Plot a Metes and Bounds Legal Land Description

Application Programming Interface (API) for Legal Land Converter

Plot a Metes and Bounds Legal Land Description

Plot Land

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Plot a Metes and Bounds Legal Land Description

Project Name	Ellipsoid

Line

Latitude

Longitude

Point
Name

Begin

Thence

Line

North/South
Cardinal

Degree

Minute

Second

East
West

Length

Unit

Point
Name

Begin

Basis of Bearing

Many Metes and Bounds legal land descriptions are simple enough that this fill-in-the-form app will do the job.

What follows is a quick start for the impatient, then a sales pitch, followed by the essential background knowledge on metes and bounds legal land descriptions and finally the detailed operating instructions for this application.

There is a reference section at the end.

Quick Start

Enter your metes and bounds legal land description.

Check will run a syntax check on your data and draw the land parcel. The starting point should meet up with the ending point. This is called "Closure". The acreage should be very close to what is on the legal land description. Syntax errors will be highlighted. Hover over the highlighted fields to see the error message.

Calc does the same as above, but includes latitudes and longitudes for all points.

You can also download the point coordinates in CSV, KML, GPX and JSON formats. GPX can be loaded into your Garmin. KML is used by Google Earth.

Sales Pitch

'Check' is always free. Check will draw your plot of land without an account or a purchase.

Your first 3 Calc's are also free. 'Calc' does all the same as 'Check' and will also take your beginning latitude and longitude and calculate the latitude and longitude for all the points.

Each 'Calc' consumes 1 credit.

Typically 20 to 30 credits are required to complete a project.

If you wish to setup an account, click Becoming a Subscriber and follow the instructions.

If already have an account, click here.

Or, you can click "Login" on the top right hand corner of any webpage, sign in, and then click the "PLOT" button on the black menu bar.

Metes and Bounds Land Description

Overview:

A Metes and Bounds Land Description starts at a well defined beginning point and traces the perimeter of a property using carefully measured distances and angles until it finally returns to the point of beginning.
The end point must meet up with the start point. (Closure)

Example:

A tract of land in the Northwest quarter of the Northwest quarter of Section 30, Township 1 South, Range 66 West of the 6th Principal Meridian, County of Adams, State of Colorado described as follows:
Commencing at the Northwest corner of said Section 30;
Thence South 20°30' East, a distance of 140.60 feet to the Point of Beginning;
Thence North 88°55' East, a distance of 200.00 feet;
Thence South, a distance of 125.00 feet;
Thence South 88°55' West, a distance of 200.00 feet;
Thence North, a distance of 125.00 feet to the Point of Beginning;
Containing 0.57 acres, more or less.

Bearings are based on the north line of the Northwest quarter of Section 30 to bear North 89°42' East with all bearings contained herein relative thereto.

Elements:

PREAMBLE
- The preamble provides a general description of the land to be described including the county, state and other general information to orient the reader.
- The preamble gets the reader to the proper general location.
POINT OF COMMENCEMENT
- This is the reference point.
- A Point of Commencement is used to unambigously reference the parcel to a well-established point (ie: a government survey corner).
- A Point of Commencement is used when the reference point is not on the perimeter of the parcel.
- The Point of Commencement is either inside the land parcel or on another land parcel some distance away.
- There might not be a Point of Commencement.
POINT OF BEGINNING (POB)
- The Point of the Beginning is "pen down", the first point where the drawing of the perimeter begins.
- If there is no Point of Commencement, the Point of Beginning is also the reference point.
BODY
- The Body contains a sequence of Calls.
- These Calls draw the perimeter around the land parcel and end up back to the Point of Beginning.
- Calls recite Courses and Distances.
- Calls can be a straight line, a curve, or a line parallel line to another line.
- Calls can be references to adjoining boundaries, natural or artificial monuments, roads or rivers.
- Courses are the direction of a line.
- Courses are usually referenced to true north, but sometimes are referenced to magnetic north or a Basis of Bearing
- Distance is the length in a well-known unit, such as feet, meters or chains.
AREA
- An Area Call sets forth the approximate acreage in the parcel.
- The acreage in the Area Call should be very close to the calculated area as defined by the sequence of calls in the Body.
BASIS OF BEARING
- A Basis of Bearing is used instead of true north or magnetic north as the reference for the Courses.

