#Metes and bounds vs lot and block plus#

Metes and Bounds: Metes are measures of length and bounds are boundaries. This occurred where streams, lakes, or cliffs were involved in a survey.

Lot numbers were also used when ground barriers prevented the establishment of complete 40-acre tracts. These lots contain more or less than 40 acres and were assigned numbers, i.e., Lot 4 Section 16 instead of NW1/4NW1/4. Where these corrections occurred, government lots were established. Irregular townships were corrected along the northerly and westerly line of townships. Sections are usually divided into half and quarter sections: N1/2, NW1/4, etc. The directions are abbreviated “N”, “S”, “E”, and “W”. Compass directions are used to locate parcels in sections. They are the smallest subdivisions that were actually surveyed on all four sides. The one-mile-square areas typically contain 640 acres. The sections within a township are numbered consecutively from the northeast corner (Section 1), following a back-and-forth course until the last section in the southeast corner is numbered (Section 36). Townships are about 49.5 feet shorter at the top (north) than at the bottom (south) as these lines converge as they continue toward the North Pole. Each township is six miles square and divided into 36 sections. Townships are created by the intersection of township and range lines. They are designated as Range 1W, etc., or Range 1E, etc. Range lines run north and south parallel to meridians. They are designated as Township 1N, etc., or Township 1S, etc. Township lines run east-west parallel to baselines every six miles. Township and range lines divide land into 36 square mile areas (six miles x six miles). The original plan was to settle the Ute Indians in Western Colorado. Ute Meridian and Baseline: Certain portions of Mesa and Delta counties use the Ute Meridian as the main north-south survey line with an arbitrary baseline as the starting point. New Mexico Meridian and Baseline: Used to survey a large section of southwestern Colorado and New Mexico. This baseline was used for the survey of Kansas, Nebraska, most of Wyoming, and the northern and southeastern parts of Colorado.Ħth Principal Meridian: The 6th Principal Meridian, running north and south in eastern Kansas and Nebraska, was established and used in conjunction with the Colorado Baseline. It runs through Boulder as Baseline Road and is the boundary between Kansas and Nebraska. A baseline, the equator was designated as 0 degrees latitude.Ĭolorado Baseline: The baseline in this area is 40 degrees 00 minutes 07 seconds north latitude from the equator and runs from the easternmost point of the Kansas-Nebraska boundary to the western boundary of Colorado. The Greenwich Meridian was selected for use as the prime meridian or 0 degrees longitude.

Surveyors utilized longitude and latitude lines in establishing baselines and meridians in each survey area. The government survey created a checkerboard of identical squares covering a given area. The original corners established on the ground by the original surveyors are to be considered correct and take precedence over subsequent field notes and plats. The primary purpose of the survey was to mark boundaries on the ground.

#Metes and bounds vs lot and block plus#

The original thirteen states plus Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and Hawaii were not included in this survey, which was done by and continues under the Bureau of Land Management.

Personal Property Declaration SchedulesĪn ordinance passed by the Continental Congress in 1785 directed that the public land of the United States be surveyed.

GIS Legal Descriptions & Parcel Numbering.

Commercial Real Estate & Possessory Interest.

Charitable & Religious Property Tax Exemptions.

Assessment Calendar & Glossary of Terms.

Agricultural Land Classification Questionnaire.

Abstract of Assessment & Understanding Your Value.