Legal descriptions and records0 answersAI answer
Looking for tips on writing descriptions that title companies and future surveyors can follow easily.
Asked October 25, 2026
AI answer · not yet verified by a surveyor
Clear descriptions save everyone trouble later [1]:
- Tie to a reliable point of commencement, such as a section corner, a lot corner or a recorded monument.
- State the basis of bearings and the datum or reference.
- Describe each course with a bearing, distance and monument (found or set), with consistent units and precision.
- Call adjoiners and rights-of-way where they help.
- Include curve data (radius, arc length, chord bearing and distance) and whether a curve is tangent or non-tangent.
- Close back to the point of beginning, and check the math with software.
- Give the area as approximate ("more or less").
- Reference the plat or survey that supports the description.
Ask a colleague to plot it from the text alone. If they can't, it isn't clear yet.
General information only. Answers here are not a survey or legal advice, and no one here can tell you where your boundary is. For your property, hire a licensed land surveyor in your state; for legal questions, a real-estate attorney.