The term metes refers to distance (think “meters”) and bounds refers to directions.
This method is often used for irregularly shaped parcels and expensive land because of its accuracy.
The maximum number of degrees in a legal description is 90°.
The line that runs north and south is the primary reference line, because it is the first (primary) call in a legal description. The first call is either “North” or “South,” depending whether the line runs north or south of the 90-degree line.
The north and south are 0°, and east and west are 90°.
The exact point of beginning location is critical to the survey.
The monuments method of survey is outdated. It used rivers, trees or roads to mark the corners.

More land in the U.S. is described by the government survey method than by any other method.
The basic north-south reference line in Florida is called the principal meridian.
The basic east-west reference line in Florida is the base line.
North-south lines 24 miles apart are called guide meridians.
East-west lines that are 24 miles apart are called correction lines, or parallels.
The squares that are 24 miles on each side formed by these lines are called checks.
Range lines run north-south every 6 miles.
The north-south strip of land formed by two range lines is called a range.
Township lines run east and west every 6 miles.
The east-west strip of land formed by two township lines is called a tier or township.
Additional lines within the checks are 6 miles apart and form smaller squares, called townships.
A township is 6 miles square and has 36 square miles.
Section lines are made within the townships which are 1 mile apart.
This created smaller squares called sections.
A township has 36 sections.
A section is one mile square and has one square mile.
To compute the number of acres in a description, multiply the denominators across, then divide the product into 640 (the number of acres in a section). If the description has an “and” in it, there are two parcels and each must be calculated separately.
A mile is 5,280 feet.
A section has 640 acres.
An acre has 43,560 square feet.

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