Metes and Bounds Legal Description

The metes and bounds legal description is the oldest of the three methods of describing land.  Metes refers to distance and bounds refers to direction.

 

•The reader of a metes and bounds legal description is started at a point of beginning which is located somewhere on the parcel of land.

•He is "walked around" the perimeter of the parcel using angles and distances eventually returning to the point of beginning.

 

Example:

 

A tract of land In District 6, Land Lot 280, Gwinnett County, Georgia is described as follows:  Start at the stone monument at the southeast intersection of Holly Springs Road and Locust Grove Road (Point of Beginning).  Go east along the southern boundary of Holly Springs Road 750 feet to the true point of beginning.  Go east 200 feet to a point.  Go S30° E; 500 feet to a point.  Go West 500 feet to a point.  Go north 400 feet to the point of beginning.

 

 

The size of this property is:

 

200' x 400' = 80,000 Sqft.

½ x 300 x 400 = 60,000 Sqft.

80,000 + 60,000 = 140,000 Sqft.

140,000 / 43,560 = 3.21 acres

 

There are 43,560 Sqft. in an acre

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