Definition
A formal property boundary description sufficient to locate and identify the property with certainty, typically using metes and bounds, lot and block, or government survey systems. 'The house on the corner' doesn't cut it.
Example Usage
The legal description used the government rectangular survey method: 'The Northeast Quarter of Section 23, Township 4 North, Range 2 East.'
Origin
Formalized with the Public Land Survey System established by the Land Ordinance of 1785
Fun Fact
Metes and bounds descriptions can get hilariously archaic, referencing landmarks like 'the old oak tree' that died decades ago or 'Smith's fence' when Smith sold his property in 1947.
Source: U.S. Public Land Survey System and state recording statutes
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