Legal land descriptions: metes-and-bounds, recorded plat, rectangular system

One-line orientation

How a parcel is legally described — metes-and-bounds, recorded plat, or the rectangular system — is tested as a vocabulary-and-context question: which method, where it is used, and the fact that a legal description is about lines, not topography or improvements.

Key points

• Metes-and-bounds:
  • Traces the perimeter by bearings and distances from a fixed point of beginning, around the parcel and back.
  • Associated with rural areas and older / historic descriptions.
• Recorded plat (lot-and-block):
  • The parcel is identified as a lot and block on a recorded subdivision plat filed with the city or municipality.
  • Common in cities and modern municipalities where land is subdivided and platted.
• Rectangular (PLSS / township-and-range) system:
  • The Public Land Survey System divides land into a grid of townships, ranges, and sections for a systematic legal description.
• A legal description ≠ a topographic or improvements survey. It locates the property lines; it does not show contours, buildings, or utilities (those are topographic/ALTA work).

Confusions / comparison

Method	How the parcel is described	Typical context
Metes-and-bounds	Bearings + distances around the perimeter	Rural areas, older/historic parcels
Recorded plat (lot-and-block)	Lot + block on a filed subdivision plat	Cities, modern municipalities
Rectangular (PLSS)	Township / range / section grid	Systematic US land division

Related

→ Site survey types (this module): boundary surveys establish property lines; legal descriptions may use metes-and-bounds, a recorded plat, or the rectangular system · Property rights (this module): easements and rights-of-way recorded against a described parcel.