They may appear in a description as a building, rock, or other nonpermanent marker. Metes are distances between two points measured with straight lines, regardless of what is in between them. What, Specifically, Are Metes and Bounds? Thus, considering the impreciseness of these tools and descriptions, numerous lawsuits have been filed over the years disputing the borders in states that used metes and bounds. Land was described as starting at a certain point and continuing in a line based on the compass needle. These can fall over on their own, or malicious neighbors can intentionally move them.Īccording to, compasses, which are not always a 100 percent reliable indicator of direction, were often used in these surveys as well. Worse, when no obvious marker or indicator was present, a pole or stake may have been driven into the ground to mark the boundary. Of course, trees eventually die, rivers can erode land, and roads can be moved. Parcels were often defined by formations such as rivers, trees, roads, or other landmarks. The plots could be large, often encompassing many acres of farmland or heavily forested areas. It was the principle way to measure land before the Land Act of 1785, so much of the land in the original 13 colonies was measured this way, as well as in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Texas.īefore technology, or even before sophisticated measuring instruments, land surveying was fairly imprecise. Metes and bounds is a method of surveying land that is centuries old. When using a metes and bounds survey, it might be difficult to find a parcel’s borders.
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