework .................................................................................................................... 97 Day 3 .......................................................................................................................... 99 SUBDIVISION DESCRIPTIONS ........................................................................................................... 100 History of Subdivision Descriptions .................................................................................................... 100 Check the Plat Perimeter Description to the plat drawing ................................................................... 101 Dedication ............................................................................................................................................ 101 Basis of Bearing ................................................................................................................................... 102 F.S. 177.081 Dedication and Approval ................................................................................................ 102 Subdivision Examples .......................................................................................................................... 103 STRIP DESCRIPTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 111 What is a Strip Description? ................................................................................................................ 111 Strip Description Examples ................................................................................................................. 112 Subdivision & Strip Descriptions - Quiz ............................................................................................. 117 STATIONING ......................................................................................................................................... 118 What is a Stationing? ..........................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Beginning Land Platting J
    Beginning Land Platting J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA [email protected] All rights reserved © 2017 Making a tract map may help a researcher identify a community, including neighbors, ferries, mills, cemeteries, historic houses, and many other landmarks. Although most individual researchers might not tackle the platting of a whole community, we are more likely to plat a tract of ancestor’s land and include his surrounding neighbors. In fact, it might be necessary to plat a community in order to determine where an ancestor’s land might be located or from where he might have migrated. By locating the land of an ancestor, we might gain an understanding of their lives and be able to become more involved with their community activities. Land is described in the terms of the “metes” and “bounds” of the tract. Metes are the natural or man-made features of the land that serves at the points along the boundary lines (a white oak, Jackson’s corner, Washington Road, a stake) and the boundary lines or bounds connect these points or metes. Bounds are generally given in courses (compass direction) and distance (length of lines between point) as well as by the landmarks or adjoining property owners. With the aid of a few inexpensive tools, researchers can construct their own plats of land tracts as described in deeds, wills, court records or land grants. TERM ENGLISH LAND MEASURE Acre 43560 square feet 160 square rods Chain 66 feet, 22 yards 100 links or 4 rods Furlong 660 feet, 220 yards 10 chains Link 7.92 inches 25 links=1 rod Mile 5280 feet 80 chains,
    [Show full text]
  • Writing Legal Descriptions ‐ NYSAPLS Conf January 2018
    Writing Legal Descriptions ‐ NYSAPLS Conf January 2018 Legal Descriptions Scott Reeser, P.L.S. NYSAPLS 2018 Conference INTRODUCTION: • Over 25 years experience in the surveying profession • Graduate of Penn State survey program • Licensed in Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Colorado • Have worked for small firms and larger sized firms WARNING: This presentation is not intended to be a lecture. My intent is to present the attendees with information I have gathered thru various sources and stimulate discussion on these topics. Participation from the attendees is essential to the success of the session. Everyone in attendance is asked to provide input and ask questions. By gathering input from those present, we may all learn something by the end of the day. 1 Writing Legal Descriptions ‐ NYSAPLS Conf January 2018 Objectives of this Webinar: – Define the purpose of legal descriptions – List commonly used types of legal descriptions – Review the parts of legal descriptions Objectives of this Webinar: – Identify common terminology used in legal descriptions – Identify common mistakes made in the preparation of legal descriptions – Practice writing legal descriptions WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A LEGAL DESCRIPTION? Per Black’s Law Dictionary: “Legal Description. A formal description of real property, including a description of any part subject to an easement or reservation, complete enough that a particular piece of land can be located and identified. The description can be made by reference to a government survey, metes and bounds, or lot numbers of a recorded plat. ‐ Also termed land description.” 2 Writing Legal Descriptions ‐ NYSAPLS Conf January 2018 Types of Legal Descriptions: – Metes and Bounds – Reference to other Documents – Strip or baseline – Bounded by – Public Lands / Section Reference Types of Legal Descriptions: Metes & Bounds: • Provides a description of the area’s perimeter using geometry • Metes refers to bearings or angles and distances.
