metes and bounds

Metes and bounds is a method of describing a parcel of land by stating distances along its edges (the metes) and the properties or natural features that border it (the bounds). It is one of the oldest surveying systems still in use, predating the rectangular grid systems that now cover much of North America. A metes and bounds description reads like directions: start at a marked stone, go north 150 feet to an oak tree, then east 200 feet to a creek, then south along that creek to a property line, and so on, closing back to the starting point.

The word mete comes from Old English for measure or boundary; bounds simply means the limits or edges of a property. The system relies on both quantitative measurements and qualitative references. Distances are given in feet, chains, or meters; bearings are stated as degrees from north. But the description also names visible landmarks: a large rock, a stream, a fence line, a neighbor's property corner. This combination of measurement and reference point anchors the boundary on the ground and in the record.

Where metes and bounds thrive and fail

Metes and bounds works well for properties of irregular shape and for land that does not fit neatly into a grid. It is standard in the eastern United States, in areas surveyed before the adoption of the Public Land Survey System. Modern metes and bounds descriptions often include bearings measured to the nearest minute or second of arc, and distances to the nearest tenth of a foot or even inch. Electronic distance measuring instruments and GPS receivers have made it easier to establish these measurements with high precision.

The weakness of metes and bounds is accumulation of error. If a surveyor's measurements are off by one-tenth of a foot on each side of a parcel, the boundary may not close; the last leg will not reach the starting point. Landmark-based bounds also fail when the oak tree dies, the stream changes course, or the fence is moved. Disputes arise when successive surveys yield slightly different locations because surveyors use different starting points, different instruments, or interpret old descriptions differently. A metes and bounds boundary is only as good as the care taken in the original survey and the stability of the reference marks.

In modern practice, metes and bounds descriptions still appear on deeds and in subdivision plats, often alongside more rigorous coordinate-based descriptions using latitude and longitude or state plane coordinates. Surveyors must reconcile old metes and bounds records with current ground conditions and adjacent properties. The system persists because changing it would require resurveying millions of parcels and rewriting centuries of legal records. For any parcel described by metes and bounds, the original field notes and plat drawings, if they survive, are invaluable for interpreting ambiguities.