Real Estate Legal Descriptions Flashcards

Township and Sections

• A township measures 6 miles square and encompasses 36 square miles.
• A section encompasses 640 acres, equivalent to 1 square mile.

Area Measurements

• 1 square mile equals 640 acres.
• 1 acre includes 43,560 square feet.
• Area can be calculated using the formula: Length x Width.

Distance Conversions

• A mile is equivalent to 5,280 feet.
• Understanding square mile measurement: 1 square mile is equal to 640 acres.

Land Division Terminology

• Base lines and tier lines run east-west.
• Meridian lines and range lines run north-south.

Section Divisions

• Half a section equals 320 acres (1/2 square mile).
• Quarter section equals 160 acres (1/4 square mile).
• A section contains 1 square mile or 640 acres.

Land Area Calculations

• For a tract of land measuring 660 feet along a highway and containing 20 acres:
  • Total square footage = 20 acres x 43,560 sq ft/acre = 871,200 sq ft.
  • Depth = 871,200 sq ft / 660 ft = 1,320 feet.

Legal Description Parsing

• Example legal description: N 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of Section 12, T24S, R13E.
  • Total area = 640 acres x (1/4) x (1/4) x (1/4) x (1/2) = 5 acres.

Additional Legal Description Example

• For legal description: W 1/2 of SW 1/4 of NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 and SE 1/4 of SW 1/4 of NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 of Section 29, T19S, R10E:
  • Area calculations:
    • A. 640 acres x (1/4) x (1/4) x (1/4) x (1/2) = 5 acres.
    • B. 640 acres x (1/4) x (1/4) x (1/4) x (1/4) = 2.5 acres.
    • Total area = 5 + 2.5 = 7.5 acres.

Triangular Parcel Calculation

• For a triangular parcel measuring 460 feet along a street with a maximum depth of half the frontage:
  • Area = 460 ft x 230 ft = 105,800 sq ft.
  • Since it's a triangle, divide by 2: 105,800 / 2 = 52,900 sq ft.
  • Acres = 52,900 sq ft / 43,560 sq ft per acre ≈ 1.21 acres.

Price per Square Foot Calculation

• A parcel sold for $30,000 at a rate of $2.50 per square foot:
  • Total square feet = $30,000 / $2.50 per sq ft = 12,000 sq ft.