    [Show full text]
  • PTAX 1-M, Introduction to Mapping for Assessors
    1-M, Introduction to Mapping for Assessors # 001-805 68 PTAX 1-M Rev 02/2021 1 Printed by the authority of the State of Illinois. web only, one copy 2 Table of Contents Glossary ............................................................................................................ Page 5 Where to Get Assistance ................................................................................... Page 10 Unit 1: Basic Types and Uses of Maps ............................................................. Page 13 Unit 2: Measurements and Math for Mapping .................................................. Page 33 Unit 3: The US Rectangular Land Survey ........................................................ Page 49 Unit 4: Legal Descriptions ................................................................................ Page 63 Blank Practice Pages ...................................................................................... Page 94 Unit 5: Metes and Bounds Legal Descriptions .................................................. Page 97 Unit 6: Principles for Assigning Property Index Numbers ................................. Page 131 Unit 7: GIS and Mapping .................................................................................. Page 151 Exam Preparation.............................................................................................. Page 160 Answer Key ....................................................................................................... Page 161 3 4 Glossary Acre – A unit of land area in England
    [Show full text]
  • 3.0 Land Measurements Review
    3.0 Land Measurements Review (Chpt 4 in Husch, et al.) Knowledge critical to the forest scientist is the way land subdivision is carried out in any particular region in which they work Knowledge of the basic elements of surveying is also crucial to practitioners of forestry science To these ends, the forest scientist should be adept at pacing, chaining, running compass traverses, and various methods of estimating land area 3.1 Land Subdivision (in the U.S.) Methods Metes and Bounds The original 13 colonies of the United States of America were subdivided and passed into private ownership using the so called “metes and bounds” method, sometimes jokingly referred to as “leaps and bounds.” The term mete implies and act of metering, measuring, and assigning by measure, and bounds refers to property boundaries or other limits or constraints to the extent of an ownership. In some instances, however, especially older metes and bounds surveys consist entirely of descriptions without measurements, such as in the following example: “starting at the pine tree blazed on its east side, thence along a hedgerow to a granite boulder on the bank of the Wampum River, thence along the river to the intersection of Cherokee Creek …” U.S. Public Land Survey Most of the U.S. west of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River, including Alabama, Mississippi, and portions of Florida has been subdivided in accordance with the US Public Land Survey (Exhibit 5). The first law governing public land surveys was passed by Congress in 1785. The “Northwest Territory” (later becoming the state of Ohio) was chosen as the experimental area for the development of this rectangular system The original intent was to establish townships exactly 6 miles square, followed by subdivision into 36 sections of exactly 1 square mile each.
    [Show full text]
  • Basic Rectangular Surveys
    GLO History, Records and other Resources for Indian Lands Kenneth D. Roy BLM Indian Lands Surveyor (BILS) Eastern States Cadastral Survey BIA Midwest Region 5600 West American Boulevard Bloomington, Minnesota 55437 (612) 725-4580 [email protected] Early Surveying in America ►Metes and Bounds . A system of describing land boundaries was adopted from the archaic “Rural Land Description”. This would later develop into the metes-and-bounds (metes meaning measurement or metering, bounds referring to identifiable boundaries) method. Natural landmarks can change over time. Water boundaries shift and trees die and decay. Early Surveying in America ►Metes and Bounds . "…after turning around in another direction, and by a sloping straight line to a certain heap of stone which is by pacing, just 18 rods and about one half a rod more from the stump of the big hemlock tree where Philo Blake killed the bear…“ . This system is perpetuated in the 13 original colony States and much of the land East of the Mississippi and South of the Ohio River. Metes and Bounds Grant The United States ►After the end of the Revolutionary War and the subsequent Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the United States boundaries were established in a treaty negotiated with England, Spain, and France. It was signed September 3, 1783. All of the land North of Spanish Florida, East of the Mississippi River, and South of the Great Lakes The United States The United States ► The Revolutionary War left the United States in dire need of revenue for reparations as well as payment to the soldiers in the Continental Army.
