1. Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources 1

2. 2 Legal Land Description Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Unit 6 – Lesson 6.3 This is My Land

3. 3 Why Legally Define Land? Land is sold as private property in the United States Selling land requires a description of property boundaries and size 3

4. 4 U.S. Systems of Land Description Metes and Bounds –Uses physical features of geography –Used by original colonial states and some others Rectangular Surveys –Also known as Public Land Survey System –Use meridians and baselines to divide land Lot-and-Block System –Plat system –Used in town and cities to define small parcels

5. 5 Metes and Bounds Metes – boundaries defined by measurement, include distance and direction Bounds – general boundary description such as waterways, roads, existing structure, and other physical markers Three major parts are a starting point, courses and distances 5

6. 6 Metes and Bounds Starting points are natural or artificial monuments. Courses are defined as a direction from one point to another and measured in a straight line. Borders can be irregular due to rivers, lakes, or other natural boundaries 6 Starting point Distance

7. 7 Rectangular Survey Set as the way of defining boundaries in the United States in 1785 Provided for an easily understood description of land that could be used to determine size Divides land into tracts, townships, sections, quarter sections and so on. 7

8. 8 Townships located with: –A north-south line called a principle meridian. –An east-west line called a base line. –Crossing point is called the initial point. Initial Point Meridian Base Line Rectangular Survey

9. 9 A tract is 24 square miles Divided into 16 townships. –“range” lines – division of base lines –“tier” lines – division of meridians Base Line T1N R1W T3N R3E Rectangular Survey

10. 10 Rectangular Survey Each township is 6 miles by 6 miles Townships are divided into sections There are 36 sections in a township 1 section = 1 square mile (640 acres) 10 654321 789 1112 181716151413 192021222324 302928272625 313233343536 Township T3N, R3E Notice the method of numbering

11. 11 Sections are divided into plots/parcels of land measured in partial section or acres. Rectangular Survey ½ section 320 acres W1/2 ¼ section 160 acres A B C D E F G H Can you determine the acreage and legal description for each parcel?

12. 12 References Cooper, T.H. (2009). Land classification. Retrieved January 29, 2010 from http://www.soils.umn.edu/academics/class es/soils2125/doc/s8chp3.htm http://www.soils.umn.edu/academics/class es/soils2125/doc/s8chp3.htm Wikipedia. (2010) Land description. Retrieved January 29, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metes_and_bo unds http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metes_and_bo unds