Legal Land Description

A legal land description is a formal written description that uniquely identifies a specific parcel of land for legal purposes. It must be precise enough to distinguish the parcel from all others without ambiguity.

Systems of legal land description

PLSS (Public Land Survey System): - Used in 30 states (primarily western) - References township, range, section, and aliquot parts - Example: "NW/4 of Section 15, T3N, R5W, Boise Meridian, Ada County, Idaho" - Standard for mining claims on federal lands

Metes and Bounds: - Used in the original 13 colonies and other eastern states - Describes boundaries using bearings and distances from a point of beginning - Also used for irregular parcels and patented mining claims - Example: "Beginning at a stone monument; thence N45E 200 feet..."

Lot and Block (Recorded Plat): - Used for subdivided urban and suburban property - References a recorded subdivision plat - Example: "Lot 5, Block 3, Mountain View Subdivision, as recorded in Plat Book 10, Page 15"

Mining claim descriptions: Mining claims typically use PLSS descriptions, sometimes combined with metes and bounds for lode claims: - Placer claims: Usually described by aliquot parts of sections - Lode claims: May use metes and bounds within the PLSS framework - Both types must specify the principal meridian

Requirements for valid legal descriptions: - Must uniquely identify the parcel - Must be capable of being located on the ground - Must close (for metes and bounds descriptions) - Must reference the proper coordinate system or survey framework