Operating Instructions
Field	Description

Project Name	A short description of the land parcel.
Ellipsoid	The Earth is not completely round sphere, it is an ellisoid. The Earth bulges out at the equator, like when a child sits on a beach ball. There are slightly different sets of numbers used to describe the ellipsoid shape of the earth. Some are newer and more accurate. Some work better on a specific part of the earth, like the area around Mount Everest. If unsure, leave this field blank. ELLIPSOIDS Semi-major Semi-minor Equatorial Polar Inverse axis (m) axis (m) flattening Name a b 1/f ---------------------------- --------------- ---------------- --------------- Airy 6377563.396 6356256.91 299.3249753 Modified Airy 6377340.189 6356034.446 299.3249646 Australian National 6378160 6356774.7192 298.25 Bessel 1841 6377397.155 6356078.9629 299.1528128 Bessel 1841 (Namibia) 6377483.865 6356165.383 299.1528128 Clarke 1880 6378249.145 6356514.8696 293.465 Clarke 1866 (NAD27) 6378206.4 6356583.8 294.9786982 Everest 1830 6377276.34518 6356075.41511 300.8017 Everest 1948 6377298.556 6356097.55 300.8017 Mod. Everest 1948 6377304.063 6356103.039 300.8017 Everest 1956 6377301.243 6356100.228 300.8017 Everest (Pakistan) 6377309.613 6356108.571 300.8017 Mod. Fischer 1960 6378155 6356773.32 298.3 GRS80 (NAD83) 6378137 6356752.31414 298.257222101 GRS-80 CHINA 6378140 6356755.288 298.257 Helmert 1906 6378200 6356818.17 298.3 Hough 1960 6378270 6356684.34343 297 Indonesian 1974 6378160 6356774.504 298.247 International 1924 6378388 6356911.9462 297 Krassowsky 1940 6378245 6356863 298.3 SGS 85 6378136 6356751.302 298.257 South American 1969 6378160 6356774.7192 298.25 WGS72 6378135 6356750.52 298.26 WGS84 6378137 6356752.314245 298.257223563 Airy 1830 6377563.541 6356257.053 299.325 Clarke 1858 6378361 6356685 294.26 Clarke 1880 French 6378249.2 6356515 293.46598 Clarke 1880 Mod. 6378249.145 6356514.966 293.466307656 Clarke 1880 Palistine 6378300.79 6356566.435 293.466307656 Clarke 1880 6378249.145326 6356514.966721 293.4663076 Danish 6377104.43 6355847.415 300 Delambre 6376523.3 6355863.232 308.64 Everest 1969 6377295.664 6356094.668 300.8017 Fischer 1960 6378166 6356784.284 298.3 GRS 1967 6378160 6356774.504 298.247 Hayford 1909 6378388 6356909 297 Plessis 6376523.3 6355863.232 308.64 Schott 1900 6378157 6357210.672 304.5 Struve 6378298.3 6356657.143 294.73 War Office 1924 6378300.58 6356752.267 296 WGS 60 6378165 6356783.287 298.3 WGS 66 6378145 6356759.769 298.25 ---------------------------- --------------- ---------------- ---------------
Line	Line Number. Line Number is not part of a legal land description. It is used by this application to provide a reference to a specific line of the input form. The Line Number is used to label points on the drawing that do not have a Point Name.
Latitude Longitude	This is the critical starting point used to calculate all the other points. Care and attention are required. Latitude and Longitude to 5 decimal places is about a meter. The Latitude and Longitude are entered in decimal degrees, with Longitude being a negative number in the Western Hemisphere. The MGRS app can be used to convert a Degree, Minutes, Seconds into Decimal Degrees. Sectional In the parts of the United States covered by the Public Land Survey System and the parts of Canadian provinces covered by the Dominion Land Survey, the starting Latitude and Longitude are often corners that can be obtained by using one of our sectional land description converters. Enter the Sectional Land Description and click calc. Download and save the CSV file. Right Click and Open the CSV file with a text editor like notepad. Use notepad instead of Excel, because Excel can round numbers and destroy the accuracy needed in this application. Find the corner in the CSV file that matches the corner in the legal land description. Copy and paste the latitude and longitude into the form above. Government Databases Finding US Survey Marks and Datasheets National Geodetic Survey Physically get the GPS of the Starting Position Devices with a built in GPS chip such as smart phones which can directly receive satellite GPS signals. The accuracy is typically claimed to be within 10 meters. Stand on the starting location (if legal). Use the https version of MGRS converter and click the "Get" button. In 5 to 10 seconds, the Latitude and Longitude fields will be filled in by the GPS technology in your phone. Write down the Latitude and Longitude. The phone may clear the data during a power cycle. Check that the MGRS converter can get a GPS location before you leave home. If "get location" or "allow this webpage to access your location" are turned off in your smart phone's web browser, it can be difficult to turn back on. You can use other devices and other apps to get the GPS location.
Point Name	Name of this point. The Point Name is used by the legal text to name a point that will be referenced later on in the same document. The Point Name is used to label the point on the drawing.
Begin	Point of Beginning. "Pen Down". Drawing of the Perimeter begins.
Courses Courses are the directions to move. This application accepts courses in in 2 formats.
Cardinal	North, South, East and West, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast. Cardinal Directions are simply stated as words. Degree, Minutes and Seconds are left blank.
North/South Degree Minute Second East/West	The Compass is divided into 4 quadrants. Directions start at either North or South and proceed at an angle towards East or West. At least one of the degree, minute or second fields must be filled in.
Distance
Length	Length is a positive number with up to 8 decimal places.
Unit	These well know units of length are accepted. Unit Meters ------------- --------------- Chain 20.1168 Link 0.201168 Rod 5.0292 Foot 0.3048 Meter 1 Yard 0.9144 Inch 0.0254 Furlong 201.168 Perch 5.0292 Pole 5.0292 Mile 1609.344 Kilometer 1000 League 5556 US Foot 0.30480061 ------------- --------------- US Survey Foot Since 1893, the legal definition of the foot in the United States has been based on the meter. The definition adopted by Congress in 1866 was 1 US Foot = 1200/3937 meter exactly. In 1959, the relationship of the foot to the meter was officially changed to what it is today: 1 Foot = 0.3048 meter exactly. U.S. Survey Foot (NIST) Although the difference is small, across the distance of an entire state, it becomes significant. If unsure, use "Foot" rather than "US Foot".
Basis of Bearing
North/South Degree Minute Second East/West	A Basis of Bearing is used instead of true north or magnetic north as the reference for the Courses. It follows the same rules as Direction (See Above). If there is no Basis of Bearing, leave these fields blank.

