261:
the road, thence northwest along a line to a large standing rock on the corner of the property now or formerly belonging to John Smith, thence west 150 rods to the corner of a barn near a large oak tree, thence south to Muddy Creek road, thence down the side of the creek road to the point of commencement." The sequence begins with an identified corner serving as benchmark. The description then gives distance, direction and various boundary descriptions as if one were walking the bounds pacing off the distance to the next corner where there is a change of direction. Where watercourses form part of the bounds their meander is generally taken as a straight line between the established corners and their monuments.
272:(a direction north or south followed by a degree measure out of 90 degrees and another direction west or east). For example, such a bearing might be listed as "N 42°35' W", which means that the bearing is 42°35' counterclockwise, or west of north. This has the advantage of providing the same degree measure regardless of which direction a particular boundary is being followed; the boundary can be traversed in the opposite direction simply by exchanging N for S and E for W. In other words, "N 42°35' W" describes the same boundary as "S 42°35' E" but is traversed in the opposite direction.
342:
features move, change and disappear over time, when it comes time to re-establish the corners along the line of these boundaries (for sale, subdivision, or building construction) it can become difficult, even impossible, to determine the original location of the corner. In the metes and bounds system, corners, distance, direction, monuments and bounds are always carried back to the original intent regardless of where they are now. Court cases are sometimes required to settle the matter when it is suspected the corner markers may have been moved.
402:
generally southeasterly along said canal to the northeasterly production of Frank Street; thence northeasterly along said production to the intersection of
Greenfield Avenue with Nicholas Street; thence southeasterly along Nicholas Street to Highway No. 417; thence easterly along said highway to the Rideau River; thence generally southerly along said river to the easterly production of Borden Side Road; thence westerly along said production to Prince of Wales Drive;
156:
25:
392:
In Canada, metes and bounds are frequently used to officially define the territory of electoral districts, particularly in urban areas where the districts may subdivide municipalities or otherwise not conform to municipal boundaries. For example, the definition for the federal electoral district of
260:
A typical description for a small parcel of land would be: "Commencing at a corner at the intersection of two stone walls near an apple tree on the north side of Muddy Creek road one mile above the junction of Muddy and Indian Creeks, thence north for 150 rods to the end of the stone wall bordering
118:. It may include references to other adjoining parcels (and their owners), and it, in turn, could also be referred to in later surveys. At the time the description is compiled, it may have been marked on the ground with permanent monuments placed where there were no suitable natural monuments.
341:
which could disappear; or be confused with a different tree that had grown later. Streams might dry up, meander or change course. Man-made features such as roads, walls, markers or stakes used to mark corners and determine the line of the boundaries between corners may have been moved. As these
401:
Consisting of that part of the City of Ottawa described as follows: commencing at the intersection of the interprovincial boundary between
Ontario and Quebec with a line running 45°00'W from the mouth of the Rideau Canal; thence S45°00'E along said line to the mouth of the Rideau Canal; thence
311:
Some courts have established a list of priorities to resolve inconsistent descriptions of corners. In descending order starting with the most reliable: (1) natural monuments, (2) artificial monuments such as roads and marked or surveyed lines, (3) adjacent tracts or boundaries, (4) courses or
140:
way, or an existing building. The system is often used to define larger pieces of property (e.g. farms) and political subdivisions (e.g. town boundaries) where precise definition is not required or would be far too expensive, or previously designated boundaries can be incorporated into the
320:
Once such a survey is in place, the corners may have to depend on tradition and long use to establish the line along the boundaries between them. In some areas where land was deeded before 1593, the lengths given predate the changes to the length of the furlong and
125:
refers to a boundary defined by the measurement of each straight run, specified by a distance between the terminal points, and an orientation or direction. A direction may be a simple compass bearing or a precise orientation determined by accurate survey
406:
The difficulty with permanency of features on the ground does not arise because the electoral districts are redistributed every ten years, allowing districts to be brought into conformity with any features that have changed in the intervening time.
103:, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, India and Bangladesh. While still in hand-me-down use, this system has been largely overtaken in the past few centuries by newer systems such as rectangular (government survey) and lot and block (recorded plat).
88:. The system has been used in England for many centuries and is still used there in the definition of general boundaries. The system is also used in the Canadian province of Ontario, and throughout Canada for the description of
110:, along with directions and distances, to define and describe the boundaries of a parcel of land. The boundaries are described in a running prose style, working around the parcel in sequence, from a
329:. In other places references to the official borders of towns, counties, and states may have changed. Compass directions always have to be tied to a table of annual deflections because
376:
are not otherwise based upon metes and bounds. Such mapping generally uses streets and their intersections to define the boundaries of election districts, wards, precincts,
384:: "From the intersection of Main Street and John Doe Boulevard, thence north to ABC Drive, thence generally east along the median of ABC Drive to 123rd Street, thence..."
470:
394:
361:
This system was imported to the original colonies that formed the United States. It is also used in some states that were previously part of one of the
303:) with which to measure lengths, as well as poles, and many older legal descriptions of real estate in the United States are given in chains and poles.
353:(PLSS) used in the central and western states. The eastern, or original states, continue to use the metes and bounds surveys of their founders.
480:
35:
365:, or where land was allocated before 1785. These include West Virginia, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee and Vermont. Because Texas was an
247:
177:
60:
558:
228:
200:
181:
372:
Election constituency boundaries continue to be described by the use of metes and bounds, even in jurisdictions where land
207:
345:
These kinds of problems caused the United States to largely replace this system except in the east. Beginning with the
136:) refer to a more general boundary description, such as along a certain watercourse, a stone wall, an adjoining public
431:
89:
166:
563:
214:
185:
170:
350:
196:
133:
527:
421:
346:
269:
507:
Cribbet, Johnson, Findley, and Smith. Property, Cases and
Materials, (8th ed 2002, Foundation Press)
330:
416:
115:
111:
275:
In most distance measures, especially those in older deeds and where measuring distances over a
476:
366:
362:
300:
221:
93:
81:
426:
449:
445:
552:
77:
296:
441:
496:
326:
284:
155:
97:
85:
292:
280:
100:
436:
107:
96:
that became the United States and in many other land jurisdictions based on
295:
are equivalent measures equaling 16.5 feet. There are four rods in one
276:
265:
469:
Galaty, Fillmore W.; Allaway, Wellington J.; Kyle, Robert C. (2017).
369:
prior to statehood, its land system is primarily metes and bounds.
475:(9th ed.). U.S.: Dearborn Real Estate Education. p. 90.
288:
34:
may be in need of reorganization to comply with
Knowledge (XXG)'s
373:
322:
137:
268:(a clockwise degree measure out of 360 degrees) but instead by
114:, returning to the same point; compare with the oral ritual of
149:
18:
516:
Stoebuck & Whitman, The Law of
Property 827 (3d ed. 2000)
106:
Typically the system uses physical features of the local
333:
is constantly changing. The description might refer to
42:
312:
directions, (5) distances, and (6) area or quantity.
16:
Method of describing land in deeds and other records
397:in the 2012 representation order reads (in part):
264:In many deeds, the direction is described not by
299:. English surveyors carried chains (such as a
45:to make improvements to the overall structure.
497:https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/960043
8:
92:. By custom, it was applied in the original
184:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
76:is a system or method of describing land,
248:Learn how and when to remove this message
61:Learn how and when to remove this message
461:
7:
182:adding citations to reliable sources
472:Modern Real Estate Practice in Ohio
357:History of use in the United States
14:
279:, boundary lengths are listed in
154:
23:
349:, it began a transition to the
1:
432:Lot and block survey system
580:
351:Public Land Survey System
307:Resolving inconsistencies
134:Abuttals and boundaries
559:Land surveying systems
422:Boundary (real estate)
347:Land Ordinance of 1785
367:independent republic
283:or poles instead of
178:improve this section
90:electoral districts
43:editing the article
526:Elections Canada.
