Land Descriptions II


Prerequisite: Students should have completed the Legal Land Descriptions and Basic Math or an equivalent course, or have practical hands-on experience in field survey and/or writing of land descriptions.


Course Objective: To hone the skills of the participants in order for them to be more professional and effective in completing work assignments and to give them a body of knowledge that will make the participants more competitive in seeking and/or meeting personal career goals.

To achieve these objectives, the focus will shift from long lengthy classroom lectures and is directed to the class participants working as a group, in team settings and/or individually as is necessary to complete the assignments.


These objectives will be accomplished through:

  • Short morning and afternoon formal classroom lectures,
  • Group discussions in the classroom and/or in the field,
  • A team effort involving the layout, survey and survey note keeping involving the tract of land,
  • An individual effort in drafting (drawing) a legal land parcel plat, writing its’ legal land description, calculating its interior angles from its surveyed (compass) bearings – actual vs. calculated and calculating the acreage of the tract,
  • Problem solving exercises if needed
  • Short quizzes if needed, and,
  • A short formal exam at the end of the session which will test the participants understanding of Course II.


COURSE OUTLINE

  • Short Review of Course I (Only a brief overview)
  • Township and Range Lines and their numbering system
  • Sections and lots and their numbering system
  • Aliquot parts of a section, the reading of descriptions and determination of acreage
  • Section corner monumentation
  • Affects of water and their terms
  • Hand Compass – Determination of Bearings
  • Determination of bearings by azimuth reading
  • Measurements and Equivalents
  • Legal Land Descriptions – The main part of the course
  • Map/plat requirements. A land description is only as good as the survey from which it was written
  • BIA guidance for writing land descriptions – March 10, 1955
  • The writing of sufficient land descriptions – emphasis is on consistency and uniformity
  • Aliquot part land descriptions
  • True Metes and Bounds
  • True Metes and Bounds description with an aliquot part
  • Quasi Metes and Bounds
  • Recorded Maps or Plats
  • Description by Reference
  • “Of” Descriptions
  • Survey Math – This aspect of the course introduces the participants to various geometric shapes, math and applications usable for completing day-to-day assignments. An airy and light hearted session will be presented to avoid frustration.
  • Review of various geometric shapes
  • Discussion of the mathematical relationships
  • Practical application of geometric shapes to office and field work
  • Introduction to formulas for calculating acreage