Abutting Land
Parcels of land having common boundaries.
Acre
43,560 sq. ft.: If it were in the shape of a square it would measure approx 208.71 ft. on each side.
Adjacent
1. Lying near, close, or contiguous; adjoining; neighboring: a motel adjacent to the highway. 2. Just before, after, or facing: a map on an adjacent page.
Baseline
Set of imaginary lines running east and west; used by surveyors for reference in locating and describing land under the government survey method of property description.
Check Lines
Same as Correction Lines: Since all north-south lines eventually converge at the North Pole as a result of the earth's curvature, range lines are adjusted every 4th township (every 24 miles) to maintain townships as close to six miles square as possible.
Contiguous
Adjacent; touching, adjoining or in close proximity.
Contour Maps
Topographical maps showing the lay of the land of an area by means of a series of lines that connect points of equal elevation at set intervals depending on the scale used.
Correctional Lines
Provisions in the government survey method made to compensate for the curvature of the earth's surface. Every fourth township line (at 24-mile intervals) serves as a correction line on which the intervals between the north and south range lines are measur
Fractional Sections
Irregular sections due to the curvature of the earth: There are 11 Fractional and 25 Full Sections in a Township. ( Each _______section consists of a parcel of land less than 160 acres, usually found at the edge of a rectangular survey.)
Gila and Salt River
The Arizonal principal meridian. After establishment of an initial point, a true north and south line called a principal meridian was run through the initial point and marked on the ground.
Government Check
The 24-mile-square parcels composed of 16 townships, and adjusts for the curvature of the land in the rectangular (government) survey system of legal description.
Informal Survey
Use of a common marker, such as a stake, fence or tree to determine property lines.
Metes and Bounds Description
A legal description of a parcel of land that begins at a well-marked point and follows the boundaries, using directions and distances around the tract, back to the point of beginning.
Mile
A unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet.
Monument
A fixed natural or artificial object used to establish real estate boundaries for a metes-and-bounds description.
Perimeter
The distance around the outside of an object or geometric figure.
Principal Baseline
In the Government Rectangular Survey System, the reference line that runs east and west and crosses the principal meridian.
Principal Meridian
The main imaginary line running north and south and crossing a base line at a definite point, used by surveyors for reference in locating and describing land under the rectangular (government) survey system or legal description.
Quadrangle
A square-shaped land area used in the government survey system method of land description that is 24 miles on each side and contains 16 townships. See United States Government Survey System.
Range Lines
A strip of land six miles wide, extending north and south and numbered east and west according to its distance from the principal meridian in the rectangular (government) survey system of legal description.
Recorded Plat
A subdivision map filed with the county recorder's office that shows the lot, block number, location and boundaries of an individual parcel of land.
Rectangular (Government) Survey System
System established in 1785 by the federal government, providing for surveying and describing land by reference to principal meridians and base lines.
Relief map
A map that depicts land configuration, usually with contour lines.
Rod
320 rods = 1 mile
1 rod = 5 1/2 yards
1 rod = 16 1/2 feet
Row of Townships
A column of townships extends north-south and is called a range, and is numbered numerically east and west according to its distance from the principal meridian.
Section
A portion of a township under the rectangular (government) survey system. A township is divided into 36 ______, numbered 1 through 36, starting in the northeast corner and moving alternately right to left, then left to right, ending in the southeast secti
Street Address
The address where a person or organization can be found: The most unsatisfactory method of property description. Streets and numbers are always subject to change and may be duplicated in large metropolitan areas. They also do not give the precise dimensio
Tier Line (township strip)
A strip of land six miles wide, extending east and west and numbered north and south according to its distance from the base line in the rectangular (government) survey system of legal description.
Topographical Survey
A survey that maps and shows the physical features, such as the slope and contour, of a parcel of real estate or an area of land.
Township
6 miles square and contains 36 square miles.. Townships are numbered north and south from the base line. Each townships consists of 36 sections measuring 1 square mile each: Each square mile = 640 acres.