Sectional Land Descriptions

Sectional Land Descriptions are subdivided by a grid system.

These are found by using these fill-in-the-form programs

Link	Area	Grid Name	Example
PLSS	USA	Public Land Survey System	S2 T35N R21W Chisago County, Minnesota Section 2, Township 35 North, Range 21 West, Fourth Principal Extended
DLS	Canada	Dominion Land Survey	SW 24-12-20-W4 Southwest Quarter of Section 24, Township 12, Range 20, West of the 4th Meridian.
NTS	Canada	National Topographic System	C-26-F/93-K-11 Series 93, Area K, Sheet 11, Block F, Unit 26, Quarter C
FPS	Canada	Federal Permit System	Yellowknife 38 62-30 N 114-15 W Hay River F 72 61-00 N 115-30 W
UTM	Global	Universal Transverse Mercator	12N 384323 5540791
MGRS	Global	Military Grid Reference System	12U UA 84323 40791 12U UA 84 40

Legal Land Description References

Interpretations of Real Property Descriptions
Florida Association of Cadastral Mappers
The Florida Department of Revenue
FACM Course 3
Specifications for Description of Tracts of Land for Use in the Land Orders and Proclamations
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
Stock Number 024-011-00117-4
Guidelines for Writing Legal Descriptions
State of California
The Zigs and Zags of Legal Descriptions
by Alan C. Morganfield, SR/WA, PLS
by Charles Carpenter, ESQ
Legal Descriptions
by R.W. "Russ" Forsberg, PLS
Land Description Principles
By: William C. Rohde, RLS 841
Wisconsin Land Surveyor
Retired
Torrens System – An Explanation
www.bcrealestatelawyers.com
The Spagnuolo Group of Real Estate Law Firms
Cadastral Systems In Developing Countries
Technical Options
by Dr. Ing. Winfried Hawerk
How to map property boundaries from a deed
http://www.waldeneffect.org
by Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton

Surveying References

Basic Surveying - Theory and Practice
Oregon Department of Transportation
Geometronics Unit
Highway Surveying Manual
Washington State Department of Transportation
Environmental and Engineering Service Center
Design Office
M 22-97 January 2005
Chapter 11 : Geometrics
Finding Survey Marks and Datasheets
National Geodetic Survey
Search BLM GLO Records
U.S. Deptartment of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Choose "Surveys" to find Platt Image