    [Show full text]
  • Subchapter 13. Minimum Standards for Land Surveying
    TITLE 245 CHAPTER 15. LICENSURE AND PRACTICE OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND LAND SURVEYORS SUBCHAPTER 13. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR THE PRACTICE OF LAND SURVEYING 245:15-13-1. Purpose; scope; applicability In order to better serve the public in regulating the practice of land surveying in Oklahoma, these minimum standards of practice are established to achieve no less than minimum standard degrees of accuracy, completeness, and quality so as to assure adequate and defensible real property boundary locations. When more stringent survey standards than those set forth herein are required the survey shall comply with both those standards and with the Oklahoma Minimum Standards for the Practice of Land Surveying. Where the Professional Land Surveyor elects to follow or use a more thorough method of determining accuracy, it is not the intent of these standards to interfere. Land Surveyors failing to comply with or meet these minimum standards will be subject to disciplinary action by the Board. 245:15-13-2. Minimum Standards (a) Definitions: as used in these standards, the following terms shall have the following meanings where the context permits as provided in 59 O.S. 475.1 et seq. and Chapter 245:15-1-3 of the Rules of the Board. (b) Research and investigation. Every property boundary survey shall be made in accordance with the boundary description, as provided to or as created by the professional land surveyor, as nearly as is practicable. The professional land surveyor, prior to making a survey, shall acquire available necessary survey data, which may include record descriptions, deeds, maps, Certified Corner Records, government notes, subdivision plats, road records, and other available section and boundary line location data in the vicinity.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 12 Subdivision Regulations (Platting)
    CHAPTER 12 SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS (PLATTING) SECTION 12.01. PURPOSE, SCOPE AND COMPLIANCE. Subd. 1. Purpose. All subdivisions of land hereafter submitted for approval shall comply in all respects with the regulations set forth herein. It is the purpose of these regulations to: (1) Encourage well-planned, efficient, and attractive developments by establishing adequate standards for design and construction; (2) Provide for the health, safety, and general welfare of the City's residents and property owners, by requiring properly designed and coordinated streets and adequate sewage, water, and drainage facilities; (3) Secure the rights of the public with respect to public lands and waters; (4) Serve as a tool to carry out the objectives and policies of the City's Comprehensive Land Use Plan; (5) Provide for a means to provide adequate recreational areas, school sites, and other public facilities; (6) To assure equitable handling of all subdivision plats by providing uniform procedures. Subd. 2. Scope. This Chapter shall apply to the subdivision or re-subdivision of any parcel of land as well as conveyance, registered land survey, or other means within the City as well as any property located within a two mile radius in the Township of Becker as established with extra-territorial rights. The authority to enforce these regulations to the two mile radius surrounding the City comes from Minnesota Statute 462.358. Subd. 3. Compliance. After the adoption of this Chapter, no lot in a subdivision shall be sold and no permit shall be issued to alter or erect any building upon land in a subdivision unless a subdivision plat has been approved and recorded and until the improvements required by the Council relative to the subdivision have been constructed or arranged for as provided herein.
    [Show full text]
  • Specifications for Descriptions of Land: for Use in Land Orders, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Federal Register Documents, and Land Description Databases
    United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Cadastral Survey Specifications for Descriptions of Land: For Use in Land Orders, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Federal Register Documents, and Land Description Databases Revised 2015 United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Cadastral Survey Specifications for Descriptions of Land: For Use in Land Orders, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Federal Register Documents, and Land Description Databases Produced in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, United States Federal Geographic Data Committee, Cadastral Subcommittee Washington, DC: 2015 U.S. Department of the Interior Suggested citation for general reference: U.S. Department of the Interior. 2015. Specifications for Descriptions of Land: For Use in Land Orders, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Federal Register Documents, and Land Description Databases. Bureau of Land Management. Washington, DC. Suggested citation for technical reference: Specifications for Descriptions of Land (2015) Find these Specifications and other information at www.blm.gov. U.S. Department of the Interior The mission of the Department of the Interior (Department) is to protect and provide access to our Nation’s natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and our commitments to island communities. The Department works to assure the wisest choices are made in managing all of the Nation’s resources so each will make its full contribution to a better United States—now and in the future. The Department manages about 500 million acres, or one-fifth, of the land in the United States. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the Department, manages more than 245 million of these surface acres and also administers more than 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate.
