interpreting, and correcting legal descriptions ©2014 don teter professional surveyor
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Interpreting, and
Correcting
Legal Descriptions
©2014 Don Teter
Professional Surveyor
![Page 2: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Is Math the Solution?
![Page 3: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
DESCRIPTION
TYPES
![Page 4: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Metes
And
Bounds
![Page 5: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
p/o Metes =
Directions or Bearings
S 45 E, S 45-00 E, S 45-00-00 E;
S 45˚ 00’ 00” E; S 45˚ 19’ 27” E;
Southeasterly;
135 degrees east of north (S 45 E);
Down the ridge; Up the mountain;
Over the hill.
![Page 6: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
p/o Metes = Distances
40 poles, 40 rods, 40 perches,
10 chains, or 660 feet.
3 cigarettes up the creek;
about 250 poles, perhaps much further.
![Page 7: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Bounds = Limits,
Often monuments Natural Monuments – ridge, stream,
Road?, tree?, X on boulder?
Artificial Monuments – rebar, pipe,
axle, stone, stone pile,
corner of the hog trough (c. 1928);
corner of the branding pen (c. 1915).
![Page 8: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Natural, Artificial, or Nuts? -
“To a deep hole in the Dry Fork River”
“To the field where
the dead horse stood”
BOUNDS can also be adjoiners:
“to the Herbert Roosevelt line”
![Page 9: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Description by
Abutters or
Adjoiners
![Page 10: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
land lying between the old turnpike and the highway, running with Smith on its west side and with Jones on its east side.
Lying on the south side of Rough River and the east side of Tranquil Branch, bounded on its south side by Abe Jefferson and on its east side by George Lincoln.
Slightly Vague;
Become More Problematic
With Time
![Page 11: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Description by
Lot Number
May be legally sufficient,
Extrinsic evidence often needed,
Potential disaster if no plat recorded
![Page 12: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Fractional Parts
The south 200 feet of my lot on Prosperity Road.
The east half of my farm on Troublesome Run.
And the feudin’ heirs will be
troublesome to the poor surveyor.
![Page 13: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Strip DescriptionsMost often used for rights of way or easements:
A right of way for a wagon road 10 feet wide along the G.W. Weese line;
A 2 pole wide strip of land the center of which runs S 72 E 20 poles, S 81 E 5 poles, … ;
Beginning at centerline station 12+51.9 on the plans for project 1273C,
thence with said centerline to station 43+12.8 …
![Page 14: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Description by
CoordinatesNortherly 123,689.45 N 25347.28
Easterly 999,250.06 E 10985.31
Latitude & Longitude,Universal Transverse Mercator,
State Plane
Need to know what they mean and how they
were created, and what their creator knew.
![Page 15: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Inclusion
By ReferenceWithout a Specific Description: After a listing of 25 parcels, a deed states:
“the grantor does hereby convey to the grantee for the consideration aforesaid, all lands and interest in lands owned by grantor in Middle Fork District … ”
The actual descriptions of any tracts conveyed by that clause will only be found by researching what the grantor owned in the cited district.
![Page 16: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Vague Descriptionsaka, Surveyor’s nightmares.
Lacking bearings and distances, Some general directions or approximate lengths.
Often refer to past adjoiners or landmarks now long gone.
Originated because people didn’t want to pay for surveys.
Difficult to interpret, troublesome to put on the ground,
and will not improve with age.
![Page 17: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
CORRECTING
PROBLEM
DESCRIPTIONS
![Page 18: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
![Page 19: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Elements of a
Good DescriptionGeneral location:
1. State, County, District.2. Watershed, roads,
mountains, etc.3. Approximate distance and direction to nearest
town or landmark.
![Page 20: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Calls Complete, Reasonable Closure On old surveys 1 in 500 could be OK.
Newer surveys are often 1 in 50,000.
“thence a straight line to the beginning”, or a vague call “with Fred Smith’s orchard fence”, (without a bearing and distance) may indicate potential problems.
![Page 21: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Apparent Title Source Is Cited
Grantor;
Grantee;
Date of conveyance, and/or recording;
Deed (or Will) Book and page reference;
Correct tax parcel references.
![Page 22: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Common Problems No closure, busted or incomplete.
Confusing language
“140 acres, more or less, being all land lying East of U.S. 219; south of Don Bosco Agricultural School; west of Tygart Valley River including all islands, and north of Ruby Gibson.” c. 1969
![Page 23: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
Reversed Calls
May or may not need to be reversed when plotting, do more research.
Transcription Errors
Deed dated 8/29/2001 “Beginning at a bunch of witch-hazel with two white bitches …
![Page 24: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Misnamed Topo Features
Omitted Calls
Flat Out Crazy Wrong Calls
Cobbled Together Descriptions
Backward Calls
Written from a plat going around the tract Backwards, with the scrivener not understanding bearing quadrants. Plotting the calls will produce a map which is upside down.
![Page 25: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
![Page 26: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Fixing Descriptions Do More Research
Don’t “Fix” What You Don’t
Fully Understand
Don’t add zeros and decimal places, it implies greater precision.
Don’t add or delete words like “with”, “along”, “up”, “down”, “meanders”.
![Page 27: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
Understand curve elements: radius, chord, arc, etc., and don’t change them.
Don’t use a tax map to create or correct a description, they can be hideously wrong.
Be cautious about breaking the law. Descriptions should usually be written by licensed surveyors.
![Page 28: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
BEWARE LIABILITY
Your Description -
Overlaps? Gaps?
Conflicts?
Lawsuits?
MURDER?
![Page 29: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
![Page 30: Interpreting, and Correcting Legal Descriptions ©2014 Don Teter Professional Surveyor](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649ea85503460f94bac19d/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
Continuing Education Seminarsfor Surveyors
Donald L. (Don) Teter, PS HC 86, Box 32
Monterville, WV 26282304-339-2125 [email protected]