417:Beating the bounds
197:"Metes and bounds"
116:beating the bounds
112:point of beginning
564:Land registration
482:978-1-4754-3375-3
363:Thirteen Colonies
327:Queen Elizabeth I
258:
257:
250:
232:
94:Thirteen Colonies
82:personal property
71:
70:
63:
36:layout guidelines
571:
543:
542:
540:
538:
532:www.elections.ca
523:
517:
514:
508:
505:
499:
493:
487:
486:
466:
427:Butts and bounds
253:
246:
242:
239:
233:
231:
190:
158:
150:
80:(in contrast to
74:Metes and bounds
66:
59:
55:
52:
46:
27:
26:
19:
579:
578:
574:
573:
572:
570:
569:
568:
549:
548:
547:
546:
536:
534:
528:"Ottawa Centre"
525:
524:
520:
515:
511:
506:
502:
494:
490:
483:
468:
467:
463:
458:
450:survey township
413:
390:
359:
318:
309:
254:
243:
237:
234:
191:
189:
175:
159:
148:
67:
56:
50:
47:
41:Please help by
40:
28:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
577:
575:
567:
566:
561:
551:
550:
545:
544:
518:
509:
500:
495:O. Reg. 43/96
488:
481:
460:
459:
457:
454:
453:
452:
446:civil township
439:
434:
429:
424:
419:
412:
409:
404:
403:
389:
386:
358:
355:
339:large oak tree
331:magnetic north
317:
314:
308:
305:
301:Gunter's chain
293:Rods and poles
256:
255:
162:
160:
153:
147:
144:
143:
142:
127:
69:
68:
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
576:
565:
562:
560:
557:
556:
554:
533:
529:
522:
519:
513:
510:
504:
501:
498:
492:
489:
484:
478:
474:
473:
465:
462:
455:
451:
447:
443:
440:
438:
435:
433:
430:
428:
425:
423:
420:
418:
415:
414:
410:
408:
400:
399:
398:
396:
395:Ottawa Centre
388:Use in Canada
387:
385:
383:
379:
375:
370:
368:
364:
356:
354:
352:
348:
343:
340:
336:
332:
328:
324:
315:
313:
306:
304:
302:
298:
294:
290:
286:
282:
278:
273:
271:
267:
262:
252:
249:
241:
238:November 2021
230:
227:
223:
220:
216:
213:
209:
206:
202:
199: –
198:
194:
193:Find sources:
187:
183:
179:
173:
172:
168:
163:This section
161:
157:
152:
151:
145:
139:
135:
131:
128:
124:
121:
120:
119:
117:
113:
109:
104:
102:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
79:
78:real property
75:
65:
62:
54:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
21:
20:
535:. Retrieved
531:
521:
512:
503:
491:
471:
464:
405:
391:
381:
377:
371:
360:
344:
338:
337:such as the
334:
319:
316:Difficulties
310:
274:
263:
259:
244:
235:
225:
218:
211:
204:
192:
176:Please help
164:
141:description.
129:
122:
105:
73:
72:
57:
48:
33:
86:real estate
553:Categories
537:26 January
378:inter alia
208:newspapers
101:common law
437:Surveying
335:landmarks
165:does not
108:geography
442:Township
411:See also
126:methods.
51:May 2023
277:furlong
270:bearing
266:azimuth
222:scholar
186:removed
171:sources
98:English
479:
289:meters
224:
217:
210:
203:
195:
130:Bounds
456:Notes
374:plats
297:chain
229:JSTOR
215:books
146:Usage
123:Metes
84:) or
539:2022
477:ISBN
382:E.g.
323:mile
285:feet
281:rods
201:news
169:any
167:cite
138:road
325:by
287:or
180:by
555::
530:.
448:,
444:,
380:.
291:.
541:.
485:.
251:)
245:(
240:)
236:(
226:·
219:·
212:·
205:·
188:.
174:.
132:(
64:)
58:(
53:)
49:(
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