    [Show full text]
  • Specifications for Descriptions of Land: for Use in Land Orders, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Federal Register Documents, and Land Description Databases
    United States Department of the Interior • Bureau of Land Management • Cadastral Survey Specifications for Descriptions of Land: For Use in Land Orders, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Federal Register Documents, and Land Description Databases Revised 2017 Specifications for Descriptions of Land: For Use in Land Orders, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Federal Register Documents, and Land Description Databases Produced in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, United States Federal Geographic Data Committee, Cadastral Subcommittee Washington, DC: 2015; Revised 2017 U.S. Department of the Interior Suggested citation for general reference: U.S. Department of the Interior. 2017. Specifications for Descriptions of Land: For Use in Land Orders, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Federal Register Documents, and Land Description Databases. Bureau of Land Management. Washington, DC. Suggested citation for technical reference: Specifications for Descriptions of Land (2017) Find these Specifications and other information at www.blm.gov. Printed copies are available from: Printed Materials Distribution Services Fax: 303-236-0845 Email: [email protected] Stock Number: P-474 BLM/WO/GI-17/007+1813 U.S. Department of the Interior The mission of the Department of the Interior (Department) is to protect and provide access to our Nation’s natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and our commitments to island communities. The Department works to assure the wisest choices are made in managing all of the Nation’s resources so each will make its full contribution to a better United States—now and in the future. The Department manages about 500 million acres, or one-fifth, of the land in the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • 2016 Guide to ALTA Surveys
    2016 Guide to ALTA Surveys A resource for understanding, ordering, and reviewing ALTA Land Title Surveys. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 1 2. What Is an ALTA Survey? 2 3. Why Is an ALTA Survey Needed? 4 4. Ordering an ALTA Survey 6 5. Definitions 9 6. Definitions of FEMA Flood Zones 18 7. Land Conversion Key 21 8. Articles on Land Surveys 23 9. Full Text of 2016 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys 42 10. Understanding the Table A Optional Items 66 11. Additional Resources 82 12. Partner Information 83 1. Introduction 1. Introduction This handbook was created to explain the contents and purpose of an American Land Title Associaon (ALTA) / Naonal Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Survey – commonly referred to simply as an “ALTA Survey.” The handbook also serves to provide helpful informaon and resources to those ordering and reviewing ALTA Surveys. Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. Partner’s naonal ALTA Survey team has decades of experience conducng, coordinang, and reviewing surveys. We are experts in the 2016 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys and have a deep understanding of how our clients rely on ALTA Surveys and the implicaons to their business decisions. Refer to Secon 12 for more informaon about Partner. 1 2. What Is an ALTA Survey? 2. What Is an ALTA Survey? An ALTA Survey is an essenal tool for all pares involved in a real estate transacon or development. The survey is used to determine and depict important features of a property, including: locaon; boundaries; access to rights of way; buildings and other improvements; easements; encroachments; water features; and other significant features.
    [Show full text]
  • Surveying Units and Terms Page 1 of 12
    Surveying Units and Terms Page 1 of 12 Surveying Units and Terms 22 Apr 2013 Here is our list of units of measure , surveying terms , surveyors' slang and abbreviations , water descriptions , and trees . If you don't see your favorite obscure units or terms, please let us know . We're happy to add to our list. Home Land Record Reference Units of Measure • Acre - The (English) acre is a unit of area equal to 43,560 square feet, or 10 square chains, or 160 square poles. It derives from a plowing area that is 4 poles wide and a furlong (40 poles) long. A square mile is 640 acres. The Scottish acre is 1.27 English acres. The Irish acre is 1.6 English acres. • Arpent - Unit of length and area used in France, Louisiana, and Canada. As a unit of length, approximately 191.8 feet (180 old French 'pied', or foot). The (square) arpent is a unit of area, approximately .845 acres, or 36,802 square feet. • Chain - Unit of length usually understood to be Gunter's chain , but possibly variant by locale. See also Rathbone's chain . The name comes from the heavy metal chain of 100 links that was used by surveyors to measure property bounds. • Colpa - Old Irish measure of land equal to that which can support a horse or cow for a year. Approximately an Irish acre of good land. • Compass - One toise . • Cuerda - Traditional unit of area in Puerto Rico. Equal to about .971 acres. Known as the "Spanish acre". • Engineer's Chain - A 100 foot chain containing 100 links of one foot apiece.
    [Show full text]
  • The Forgotten History of Metes and Bounds Abstract
    MAUREEN E. BRADY The Forgotten History of Metes and Bounds abstract. Since long before the settling of the American colonies, property boundaries were described by the “metes and bounds” method, a system of demarcation dependent on localized knowledge of movable stones, impermanent trees, and transient neighbors. Metes and bounds systems have long been the subject of ridicule among scholars, and a recent wave of law-and-eco- nomics scholarship has argued that land boundaries must be easily standardized to facilitate mar- ket transactions and yield economic development. However, historians have not yet explored the social and legal context surrounding earlier metes and bounds systems—obscuring the important role that nonstandardized property can play in stimulating growth. Using new archival research from the American colonial period, this Article reconstructs the forgotten history of metes and bounds within recording practice. Importantly, the benefits of metes and bounds were greater, and the associated costs lower, than an ahistorical examination of these records would indicate. The rich descriptions of the metes and bounds of colonial properties were customized to the preferences of American settlers and could be tailored to different types of property interests, permitting simple compliance with recording laws. While standardization is critical for enabling property to be understood by a larger and more distant set of buyers and cred- itors, customized property practices built upon localized knowledge serve other important social functions
    [Show full text]