Air Lot
Designated airspace over a piece of land; my be transferred; used in describing a condominium unit
Base Line
Imaginary line running east and west used by surveyors as a reference in describing land under the rectangular survey system, One of the imaginary East-West lines used as a reference point when describing property with the rectangular or government survey
Tier
A row of townships extending east and west is known as a __________. Identified by its relationship to the base parallel.
Benchmark
Permanent reference mark of point established for use by surveyors in measuring differences in elevation
Legal Description
Description of a specific parcel of real estate complete enough for an independent surveyor to locate and identify it
Lot and Block (Recorded Plat)
Method of describing property that identifies a parcel of land by reference to lot and block numbers within a subdivision, as specified on a recorded subdivision plat
Metes and Bounds
Legal description that begins at a well marked point and follows the boundaries around the tract, back to the place of beginning
Monuments
Fixed natural or artificial object used to establish real estate boundaries for a metes and bounds description
Plat Map
Map of a town, section or subdivision indicating the location and boundaries of individual properties
Datum
Standard elevation reference points
Point of Beginning (POB)
The starting point in a metes and bounds legal description; these description must follow the boundaries back to the point of beginning
Ranges
Strip of land six mile wide in rectangular survey system of land description, going north and south and numbered according to its distance from the principal meridian
Rectangular Survey System
System for surveying and describing land by reference to principal meridians and base lines; also called government survey system, Legal Description of Land: "Government Survey System," Base lines, meridians, townships and sections. Township = 36 sections
Correction Lines
Provisions in the rectangular survey system made to compensate for the curvature of the earth' surface. Every fourth township line (at 24 mile intervals) is used as a correction line on which the intervals between the north and south range lines are remea
Fractional Sections
A parcel of land less than 160 acres, usually found at the edge of a rectangular survey
Government Check
The 24 mile square parcels composed of 16 townships in the rectangular (government) survey system of legal description
Government Lots
Fractional sections in the rectangular (government) survey system that are less than one quarter-section in area.
Principal Meridians
a north-south line designated in the Land Ordinance of 1785 to facilitate the surveying and numbering of townships in the united states
Sections
in the new territories, 6 mile by 6 mile square areas consisting of 36 sections, one of which was set aside for public schools
Townships
6 miles square and 36 square miles, these are formed when meridian and baselines cross
Township Lines
All the lines in a rectangular survey system that run east and west, parallel to the base line six miles apart.
Township Tiers
Township lines that form strips of land and are designated by consecutive numbers north or south of the base line.
A certain legal description contains the phrase,"...southeasterly along Happy Road to the stone landmark..." What kind of description is this?
Metes and bounds
The abbreviation POB stands for
point of beginning.
What are the approximate dimensions of a township
in the rectangular survey system?
Six miles by six miles
The area running north and south between meridians
is a
range.
The area running east and west between base lines is a
tier.
How many sections are there in a township?
Thirty-six
A section contains how many acres?
640
How many acres are there in the S 1/2 of the NW 1/4
of Section 3?
80 acres (640 x .5 x .25)
If a parcel does not have a lot and block number and
is too irregular to be described as a fraction of a
section, the legal description
will include a metes and bounds description.
The legal description of a parcel in a subdivision that
has been recorded with lot and block numbers on a
plat of survey is
the lot and block number, with section, township and meridian references.
A datum is a reference point used for legal descriptions of
properties located above or below the earth's surface.
What is the principal purpose underlying legal
descriptions of real property?
To create a consistent, unchanging standard for locating the property.