Legal Description

The Various Ways to Describe Real Estate

Every written document which affects an interest in land must contain a legal description sufficient for a third party to be able to identify that property with specificity. There are different types of legal descriptions, and this page is intended simply to give a summary overview.

Sectional Lands – the Public Land Survey System:

This type of land description goes back to the early U. S. Government surveys, which were not nearly as accurate as is possible today. Government surveyors plotted out vast areas of land starting at a fixed point as a basis for the survey of a particular area of land. This point was described by its longitude and latitude, that is, by the intersection of a true north-south line (true meridian) and a true east-west line (baseline). The starting point for these surveys in Nevada is on Mt. Diablo, California, located in the East Bay about 10 miles east of Walnut Creek. The Mt. Diablo Base and Meridian is commonly abbreviated as "M.D.B.&M."

Using the baseline and meridian the U. S. Land Office surveyors plotted out townships, which in theory are squares that are six miles in length on each side. In turn the townships are subdivided into 36 sections, which are each 1 mile square containing 640 acres. The sections in turn are often subdivided into smaller squares as more particularly described here.

A typical legal description of a 40 acre parcel using this type of description would be the "NW 1/4 of NE 1/4, Section 22, T.16 N., R. 63 E., M.D.B.&M."

For a further explanation of the township layout and the use of sections, click here.

Lot and Block Descriptions - descriptions based upon recorded subdivision or parcel maps

As land started being subdivided into smaller areas - particularly in more urban areas - it became common to record a subdivision map showing streets, easements, blocks and individual lots. The subdivision map itself is often located by reference to the sectional land descriptions.

Parcel maps are similar to subdivision maps, except they are limited to land subdivisions up to four parcels, and depending on the size of the parcels, they may or may not show streets or easements.

The preparation and recording of subdivision maps and parcel maps are heavily regulated by planning and zoning laws in Nevada. The maps have to be approved in writing by numerous agencies before they can be recorded. See Chapter 278 of Nevada Revised Statutes.

A typical description using this method would be:

Lot 3 in Block A of Stoney Brook Farms Subdivision No.3, according to the map thereof filed in the office of the County Recorder of Washoe County, State of Nevada, on March 21, 1982, as Document No. 3890987.

Portions of Existing Parcels – descriptions based on adaptations of other types of legal descriptions.

Sometimes things change after the recording of a parcel or subdivision map and the owner wants to convey an interest in only part of a lot or parcel. This is not common today with the heavy governmental regulation, but it is often seen in older subdivisions.

A typical description using this method would be:

Lots 5, 6 and the west ½ of Lot 7 in Block B of Blackacre Subdivision, according to the map thereof filed in the office of the County Recorder of Washoe County, State of Nevada, on October 4, 1947, as Document No. 59873.

Metes and Bounds Descriptions

This type of legal description uses a series of bearings (compass directions) and distances around the perimeter of an area (metes), together with references to monuments, both physical and legal (bounds). The bearings are usually expressed in this manner: "South 00° 53' 46" West." The distances are usually expressed in feet, although in very old documents you might see distance expressed in rods or chains.

Here is an example:

Strip Descriptions

This type of description is usually used for rights-of-way such as roads, utilities and flood control channels. It often describes a width of land on either side of a centerline. The centerline is often a metes and bounds description.

For example:

A strip of land, 60.00 feet in width, lying 30.00 feet on both sides of the following described centerline: South 89° 05' 43" East, 150 feet.

Assessor Parcel Numbers and Maps

Assessor parcel numbers (APNs) are assigned to each parcel of land by the local County Assessor for purposes of assessing property taxes. Every deed recorded in Nevada (and many other states) must include an APN in addition to the legal description. The APN is not legally sufficient by itself to describe a parcel of land, but it is a handy short cut to help locate a particular parcel.

Assessors prepare assessor parcel maps to show where the parcels are located. In some respects an assessor's parcel map looks like a subdivision or parcel map, but it cannot be referred to in lieu of a subdivision or parcel map.

Here is an example of a typical Assessor's Parcel Map:

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